Feeling Sympathy for Tess in Tess of the D'Urbervilles
I think that throughout the novel Thomas Hardy uses many different
techniques that lead his readers to feel sympathy for Tess. Through
reading Hardy's 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' I have realised that it is
invaluable that the readers of any novel sympathise with and feel
compassion for the main character. In writing 'Tess of the
D'Urbervilles' Thomas Hardy is very successful in grabbing the
attention and sentiments of the reader and then steering their
emotions so that they feel empathy and understanding for the character
Tess. Hardy does this from the very first time we are introduced to
Tess.
The first time we see Tess is at the Woman's Walking Club Festival,
Hardy describes her as 'a fine and handsome girl, with a mobile peony
mouth and large innocent eyes' (Chapter II), 'a small minority would
look long at her in casually passing and grow momentarily fascinated
by her freshness' (ChapterII).This description of pure beauty and
innocence captures the imagination of the readers and we begin to
build a relationship with the character. The beauty and goodness that
we see in Tess draws us to her, and engenders a feeling of affection
for her, in this way Hardy is preparing us for later in the book when
we see Tess suffering, and feel sympathy for her. Hardy is leading us
to feel sympathy for Tess by using her attractiveness and personal
qualities.
From the first scene in which we meet Tess, Hardy leads us to feel
sympathy for her by giving the impression that we (as readers) are
slightly overlooking Tess; a place in which this technique is used is
whilst Hardy is describing the effects of her appearance on others.
Hardy describes the more extraord...
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...herself
to save Angel's dignity. All this evidence leads us to the conclusion
that Tess is a natural victim, trodden by society: 'Every day it
seemed more was expected of Tess and every day seemed to throw upon
her young shoulders more and more of the world's burdens' (Chapter VI).
I conclude that although Thomas Hardy uses many different and varied
techniques to lead us to feel sympathy for Tess he pays particular
attention to portraying Tess as a natural victim. Hardy also spends a
great amount of time (particularly at the beginning of the book)
building Tess' character and building a relationship between Tess and
the readers. This is an effective method of leading the audience to
feel sympathy for Tess because the reader is more likely to like and
consequently, feels more compassion and sympathy towards Tess later in
the book when she is suffering.
Bernice uses this information as a weapon against Marjorie hoping to evoke sympathy and pity from her cousin. This same poise and control is not shown by Bernice whose "lower lip was trembling violently". Bernice does not know how to act and this shows by how obviously hurt and affected she was by her cousin's words.
... the book has to offer. She gives Montag a new outlook on life, simply by asking questions, and actually taking interest in his life.
...mont’s but is sadly disappointed by her unfortunate state in the end of the novel.
By stoning Tessie, the villagers treat her as a scapegoat onto which they can project and repress their own temptations to rebel. The only person who shows their rebellious attitude is Tessie. She does not appear to ...
The community and her unsupportive parents’ cold treatment towards Tess following these events emphasize the hegemonic male perspective of society towards women. Furthermore, Hardy shows how women are seen by society through the male gaze as sexual objects, as Tess is blamed for Alec’s lack of self-control. He attempts to justify his cruel actions as he calls Tess a “temptress” and the “dear damned witch of Babylon” (Hardy 316), yet he later says that he has “come to tempt [her]” (340). Tess is also objectified by Alec when he says that if Tess is “any man’s wife [she] is [his]” (325). The narrator’s repeated sexualized descriptions of Tess, such as her “pouted-up deep red mouth” (39), further demonstrate how women are commonly seen through the male gaze in society.
Even though, the arguments put forth by the author are relevant to the central theme, they lack clarity. He tends to go off on tangents and loses the flow of the article. It seems that the author has a slight bias against our generation’s obsession with technology, but that can be attributed to him being a quinquagenarian. I feel that the author has not covered the topic thoroughly enough. He has not quite explained the topic in depth or covered it from various perspectives.
In many works of literature, authors often have a point they are trying to convey. This may be something about religion or politics, for example. In From Walden by Henry David Thoreau and Against Nature by Joyce Carol Oates, both authors are trying to make different claims regarding the topic of nature. Thoreau’s piece speaks more positively of nature whereas Oates’ piece contradicts the romantic views some writers have about nature. In making their claims, both authors utilize different structures to convey clear messages to the reader.
According to Rousseau, in the state of nature, man resembles the image of a savage. The human animal does not have a language or self awareness. Man simply dispersed among the beasts by imitating and
“Modern man does not experience himself as a part of nature but as an outside force destined to dominate and conquer it. He even talks of a battle with nature, forgetting that if he won the battle he would find himself on the losing side” (E.F. Schumacher, 1974).
In the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, there are many themes, symbols, and motifs that are found throughout the novel. For my journal response, I have chosen to discuss nature as a prevalent symbol in the book. The main character, Montag, lives in a society where technology is overwhelmingly popular, and nature is regarded as an unpredictable variable that should be avoided. Technology is used to repress the citizens, but the oppression is disguised as entertainment, like the TV parlour. On the opposite end of the spectrum, nature is viewed as boring and dull, but it is a way to escape the brainwashing that technology brings. People who enjoy nature are deemed insane and are forced to go into therapy. Clarisse says “My psychiatrist wants to know why I go out and hike around in the forests and watch the birds and collect butterflies,” (Bradbury 23) which shows she is a threat to the control that the government has put upon the people by enjoying nature.
the women is not one of beauty and it is surprising to the reader that
Most if not all of the villagers seem to view the death of Tessie as necessary and traditional. To the people of this community, death has
The poem's major theme seems to be this sense of the world being ruled by a hostile and blind fate, not by a benevolent God pushing all of the buttons. This is clearly stated within the poem itself as Hardy writes "If but some vengeful god would call to me / From up the sky, and laugh: 'Thou suffering thing, / Know that thy sorrow is my ecstasy, / That thy love's loss is my hate's profiting!' / Then would I bear it, clench myself, and die, / Steeled by the sense of ire unmerited; / Half-eased in that a Powerfuller than I / Had willed and meted me the tears I shed. / But not so." (Hardy, Longman p. 2255: ll. 1-9). As you can see, this poem shows that Hardy has indeed lost all faith in a benevolent God that deals out suffering and joy to his creations as he willfully deems they deserve and need. Instead of this idea of a benevolent God up above pulling all of the strings of the world and dealing out everyone's personal fate, Hardy believes fate is...
Alec's arms, when he had left her. She was forced to go back to him,
Hardy’s novels are ultimately permeated upon his own examination of the contemporary world surrounding him, Tess’s life battles are ultimately foreshadowed by the condemnation of her working class background, which is uniquely explored throughout the text. The class struggles of her time are explored throughout her life in Marlott and the preconception of middle class ideals are challenged throughout Hardy’s exploration of the rural class. Tess of the D’Urbervilles revolves around Hardy’s views of Victorian social taboos and continues to be a greatly influential piece from a novelist who did not conform to the Victorian bourgeois standards of literature.