Friday, March 29, 2024
08:27 PM (GMT +5)

Go Back   CSS Forums > CSS Optional subjects > Group V > English Literature

English Literature Notes and Topics on Eng.Literature here

Reply Share Thread: Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook     Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter     Submit Thread to Google+ Google+    
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread
  #1  
Old Monday, May 18, 2015
Last Island's Avatar
Royal Queen of Literature
Medal of Appreciation: Awarded to appreciate member's contribution on forum. (Academic and professional achievements do not make you eligible for this medal) - Issue reason: AppreciationBest Moderator Award: Awarded for censoring all swearing and keeping posts in order. - Issue reason: Best ModGold Medal: Awarded to those members with  maximum number of  reputation points. - Issue reason: For the year 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011Member of the Year: Awarded to those community members who have made invaluable contributions to the Community in the particular year - Issue reason: 2008Diligent Service Medal: Awarded upon completion of 5 years of dedicated services and contribution to the community. - Issue reason: More than 5 years of dedicated servicesModerator: Ribbon awarded to moderators of the forum - Issue reason:
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Forest of Fallen Stars
Posts: 7,585
Thanks: 2,427
Thanked 15,848 Times in 5,006 Posts
Last Island is headed toward stardomLast Island is headed toward stardomLast Island is headed toward stardomLast Island is headed toward stardomLast Island is headed toward stardomLast Island is headed toward stardomLast Island is headed toward stardomLast Island is headed toward stardomLast Island is headed toward stardomLast Island is headed toward stardomLast Island is headed toward stardom
Default Tess of the D'Urbervilles: Tess - A Pure Woman

Tess was a simple, innocent, guideless and hypersensitive girl, trapped in a traditionally bound society. She went to the D’Urbervilles to seek help for her starved family. There she met Alec who seduced her, ruining her life. She came back and narrated the whole story to her mother truly that both Alec and she were seduced. When her mother asked her to make the best of this, she refused. Later, she met Angel who jilted her on learning her of being unchaste. However, later, realizing his own mistake, he came back to her, but, she had started living with Alec as her mistress. The last important incident was Alec’s murder at the hand of Tess.

The critics accuse Tess of impurity on two accounts. Firstly, the seduction scene presupposes Tess’ implied consent. She never showed any sign of disapproval as she did when Alec first tried to kiss her. Secondly, being the wife of Angel and Alec’s being an improper person, Tess-like girl would never have surrendered to Alec, only to provide the family a living.

On the Victorian standard of purity, i.e. the loss of chastity is the loss of purity, Tess would certainly appear to be impious, because, firstly, she lost her chastity, and secondly, with her consent. But, to Hardy, it is the most faulty and narrow concept of morality. To him, chastity is of two types – chastity of the mind and of the body. Chastity of the body is related to virginity, whereas that of mind is the purity of the mind and soul. To Hardy, real chastity is the chastity of the mind and soul. One may be bodily unchaste; still he can be chaste, if he is chaste by his soul and mind. Those who have impure soul and mind are not ‘pure’ despite the chastity of their body. He, therefore, calls Tess pure for, in spite of losing bodily chastity she never lost purity of the soul.

Tess stands as a symbol of unflinching and pure love. She loved for the sake of love only without any consideration. She went on loving Angel inspite of his being unfaithful.

Tess had purity of dealings, and warm feelings for everyone without any personal gain. After losing her chastity, she never tried to deceive anyone. She told her mother and Angel truly about their seduction.

She was a symbol of self-sacrifice and emotional self-control. She never behaved hyper-sentimentally and always kept her passions under control of her intellect. She never raised hue and cry and never shed tears before anyone to get sympathies. She went on sacrificing herself for the sake of Angel, her family or anyone she came across. She virtually proposed to Angle to marry Eza, Heely or Marian for she considered herself inferior to anyone of them.

