Tess of the D'Urbervilles

In Tess of the D’Urbervilles, I want to focus on the last part of the section that we had to read for today’s class: the guilt that Tess feels about not telling Angel about her past with Alec D’Urberville and Angel’s reaction to this news when she finally does confess. First, I can’t imagine how terrifying it must be for Tess to live in a society were a past relationship could ruin your chance of a happy marriage; especially given the circumstances of the Tess's past relationship. In today’s society, there is still a certain attitude towards people when they have a child at a young age, but this doesn’t make them unworthy of marriage. Tess truly loves Angel and doesn’t want him to leave her. However, she also has such a guilty conscious that she can’t live a happy life with Angel when he doesn’t know the truth. I don’t blame her for being scared of telling Angel about Alec and Sorrow. This creates quiet a dilemma for Tess. To make matters worse for her, when a man who knew what happened between Tess and Alec confronts the soon to be newlyweds, Angel “struck the man on the chin with the full force of his fist” (Hardy 163). The guilt is now almost unbearable for Tess. If Angel punched a complete stranger, what was he going to do to her?

When I found out that Angel had “plunged into eight-and-forty hours’ dissipation with a stranger,” I felt some comfort in knowing that he might understand what Tess went through and be willing to forgive her for her sin (Harding 177). But his first reaction to this news is completely opposite! He says that he doesn’t know the real Tess! What a hypocrite! This just shows the difference between the roles of men and women in this time period. A man can be forgiven, or at least understood, for his sins; but a women is suppose to be punished for the rest of her life. From seeing the movie already, I know that he does finally come to his senses, but I am disappointed in the way he acts immediately hearing the news about Tess. To show how unforgiving he is, Angel “broke into horrible laughter—as unnatural and ghastly as a laugh in hell” (Harding 179). I can only imagine that Tess is feeling scared and ashamed. Anger towards herself, anger towards Alec, anger towards Angel. Disappointment in Angel and herself. Helplessness.

Harding, Thomas. "Tess of the D'Urbervilles." Norton & Company, Inc. New York: 1991.