Papers > History > Gender and Social Class in Thomas Hardy s Tess of the d Urberville
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Gender and Social Class in Thomas Hardy s Tess of the d Urberville
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This novel deals with a variety of themes such as religious beliefs, social conflicts related to both the working and upper class, family relations, gender, marriage, sexuality and innocence, love, forgiveness, economy, and nation.
The novel begins when Sir John discovers that he belongs to the d’Urberville lineage. The tale reveals one of the most important themes of the novel: the significance of class within English society. ... The terrible irony is that John Durbeyfield, and the rest of Tess’ family is not related to this branch of the dUrbervilles at all: Alecs father, a merchant named Simon Stokes, simply assumed the name after he retired.
Tess Durbeyfield, the main character of the novel, is first introduced in the second chapter as an innocent, soft, and pure woman. ... ” As a young woman, Tess represents a change between the old agrarian lifestyle and the new industrial one. Hardy suggests that her purity comes from lack of experience, and she is adorned in white. The emphasis that the author makes in the girls’ physical description reflects women’s concern with beauty. ... “The lane showed all its white features, and Tess showed hers, still whiter" (22). Three young brothers of superior class (Angel, Felix, and Cuthbert) watch the women as they march, and Hardy develops the issue of social class through this incident. Tess comes from a lower class background, but she can achieve a higher status thanks to her education. ... The advantage of being more educated can help Tess to move from the lower to the upper class. ... Angel’s brothers attended Cambridge for the glory and honor of God, and their families paid for that kind of education (114-15). Nevertheless, Angel (who later on in the novel falls in love with Tess) had decided to become a farmer, and that is why he did not attend Cambridge, and instead chose a more liberal education. He also gained knowledge on the farmer’s profession; a type of learning which went back to medieval times. ... John, Tess’ father, enjoyed drinking and was not an industrious man. ... Among the members of the family, it is only Tess who stays committed and responsible. Angel, Tess’ husband, disliked the conception of the old family and their traditions. ...
Tess is the key to her father’s plan to recuperate the family fortune, for he intends to marry her off to a gentleman who will provide financial support for both her and her parents. ... Every piece of advice that she gives Tess (maybe with the exception of advising Tess not to tell Angel of her history with Alec), is motivated by purely selfish reasons. The death of the Durbeyfield’s horse is the incident that motivates the Durbeyfields to send Tess to visit the d’Urbervilles and beg them for financial assistance. She basically manipulates the death of their horse, Prince, to make Tess feel guilty enough to leave and make contact with Mrs. ... If she had not selfishly used Princes death to her advantage, Tess probably would have never to the poultry farm, and been ravished by Alec, the event which essentially causes her downfall. Her mother assumes Tess will marry a gentleman who will provide for the family.
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Paper Information
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Title: Gender and Social Class in Thomas Hardy s Tess of the d Urberville
Words: 2605
Rating: None
Pages: 10.4
submitted by: furbalat
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