Tess of the d’Urbervilles

In Thomas Hardy’s classic novel, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, there are many complex and intriguing characters that emerge from it. Two such characters are the two young men who tried to win Tess over, Alec d’Urberville and Angel Clare. These two characters are distinctly different from one another in many ways, but in other, more subtle ways, they possess some similarities.

Their physical appearances are noticeably different though it is noted that they are both especially handsome young men. Alec has “touches of barbarism”(32) in his face while Angel’s has “grown more thoughtful” (112). They also seem to have the opposite colors of hair. Alec’s hair being “black” (35) while Angel has the “palest straw colour” that “deepens to a warm brown”(112). Furthermore, their mouths have variations as well. The “badly molded”, but “smooth”, “full”(35) lips of Alec are much different than the “small” and “delicately lined”(114) ones of Angel. Even more, their eyes are described with opposing adjectives. The difference in the Alec’s “bold rolling eye” and Angel’s “fixed, abstracted eyes”(114) are quite present. The variety in their faces are most definitely there.

The descriptions of their general features relate to their actions. Alec is a womanizer who jumps from woman to woman without regard to their feelings, carelessly flinging around their hearts and virginity. Barbaric. His hair, the darkest possible color, can be associated to a dark personality related to sin and other negative aspects of life. His mouth, which is shaped roughly, like his actions and character, can sometimes be overlooked because of the smoothness of them. Like the smooth trait of his lips, Alec can use trickery to disguise his real motives with people, which include his us of sly words. He certainly has a bold personality, like his eyes, having the audacity to steal a “cursory kiss”(70) from Tess when he can. The rolling part of his eyes can be taken literally. Because he cannot keep his eyes still, his eyes are forever roaming. It shows his unwillingness to commit to one woman because they are always wondering to others.

Angel who is described with reserved, quieter adjectives, is in fact more so Alec. His reservedness often leads many women to fall for his as well because humans, for the most part, naturally want what they cannot have. And Angel who is “too much taken up with’ his own thoughts to notice girls”(113) fills these requirements.