Fate in Tess of the D’Ubervilles Essay

In Tess of the DUbervilles Thomas Hardy creates a guts that mickle is guiding each of the characters, lots for the worst, to an inevitable end. From the beginning of the refreshing Tess shows a thorough understanding of her shortcomings and an acceptance that she is destined to sink a difficult life. Hardy uses societal circumstance and luck to create the powerfully tragic story of Tess, her family and her relationships, and how she chooses to play to the hand that she is dealt. From the beginning of the story we understand that Tess is fully aware of her shortcomings in life and that she is destined to walk of life a path of hardship. When speaking with her brother in the fourth chapter of the book she speaks of this awareness, Did you say the stars were worlds, Tess?Yes.All like ours?I dont know, but I think so. They sometimes seem to be like the apples on our stubbard-tree. Most of them splendid and sound a few blighted. Which do we live on a splendid one or a blighted one ?A blighted one (33).Tesss early understanding of the tragic life she is meant to lead foreshadows the situations waiting for her. For the remainder of the novel, almost e genuinely single time something good happens to Tess it is snatched away from her on the next page. In more than than one way it seems that fate is conspiring against Tess through let out the novel. Hardy almost completely takes away the characters abilities to change their circumstances, imprisoning them by the harsh Victorian societal structure. From the beginning Hardy uses recurring themes to illustrate that Tesss death has been pre-determined, giving us the notion that whatever path she chooses she will end up where Hardy wants her to. While it could be argued that her choices are the only bewitch in her life, I feel that from the moment her character was developed her end was virtually decided. Or, at least, this is what Hardy wants us to feel. While she could be considered responsible for her actions, she manages to observe out with the worst in nearly every situation.Her character is destined to drag her down even though she constantly endeavors to be the best she peck be, a few examples include going to the market when her father is too drunk to do so, consequently killing their horse telling the truth to nonsuch Clare, despite her mothers warning not to do so and many further situations. This is undeniably the reason why, despite the indignation of people who held more conventional views at the time, Hardy called it the story of a pure woman. Tesss highly developed sense of responsibility, strong conscience, and duty to her family further promotes the idea of a malevolent fate someone this conscientious should surely have someone or something working against her to come into so much ill fortune. In fact, her conscience and honesty seem to add on to the tragedy of her life.But over and over again Tess is fated to almost supernaturally tragic coincidences. A icy example of fat e getting in the way of Tesss happiness occurs when she tries to explain her past to Angel, in particular the incident that happened with Alec before they met at the dairy. She is very sincere and quite adamant in her attempt to tell Alec of the devastating event during which her virginity was taken away from her. But as fate decides, the garner elaborate Tesss past when slipped under the door of Angels room also slipped under the rug on his floor. Angel never gets to read the letter and therefore does not know about Tesss past. Angel and Tess go ahead with their marriage with both of them unaware each others pasts, eventually ruining their marriage and leading to Tesss death.Hardy is very good at dropping hints throughout the novel, which helps to link preceding events with the final outcome. This, in particular, adds to the sense that the characters fate is predetermined, teasing the reader along the way with often-exaggerated images, symbols or phrases from unsuspecting charac ters, including Tess herself when she states, all this good fortune may be scourged out of me afterwards by a lot of ill. Thats how heaven mostly does (252). Here Hardy uses Tess to convey a sense of fate with her being sorely aware that good and fearful usually go together in some form.She is still blissful, though, and can hardly believe that things could turn as bad as they do in the end, but it is an example of Hardy creating the theme of pre-determined fate in this story. Overall, I feel that Tesss actions and those of the characters surrounding her constantly pretend her, but that Hardy wants us to feel that they are all part of an imminent fate. It is undeniable that this story hinges on many unfortunate coincidences. Throughout the novel there is an overriding presence that imprisons Tess and takes away every opportunity she gets to be truly happy and that disregards the pure nature of her being. Despite constantly striving to do the right thing she never seems to get wha t she deserves but a great deal worse (211).