Tess dei d'Urbeville: trama e analisi

TESS DEI D'URBEVILLE: TRAMA

Tess ot the d'Urbevilles, Thomas Hardy.

The Victorian age, started at the end of 19th century, was dominated by such values as church, family, the home and the sanctity of the childhood. Middle-class women (called angel in the home) were expected to conform to a submissive and pious domestic role. The category of ‘fallen’ women was condemned by a moralistic establishment.
Thomas Hardy, in the middle of the Victorian age, published Tess of the D’Urbervilles. The main character of this novel is Tess, a poor, country woman. She’s a victim of Alec, an aggressive, libertine man, who rapes her.
The first tragedy is the first step to marginality from society.
According to Victorian values, this raped woman has no chance to work because of her illegitimate son. After her son’s death, Tess decides to move to another valley, looking for a new life.

Tess dei d'Urbeville di Thomas Hardy: riassunto, analisi e commento

TESS DEI D'URBEVILLE ANALYSIS

She succeeds in finding a job and this allows her to recover a life in conformity with Victorian ideals.
She makes the acquaintance of Angel and she falls in love with him. Their love story lasts until she decides to reveal her past. Angel decides to abandon her.
Another time victim of her past, Tess is again out of society, alone with her tragic destiny.
Hardy’s vision of the world is a naturalistic one: each human being is forced by his birth condition to live his whole life in a certain social condition(situation). In spite of his efforts to escape from his destiny, his life has already a written direction.