The Analysis of Tess 2 2.docx

1、The Analysis of Tess 2 2The Analysis of Tesss Tragedy in Tess of the DUrbervilles外国语学院 10级6班10050639 Abstract The tragedy of Tess is both the social tragedy and simultaneously also the disposition tragedy. There are many causes for Tesss tragic fate. By analyzing her own character, the social backgr

2、ound, the familys poverty, the irony of fate, ect, this paper presents the main causes of Tesss tragedy.Key WordsTesss tragedy; internal reasons; external reasons; the irony of fate摘要：苔丝的悲剧不仅是社会的悲剧同时也是性格的悲剧。造成苔丝悲的原因有很多。本文通过分析苔丝自身的性格、19世纪的英国社会的背景、苔丝的家庭背景以及命运的讽刺来挖掘造成苔丝悲惨命运的主要原因。关键词：苔丝悲剧，内部因素，外部因素，命运的讽

3、刺ContentsAbstract(English)Abstract(Chinese) Introduction 11.Internal reasons for Tesss tragedy 11.1 Character Analysis of Tess1.1.1Her compromising character 2 1.1.2 Tesss Compromise to Alec.2 1.1.3 Tesss Feminist Viewpoint3 1.2 The Personality Weakness of Tess31.2.1 The Resistance of Tesss Characte

4、ristics.31.2.2 The Moral Conservativeness of Tesss Character 51.3 Her lack of self-awareness 51.4 Her inferiority 51.5 Her lack of education 62.External reasons for Tesss Tragedy 82.1 Social Element for Her tragedy 82.1.1 Capitalism of social background 8 2.1.2 Male Consciousness Leading to Tesss Tr

5、agedy 2.2 Family Element for her tragedy 92.2.1 Family Background 112.2.2Her Parents for Tesss Tragedy . 112.2.2.1Her Father to Tesss Tragedy 11 2.2.2.2 Her Mother for Tesss Tragedy 13 2.3 the Male Factors in Tesss Tragedy3.The irony of fate 134. Conclusion 14Acknowledgements 15Bibliography 16Introd

6、uction The Womens Liberation reaches its climax at the end of 19th century. Hardys works reflect the thought of women emancipation which is in line with the zeitgeist. Besides, females in his works array themselves vehemently against the traditional mores and society. Hardy set his sight audaciously

7、 on the countryside and paid close attention to the tragedies of common families. He is good at depicting the tragic fate of females, to expose the damages brought to females by patriarchal society and to criticize the Androcentrism. Tess of the DUrbervilles describes a virtuous, tough, self-respect

8、ed and tolerant woman- Tess. In quest of the family genealogy, the girl comes in contact with Alec DUrberville, whose claim to the ancient family name is dubious. Before long the rich and guileful Alec manages to seduce the girl and make her pregnant. She gives birth to a child, who dies soon. Out o

9、f financial need, Tess goes out to find work on a dairy farm. She didnt give herself up as hopeless and blame everyone and everything but herself. She chooses to face setbacks valorously and undertake the heavy burden of the family without complaint. Later, on the farm she meets Angel Claire and the

10、y fall in love with each other and become engaged. At the wedding night, Tess makes a confession about Alecs sexual trap and begs Angels pardon. However, Angel leaves her in disgust. After Angles departure, Alec continues to harass Tess. Out of financial need, Tess has to give in and living with him

11、. Then the joke goes on with redoubled intensity when the remorseful Angel Claire resurfaces and throws Tess into the abyss of despair. She stabs Alec for hurting her so, and runs away with Angel. They try to hide in the wood where she is arrested. She is hanged later. There is no doubt that Tess is

12、 wretched but brave. She has subverted the traditional mores which Hardy tries to knock out. What kind of evil things convert the angelical girl to a murderer? What kind of evil things that push an elegant and gracious woman to death? What are the roots of Tesss tragedy? 1. Internal reasons1.1 Chara

13、cter Analysis of Tess1.1.1 Compromising character Tess has the courage to react against the traditional mores and concentrate on the pursuit of her own happiness. There is no doubt that she is an uncompromising mutineer. However, she cannot thoroughly break away from the fetter of traditional morali

14、ty. She is conservative and unenlightened. Of course she knows that she is an innocent victim of violence. However, when facing the censure of villagers, she also regards herself as guilty. Her relationship with Claire also shows another kind of compromising in her character. The relationship betwee

15、n lovers should be equal. But Tess constantly overestimates Claire while blindly belittles herself as it is said in the novel: “She loves him extremely, she looks he as the god. 6” What ardent but hangdog love! Her miserable past does not receive Claires forgiveness but relentless discard. Even so,

