Tess of the Durbervilles
In the novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, Tess is faced with many different levels of happiness, from pure joy to absolute unhappiness. As she moves from location to location, the setting of these places portrays Tess' joy. From her pure happiness at Talbothay's Dairy, to the turning point of Tess's joy at the old D'Urberville house, to her most unforgiving stay at Flintcomb-Ash, to her final contentness before her death at Bramshurst Court, the reader sees atmospheric changes that diminish then climb back up. Hardy thoroughly demonstrates through his descriptions of her surroundings how Tess will feel while stationed in each place. After Tess's life has been torn apart by Alec D'Urberville she needs to seek refuge. By leaving her home town of Marlott, she is able to start her life anew. She escapes to the jovial atmosphere of Talbothay's Dairy. As Tess crosses over the ridge of the hill it seems as though she is switching worlds. Hardy's description portrays the field as "a billiard table of indefinite length" (Hardy 98) with "a carpeted level, which stretched to the east and the west as far as the eye could reach" (97). The land is described as being as limitless as Tess' joy. The area is
As a result of her past, Angel leaves Tess, and Hardy sends her to work at Flintcomb-Ash. Flintcomb-Ash is shown as a brutally unforgiving place. It is through this dismal atmosphere that Hardy shows when Tess hits the bottom of her happiness. Even while Tess is heading towards Flintcomb-Ash Hardy shows the change. The 'air was dry and cold and the long cart-roads were blown white and dusty within a few hours after the rain" (263). Tess becomes part of the "stroke of raindrops, the burn of sunbeams, and the stress of winds. There is no passion in her now" (262). Tess finds herself approaching an area of "irregular chalk -table land" (263) compared to the lush, green fields of Talbothay's Dairy. She enters the "remains of a village... in a slight depression" (263). The land is horrid with its "stubborn soil" (264) and Tess realizes that "the walls [seem] to be the only friend she [has]" (264). It is appropriate that the village is filled with melancholy descriptions, as this is exactly how Tess feels. Her loneliness, like that of the village "was excessive" (264). This gloom remains with for as long as she stays at Flintcomb-Ash. It is significant of all the hardships Tess has passed through, from she experiences with Alec to her strife with Angel, that Tess sees the "desolate drab" (267) of a land in different "degrees of dampness" (267). Tess' heart is as cold as the land. Flintcomb-Ash makes Tess spiritless. She is dismal without Angel and will remain so for as long as she stays. From the playful atmosphere at Talbothay's Dairy, to the mysterious gloom apparent at the old D'Urberville house, to the desolate, dismal flavor of Flint
Some common words found in the essay are:
Talbothay's Dairy, Angel Tess, Dairy Tess, Flintcomb-Ash Hardy, Hardy Tess, Tess Tess, Court Hardy, Bramshurst Court, Alec D'Urberville, Dairy Tess's, talbothay's dairy, tess' joy, d'urberville house, tess feels, tess able, bramshurst court, bramshurst court tess, tess angel, tess feel, court tess, free love, talbothay's dairy tess, atmosphere talbothay's dairy,
Approximate Word count = 1111
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
