The graduation thesis.docx

The graduation thesis.docx

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Thegraduationthesis

HelplessnessintheTragedyofTess

YinQiong

AThesisPresentedto

TheSchoolofForeignLanguages

ChinaWestNormalUniversity

InPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirementfor

TheDegreeofBachelorofArts

UndertheSupervisionofYuanYu

May2010

HelplessnessintheTragedyofTess

Outline

Thesisstatement:

ThispaperaimstoanalyzethehelplessnessinThomasHardy’sTessofthed’UrbervillesthroughthetragedyofTess,whichshowshissympathytothepoorpeople.

Ⅰ.Introduction

Ⅱ.TheTragedyofTessinMoribundSociety

A.Tess’sTragedyinMoribundSociety

1.Tess’sPregnancy

2.AngelClare’sDesertion

3.Tess’sDeath

B.TheCausesofHerTragedy

1.FamilyBackgroundofTessinthePatriarchySystem

2.Tess’sResistancetotheTraditionalMoralConcept

3.TheHypocriticalReligionatthatTime

4.TheCharacteristicsofTess

Ⅲ.ThomasHardy’sAttitudeReflectedintheNovel

A.DisclosureoftheCrueltyoftheCapitalisticSociety

B.SympathytowardsthePoor

C.ExpressionofHisHelplessnessinSuchaRelentlessWorld

Ⅳ.Conclusion

HelplessnessintheTragedyofTess

YinQiong

SchoolofForeignLanguages,CWNU,NanChong,China,637002

Abstract:

Tragedyisakindofliterarycreation,whichisnotasimpleartisticformortechniquebuttherepeatofrealsociety.Tessofthed’UrbervillesisregardedasthemostsuccessfultragicmasterpieceofThomasHardy.HepresentsavividpictureofthetragiclifeofTess.Inordertodefeattheunfortunatefate,Tessisbraveenoughtoresistthedecadentsociety,thetraditionalmoralconceptandthehypocriticalreligion.ThroughthedescriptionofTess’stragedyoffate,Hardyexpresseshisindignationtowardsthesocietyandsympathytowardsthepoor.Heaccusesthecruelsocietyandconveyshishelplessnesstoalllives.

Keywords:

Tragedy,Tess,Helplessness

Ⅰ.Introduction

ThomasHardyisafamousBritishpoetandnovelist.Asa“humanitarianism”writer（Guerard1963:

56）,hethinkspeople’slivesaremiserable.Mostofhisworkshavesomethingincommon,thatisthefutilityofman’sefforttostruggleagainstthecrueland“unintelligiblefate,chanceandcircumstance”（Howe1967:

67）.Heexposesthehypocriticalmorals,laws,andreligiouscapital.Inhisworks,hewidelyusescontrastinvariouslevelsandranges.Amongthem,theconflictbetweenhuman’scharacterandthenaturalenvironmentandpeople’sfightfortheirfateareoutstanding.Hethinksitistheconflictbetweenthecharacterofpeopleandtheenvironmentthatcausethedestruction.ThisisfullyembodiedinTessofthed’Urbervilles.ItisregardedasHardy’smostsuccessfultragicnovel.Hardydemonstrateshisdeepsenseofmoralsympathyforruralwomenandexpresseshishelplessnessinsucharelentlessworld.

Asisknowntoall,Tessofthed’UrbervillesisthemasterpieceofThomasHardy.Ittellsastoryaboutabeautiful,diligentandhonestvillagegirl,Tess,whoexperiencedamiserablelife.Oneday,herfathergotapieceofnewsthattheywerethedescendentsofanoblefamily----d’Urbervilles.Tess’sparentsurgedhertoclaimkinshipwiththeremainingd’Urbervilles.Thoughshewasreluctanttodothis,inordertohelpthefamilygettingthroughthehardship,shecametothed’UrbervilleswhereshemetAlecd’UrbervilleswhosetatrapforTessandrapedher.Toescapethegossipandhelpherfamily,Tesslefthomeandwenttoworkonafarm,whereshemetAngelClaire.AfterAngel’persistentpursuitofTess,thetwocharactersfellinlovewitheachotherandgotmarried.Thenintheweddingnight,TessconfessedherpasttoAngelandbeggedforforgiveness,butAngelleftherindisgust.

Tessofthed’UrbervillesisoneoftheHardy’stragedies,amasterpiecewhichbringshimintoanumberofliterarycriticsnotice.Itreflectsthe“realsocietyandsocialsystemandmorals”ofthewriter’s（Douglas1961:

34）.Therefore,itiseasytoknowthehistoryofhisage.SomecriticsresearchthewritingbackgroundfromthetragedyofTess.SomescholarshaveputemphasisonthetragedyofTessforalongtime.SomescholarsmakeresearchesforthetragedyoftheheroAngelClare.ThispaperwillanalyzeHardy’shelplessnessthroughthedescriptionofTess’stragedy.ItconcentratesonTess’stragedyinMoribundSocietyandthecausesofhertragedy,whichrevealsThomasHardy’shelplessnessinthetragedyofTess,andshowshissympathytothepoorpeople.

Ⅱ.TheTragedyofTessinMoribundSociety

A.Tess’sTragedyinMoribundSociety

Tess’stragedyiscausedbyseveralfactors.ThesefactorsinterminglewitheachotherandfinallymakeTessindesperate.Tesslivesinthemoribundsocietythatiscorruptedandcruel.Peopleareerodedbytheoldandtraditionalthought.Hertragedyfirstlycomesfromherpregnancy.ThenAngelabandonsher.Finally,Tessresiststotheunequalaffairandmeetsherdeath.

