Tess : A Pure Woman
There are many different ways that the "purity" of Tess can be examined. These range from scrutinising her actions, the way that Hardy characterises her to the way that he contrasts her to the other characters in the novel. In the Victorian context in which Hardy was writing, it is rare for such a "common" and rural character to be shown as pure. Hardy seems to acknowledge this and self-consciously pits Tess against the society that has wronged her so much, it is this that makes the question of whether or not she is a pure woman such a crucial question in the novel.A crucial area in which Tess's 'purity' is discussed is in the infamous rape scene. It is debatable whether this is rape or consensual sex, Hardy deliberately leaves an element of ambiguity in this passage. Due to changing attitudes towards sex what would have been seen as sensationally graphic in Hardy's time seems to leave many questions unanswered for a modern reader. Between pages 70 and 72 there are many examples of Tess not wanting to be alone with Alec. "He settled the matter by clasping his arm round her as he desired" and the mention of the druggist's bottle also suggest that Alec was preparing Tess for the rape. If these quotes
There is arguably, a negative side to Tess's philosophical leanings. On two or three notable occasions Hardy pairs Tess's dreamy 'reveries' with violence of some sort. Tess lapsing in to a "dreamlike state" immediately precedes the impaling of Prince, possibly prophetically referring to the rape. A less extreme example comes on the journey home from Trantridge to Blackmoor on page 44, "Then she fell to reflecting again, and in looking downwards a thorn...accidentally pricked her chin". Hardy could well be making a statement that it is often Tess's spirituality that gets her into trouble. The most apparent example of this comes at the end of Phase The First when Tess, tired from a long day and night, falls asleep with dreadful consequences. If Hardy was of the Aristotelian view of purity the fact that Tess shows great intelligence would go in tandem with her "purity". I believe Hardy does see Tess as pure and his characterisation of her as a spiritual young woman with great knowledge of the world around her supports this. do mean that Tess was raped, the novel fits in with the literary convention of the 'fallen woman'. There is an argument, however that claims that Tess was not raped. This argument centres mainly around the fast that Tess was wearing her summer dress and, with hindsight blames herself, "I should so loathe and hate myself for my weakness as I do now". Tess herself rebuts the argument around her dress on page 72, "T'was very warm when I started and I didn't know I was going to ride, and that it would be night". As far as this debate is concerned I believe Hardy intended for the reader to see that Alec raped Tess. If Tess was raped this supports Hardy's assertion that she is "A Pure Woman" as it shows her determined to lead a pious life despite this tragic event early in her life.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1784
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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