16、her love to Claire never reduces. Letters after letters, she doesnt regain Claires love. She loses her self-consciousness and dignity in front of love. It is the blind and unequal love that deepens Tesss tragedy, therefore, she gives up her right as a wife to strive for happiness. 1.1.2 Tesss Compro

17、mise to Alec After Tesss horse died, her life is changed. In order to support her family, she has to live with Alec. When Tess comes across with Alec near four years later in the village of Ever Head, though Alec DUrbervilles seems first to have undergone a remarkable transformation from a rake into

18、 a pious and religious man, he discards this posture so effortlessly and quickly that it seems to have been a superfluous charade. Alec can escape legal sanctions, unaffected. He represents a larger moral principle rather than a real individual man. Like Satan, Alec symbolizes the base forces of lif

19、e that drive a person away from moral perfection and greatness. Tess continues to suffer as a social outcast because of a disgrace that is much more Alecs fault than hers, yet the hypocritical Alec has the luxury to repent and even win acceptance as a preacher. Tesss plight as a woman thus appears i

20、ncredibly unjust, stressing “The Woman Pays”. So Tess is observant and distrusting of Alec, and she views his conversion as a plot to win her back. She has learnt her lesson about risking herself and her happiness for the sake of money. She is much stronger woman now and is more knowledgeable about

21、conniving men, especially Alec. This strength deters Alec and makes him feel weaker and more vulnerable because his plot is not working. Her second compromise to Alec is when she lives with Alec again, while enduring the abandoned life. As Tess struggles with Alecs temptation, her need for Angel bec

22、omes more and more desperate. If Angel were to return to her and do his duty as her husband, her problems would greatly diminish. She writes to Angel and pleads that he not judges her on her irretrievable past. Tesss situation thus makes her very vulnerable to Alecs persuasions. She is obviously hea

23、rtbroken and needs to be loved more than ever. She is also distraught by her familys ever-worsening financial situation. Alecs reasoning seems more valid to Tess than it has in the past. In a way, Tess and Alec are similar in that they have both fallen and ask for forgiveness for their indiscretions

24、. After a long wait for Angels reply, but nothing, Tess begins to realize that Alec maybe her only hope. She gives up all hopes and becomes Alecs mistress for the sake of her family. Tesss love is not given the spirit of transcendence physical beauty, but with the loss of self-emaciated blind and mi

25、serable, unrealistic to imagine that there is no hope with the chessboard, and all are attributable to the self-destiny of the fate and helplessness. Her life is not worthwhile to an attachment that her man and this is a profound tragedy. When she feels the opinions of all the sacrifices so insignif

26、icant, as all acts of levity, finally decides to angrily rebel. Of course, Tess once expressed her plainness angrily by the last letter to Angel under a completely disappointed condition. Even when Angel comes back with love and loyalty to ask for her forgiveness, she says to him：“Too late, too late

27、!” “Dont come close to me, Angel!”. All of these are still not Tesss real intentions from her posterior acts. When she stays with Angel while escaping to be arrested, she says:“I want you to go on loving me. Im afraid you might reject me one day for what Ive done. Then I would rather be dead I must

28、have been mad to kill him! But I dont want to be alive when you reject me for it”. Because she is disappointed for Angel, so she compromise to Alec.1.1.3 Tesss Feminist Viewpoint In the Christian Bible, the women are made of one rib of the men, so that the women are decided in a subordinate position

29、 basically. However, Tess, which is made by the writer Hardy, breaks away from the dependency of the economy gradually, steps into the big and broad society from the small and narrow family, besides, she is more or less educated and has a great favor of education. In general, only when a man has a s

30、trong self-consciousness, he can realize that there is a equality between women and men and the women is no longer a poor plaything for men, neither a blind satisfied family accessories -the so-called home angel. In the novel, Tess first works for the chicken farm, where is seduced by Alec, then she

31、 goes to the cows farm, works as a milk maker, where she falls in love with Clare, however, who leaves her to Brazil，after that Tess works for the farm to fix turnip and grass. No matter what the living conditions are and what the fate is, there is a dramatically difference between Tess and the trad

32、itional women. Tess assumes the responsibility of raising families before the marriage, even after Clare goes to Brazil, I would rather survive by myself than rely on Clare. Then when she is entwined by Alec, She says My father-in-law will give me money when I ask for. Tess, I know you, you will not, you will never ask others for money even though you may starve to die. We can easily find Tesss independence on finance ac