Tess of the d'Urbervilles

13 Pages 3297 Words

hem out of the right way into the wrong way.”(384) The reader sees this thought depicted in Tess throughout the entire novel.
Overall, Tess seems to go through life experiencing one negative event after another. Fateful incidents, overheard conversations and undelivered letters work against her ability to control the path her life takes. Tess’s future seems doomed from the beginning of the novel. As the story opens, we first meet her father and learn of Tess’s ancestry: “Durbeyfield . . . are the lineal representative of the ancient and knightly family of the d’Urbervilles . . . that renowned knight who came from Normandy . . . if knighthood were hereditary, like a baronetcy . . . John would be Sir John.”(1) Somehow the reader knows almost immediately that this knowledge isn’t necessarily going to save the poor family, especially once we learn of the fate of Tess’s ancestors: “Where do we d’Urbervilles live?” asks “Sir” John to the parson who responds, “You don’t live anywhere. You are extinct.”(2) If one believes in the concept of natural selection, they probably realize rather quickly that thi!
s isn’t the best family from which to descend.
The use of chance and coincidence is given mostly a negative effect in Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Throughout the novel, meetings, which might have saved many lives, are missed by a few moments. A good example of this can be found in phase the first when Angel Clare and his two brothers, pass through Tess’s village and see her and her companions dancing on the green. He looks on for a while and then chooses a partner. He “took almost the first that came to hand”, but he didn’t take Tess’s hand. (9) After dancing a short time he left, not having noticed her at all, at least not until it was too late. The reason Hardy probably introduces this episode is to make his readers realize that if Angel had selected Tess for his dancing mate, both of ...