The belief that the order of things is already decided and that people's lives are determined by this "greater power" is called fate. Many people, called fatalists, believe in this and that they have no power in determining their futures. Despite this, many others believe that coincidence is the only explanation for the way their lives and others turn out. Thomas Hardy portrays chance and coincidence as having very significant roles in "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" continuously. Three such coincidences were quite influential and had large effects on Tess's future. The first being that Tess Durbeyfield's father, discovered that their family came from the oldest, (and at one time) most wealthiest family in England. Another event that occurs by mere chance in Tess's life is when Tess slips a letter of confession underneath both her lover's door and (by accident) the carpet, where he could not see it. The final coincidence would be the death of Tess's father, which not only leaves Tess in a state of deprivation, but also the rest of her family including her mother and six siblings. All of these coincidences had consequences that would change Tess's life.

Not long after their marriage, Tess confesses to Angel of her past and they separate upon Angel's request. Angel goes off to Brazil to find land where he might be able to start a farm, and Tess returns home, where she might stay in the comfort of her family--but hide from the townspeople who look down on her. Soon after, she decides that the best thing to would be to leave Marlott and find work. But, due to the time of year, she was forced to go to Flintcomb-Ash, a farm where the land is quite different from the fertile valleys of Talbothay's. Here, she works to complete exhaustion and through harsh weather that she was not used to at the dairy. Now, because this is her "time of punishment," Tess struggles through the work and finds the courage to ask her father-in-law for help, as directed to do so by Angel, if she should need it. On her way back to the farm from this futile attempt to request assistance, Tess runs into Alec d'Urberville who notices her and pursues her for some time. This, however, is not the coincidence that I feel is the most important one during this time in Tess's life. What is more important is that during the time that d'Urberville is pursuing her, Tess's mother becomes ill and her father soon dies.

With this new lifestyle in mind for his family, John's wife, Joan Durbeyfield recalls that a man by the name of d'Urberville lives not far from their home and might be able to help them in their hard times, seeing as how he is kin to them. After the death of their only horse, the Durbeyfield family must do something to sustain themselves, but Mr. Durbeyfield refuses to sell the horse for food money due to his newfound d'Urberville pride. "'When we d'Urbervilles was knights in the land, we didn't sell our chargers for cat's meat.'" (p. 45) So, the family sends their eldest daughter, Tess to see if the d'Urberville family would help them, with side hopes of Tess possibly marrying a gentleman and restoring their family's status. This single decision, of sending Tess to the d'Urberville, and making her leave the sheltered life and town of Marlott that she had known for so lo

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1419
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)