Tess of the D'Urbervilles

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Women and Femininity

Foreshadowing

"She was yawning, and he saw the red interior of her mouth as if it had been a snake's." - chapter 27

This quote compares Tess to a snake. Snake's are known for being deceitful, evil, and treacherous creatures, so for Hardy to make Angel see Tess's mouth as a snake's is huge. This foreshadows mainly the downfall of Angel and Tess's romance and happiness after they get married, which then leads to Tess killing Alec. Tess is not just a docile character that can be pushed around and controlled by men, even though at this point it seems that way. Tess does take action into her own hands and proves that women can do this. This foreshadowing helps contribute to the theme because it shows you that Tess does have a side that can fight back and that she eventually will, therefore showing that women do not have to be overpowered by men and that they will take action.

"With the impulse of a soul who could feel for a kindred sufferers as much as for herself, Tess's first thought was to put the still living birds out of their torture, and to this end with her own hands... to look for them a second time." -chapter 41

This quote foreshadows Tess killing Alec, and also foreshadows her own hanging. Tess just wants to put the pheasants out of their misery and does this by breaking their necks, which foreshadows her death by hanging because when you are hung your neck is broken and then you are killed. This also foreshadows Tess killing Alec because it shows that Tess has the capability to kill something and is willing to take action when necessary to her. Tess feeling bad for these birds in pain shows just how in touch with nature women are compared to men, who just want to hunt and eat the pheasants and don't really care for them. Women are more in touch with nature than men are, contrary to what people think and this quote shows that very well. Tess killing these birds also foreshadows to the fact that women can take action and do not just sit around and take things without doing anything back.

"She bent forward, at which each diamond of her neck gave a sinister wink like a toad's; and pressing her forehead against his temple... murmuring the words without flinching, and with her eyelids drooping down." - chapter 34

This foreshadows Angel is not going to take the news about Tess being raped by Alec well and that he ends up leaving her. The word "sinister" reveals that what Tess is about to tell Angel is not good and won't be good in the long run. Before this quote the scene has a happier and hopeful tone, but this passage completely changes that and gives us the sense that something is going to go horribly wrong and foreshadows to Angel's reaction in the next chapter. This helps to demonstart the theme because Tess is finally telling Angel about what happened to her and is finally doing something for herself, instead of trying to hide her past and keep it all to herself. We see how Angel has helped Tess to open up and become her own woman, even if Angel can't see her as an individual yet we know that Tess is unique in her own way and can in no way by idealized as "every woman."

Symbolism

"She wore a red ribbon in her hair, and was the only one of the white company who could boast of such a pronounced adornment." - chapter 2

This symbolizes many things to come in the novel. Tess wearing a white dress symbolizes that she is innocent and pure, but the red ribbon in her hair changes that initial outlook we perceive of her and make us start to think that maybe Tess is not so innocent or that something coming up in the novel will take away this innocence. The color red can be associated with danger and passion, which show us that Tess might be in danger in the future. This connects to the theme by once again showing how women are fertile even though they are innocent. The red bow symbolizes a danger of passion that will happen to her due to how fertile she is perceived as being. The white dress shows that Tess is still a virgin and that she is very fertile for other men to have.

"The oblong white ceiling, with this scarlet blot in the midst,had the appearnace of a gigantic ace of hearts." - chapter 56

This quote describes the colors of red and white coming together to make red, and on top of that the blood stain forms a heart. This heart shape symbolizes the metaphorical love bond that Tess and Alec had formed when Alec took Tess's virginity. The white ceiling symbolizes a purity and innocence that we know was stained by Alec, which is symbolized by the red blood stain. This connects to the theme because men think that they can push women around and that if something happens the women is always the one to blame. Tess has finally taken action for what Alec did to her and she is finally free from his clutches. However these symbols show that even though Tess has been tarnished, she found a way to take action for what was right and to find closure.

"Their large-veined udders hung ponderous as sondbags, the teats sticking out like the legs of a gipsy's crock; and as each animal lingered for her turn to arrive the milk oozed forth and fell in drops to the ground." - chapter 16

This symbolizes the fertility of women being full and ready to be taken by men. The description of the cow's udders represents how the cows are fertile and are ready to feed calves, it's almost as if their fertility is oozing from them. We know that Angel sees Tess in this same sense, being very fertile and ready for him to take her at any moment. This symbolism helps us see the theme because men viewed most women from this time period in the sense that they were fertile, and the description of the cows really shows how Hardy wanted you to see that the women were ripe for the taking.

Characterization

"'I am not worthy of you - no, I am not!' she burst out, jumping up from her low stool stool as though appolled at his hommage, and the fulness of her own joy therat." - chapter 31

Through this quote Hardy has Tess directly characterize herself as being unworthy for Angel. Hardy has Tess come out and say that she does not feel worthy enough for Angel, instead of having the readers infer that Tess feels that way. We know that because of the rape Tess feels that she is no longer worthy of being loved and does not deserve to be loved, even though the rape was not her fault. Tess feeling this way shows the theme of women and femininity because even though she was the victim of this assault she still takes the blame. Women have no power and whenever there are problems that involve men, women always get blamed and judged. This goes against the women and femininity theme, which tells us that women do have power and do not deserve to be pushed around all the time.

"His parents had naturally desired to see her once... no opinion of theirs was to be allowed to change his intention... would be of some social assistance to her at what she might feel to be a trying ordel - her presentation at the Vicarage." - chapter 32

This quote shows that Hardy used indirect characterization to describe Tess through Angel's eyes. Angel talks about how he can change and mold Tess to be the perfect woman for his parents to meet if she would just live with him. This shows that Angel is more focused on Tess's social image and is not focused on who she really is, which also shows that Angel has an idealized feminie view of Tess when she is really her own person. Angel having this idealized view of Tess ties into the theme of women and femininity because it goes completely against the theme. Instead of having Tess be seen as an individual Angel wants to see her be who he wants her to be. Hardy tells us many times throughout the novel that Tess is exceptionally beautiful and that she stands out from the crowd, further developing the theme of women being individuals and showing that Angel's idealized view of Tess is false.

"She was no longer the milkmaid, but a visionary essence of women - a whole sex condensed into one typical form." - chapter 20

This quote shoes us that Tess is being directly characterized by Angel. Hardy comes out and directly tells the reader what Angel is thinking about Tess when he looks at her. Hardy tells us that Angel sees Tess as this picture perfect idealized woman. Angel's view of Tess helps to develop the theme of women and femininity because it shows how women are not viewed as individuals, and are instead lumped into the same plain category. Women are unique, especially Tess and when Angel views Tess this way it completely strips Tess of her own individualism.