1.Tess’sPregnancy

Tesscamefromafarmer’sfamily,thed’Durbeyfield.Shelivedinapoorbutpeacefullife,butallhertragedybeganinoneeveningoflateMay,thesuddendeathoftheonlyhorse.Atthattime,Tess’sfathergotapieceofnewsfromaparsonthattheywerethedecedentsofthenoblefamily---d’Urbervilles,whichwasanancientfamilyoncerenownedinEngland.Theystillhadrichrelatives.Tess’sparentswereoverdelightedaboutthisnews.Hermotherpersuadedhertovisitthed’Urbervillestoclaimthekinship.Tohelpthefamilygettingthroughthehardships,shereluctantlyagreedwithsuchfoolsuggestion.Unwillingly,thegirlcameincontactwithd’Urbervilles.ThereshemetAlecd’Urbervilleswhowasademon,hewasshrewdandcraftywrotealetterbyhismother’stone,askedTesstolookafteralittlerfowl-farm,whichwasherhobby.Aleclaidonhisfather’smoneyandpowerharmsothertobenefithim,andresortedtoallmeanstosatisfyhisabsurdfleshlydesires.TessworkedthereforfourmonthsandrapedbyAlec.Tesswasheartbroken,shecamebackhome.Latershegavebirthtoachild,whodiedlaterbecauseofdisease.Tess’spregnancymadeherfeltdisgracedinfrontofpeople,shedidnotgooutduringthedaytimebutonlythedeepnight.Shecouldnotforgiveherselftomadesuchstupidmistakeandfeltashamed.Finallysheleftherhometownandbeganhernextlevelofmiserablelife.

2.AngelClare’sDesertion

Withoutfinancialsupport,Tesshastoleavehomeandgoestoworkatadistantfarm,whereshemeetsAngelClarewhocomesfromawealthypastorfamily.Hedespisestheclassprejudiceandtherankidea,hewantstolivesimpleandfreshvillagelife,tobeindependent,sohecomestothefarmtrieshardtograspagriculturaltechnology.TessfellinlovewithAngel,butshecannotgetridofherpast.Sheiscontradictory,wheneverthinksofherandAlecandthedeadchild,sheisheartbrokenandfullofguilty.ButafterAngel’spersistentpursuitofTess,thetwobecomeengaged.

Ontheweddingnight,toohonesttokeepanysecret,sheconfessestoAngelaboutAlecandthechild.Angelisshockedbythefact,hecouldnotbelieveTesshassuchshamefulexperience.AngelhasthesamepastasTess,buthecannotforgiveTessasTessforgiveshim.Henolongerseesthewomanheoncehasseenandhasmarriedonlyhoursago.Hecannotacceptthisfact“Tess!

Sayitisnottrue!

No,itisnottrue”（Hardy2004:

156）!

However,thisisthetruth!

Angelcouldnotbelievethemessinfrontofhim,heiscrashed,hasnothinginhismind!

AlthoughTessissincere,Angelstill“lookeduponherasaspeciesofimpostor,aguiltywoman,intheguiseofaninnocent”（Hardy2004:

158）.Themostterriblethingishisblameless:

“Don’t,Tess,don’targue.Thosearejustcountrypeople’sways,perhapsyouwereweakandcouldnotrefusethismanbecauseyourancientnoblebloodhasruinedthin,because…”（Hardy2004:

160）.Inthissense,AngeliscolderthanAlec.TessdoesnotgiveintoAlec’sviolence,butsheiswreckedbyAngel’sprejudicewhichleavesherintotaldarknessinherlife.DespiteTessissopainful,soheartbroken,AngelabandonedherandleftforBrazil.

3.Tess’sDeath

AfterAngel’sleaving,Tesscanonlycomebacktoherownfamily,onlyfindsthatherfamilyremainsimpoverishedandsheevenhasnoplacetostay.Inordertosupportthefamily,shegoesoutsidetofindajobinafarmwhereshemeetsAlecagain.Hetakesadvantagesofthed’Durbeyfield’spovertyandcontinuestotemptpoorTess.Hertragicfateismovingonandon.Unfortunatelyenough,Tess’sfatherdiedandthefamilyisexpelledfromtheircottage.TheyhavenofoodtoeatnoplacetolivFrightened,TesswritestoAngeltotellhimthatsheloveshimandneedshim,andbegshimtoforgiveherandreturntoher.Foralongtime,TessdidnotreceiveanyreplyfromAngel.Finallyshewriteshimthelastletterunderacompletelydisappointedcondition:

“Owhyhaveyoutreatedmesomonstrously,Angel…Icannever,never,neverforgiveyou!

…Youaresocruel,cruelindeed!

Iwilltrytoforgetyou.ItisallinjusticeIhavereceivedatyourhands”（Hardy2004:

163）.Attheendofhope,TessispossessedbyAlecagain.However,thetragedyhasnotfinishedyet.AngelClarecomesback!

AfterthehardshipandillnessheexperiencedinBrazil,AngelrealizedhowmuchTessloveshim,howunfairhetreatedTess,sohecomesbacktoaskTess’sforgiveness,butonlyfindsthatTesshaslivedwithAlecagain.ShesaystoAngel:

“Itistoolate,toolate!

Donotcomeclosetome,Angel!

No,youmustnot,keepaway”（Hardy2004:

202）.Angelleftwithabrokenheart.Later,TessstabbedAlecintheheartandkilledhim,shehatedthemanwhocheatedheragainandagainanddestroyedherlife.TesscomestothetrainstationandfindsAngel.Thetwoescapeand