All this prove the purity of Tess’ soul and mind. Had she been impure, she could have narrated one-sided story to her mother that she was raped by Alec. She could have blamed her mother or her fate. Had she been impious, she could have killed ‘Sorrow’ at its birth to avoid disreputation, but she loved him and baptized him herself after the refusal of clergyman. Had she been immoral, she wouldn’t have resisted Angel’s love for a long time. But, she was a woman, having passion to be loved; so she yielded to Angel’s love, but she had throughout been trying to unveil her secret to Angel. She wrote him a letter, explaining the entire situation, but the letter was misplaced. She came to know this when their marriage had been solemnized. Due to his unchanged behaviour she was satisfied, that he has forgiven her. Yet she had no intention to deceive Angel. Had she been cheap minded and mean, she would have condemned Angel when he left for Brazil deserting her. But she accepted the situation for she knew she was equally responsible. There are many incidents crying at the top of their voice that Tess was a pure woman.

The charges leveled against Tess can be negated promptly. She didn’t have implied consent in the seduction, for seduction is a sort of intoxication. No one is willfully seduced. As Tess fell a victim to seduction, anyone would have been seduced under such romantic circumstances. She was too innocent to judge Alec’s intentions for it was her first contact with any man. Then Alec deliberately rode the horse so fast that throughout the way, she kept feeling the close and warm touches of Alec. When they reached the appointed place, she slept. The romantic atmosphere, darkness and the silence prevailing everywhere also contributed to make her seduced. So we can not blame her for having been seduced with her consent.

The second charge looks, rather, valid and undeniable. Still, before blaming Tess, we must consider the inevitable and bitter conditions, leading Tess to accept such a slur on her fair name. Tess had been suffering throughout her life till the saturation point arrived. She tried her best to contact Angel, but failed; she aimed to get some job, but in vain. Her family was at the edge of starvation after her father’s death and the serious ailment of her mother. Then Alec assured her that Angel wouldn’t return. So she ventured to live with Alec as his mistress. She did it under dire necessity, not for lust or any personal end. But she never accepted Alec from her heart. Alec’s murder proves this fact. It may be an error; yet it alone can never prove her unchaste. Keeping this last incident aside, she is undeniably pure. So pure and honest she was that she didn’t conceal from Angel the fact of her living with Alec as his mistress.

Tess was that perfectly a pure woman who accidentally lost her chastity and kept playing a toy in the hands of fate. Hardy remarks on the death of Tess that:
"Justice was done and the President of the Immortals, by Aeschelylian Phrase, had ended his sport with Tess."
This also reflects the innocence and purity of Tess, who, despite prodigious number of sufferings, never lost the purity of her mind and soul, and, therefore, was titled ‘A pure woman’ by Hardy.
__________________
The Me you have always known, the Me that's a stranger still.
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Last Island For This Useful Post:
AmeerKalera (Friday, May 29, 2015), Shafi Edwardian (Tuesday, November 08, 2016)
  #2  
Old Monday, November 07, 2016
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 1
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
anee rana is on a distinguished road
Default

thanks madam
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old Friday, March 24, 2017
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 10
Thanks: 3
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
CarolPillow is on a distinguished road
Default

I wouldn't say that Tess is a pure woman. yeah, she was the victim of this world's cruelty and her naiveness. The circumstances which crossed through her life wasn't totally her fault. Reader was able to witness her regression from a pure, naive girl to the pitiful woman.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
frailty thy name is women hirass Essay 20 Wednesday, October 10, 2018 11:39 PM
Happy Birthday Leonidas Arain007 Birthdays & Greetings 40 Thursday, December 01, 2011 03:24 PM
Women in Islam Xeric Islamiat Notes 0 Friday, April 09, 2010 11:30 PM
The Status of Woman in Islam Mairaj Shar Islamiat Notes 0 Sunday, August 16, 2009 11:14 AM
FPSC Screening Tests (Notes) safdarmehmood General Knowledge, Quizzes, IQ Tests 21 Saturday, July 05, 2008 09:04 AM


CSS Forum on Facebook Follow CSS Forum on Twitter

Disclaimer: All messages made available as part of this discussion group (including any bulletin boards and chat rooms) and any opinions, advice, statements or other information contained in any messages posted or transmitted by any third party are the responsibility of the author of that message and not of CSSForum.com.pk (unless CSSForum.com.pk is specifically identified as the author of the message). The fact that a particular message is posted on or transmitted using this web site does not mean that CSSForum has endorsed that message in any way or verified the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message. We encourage visitors to the forum to report any objectionable message in site feedback. This forum is not monitored 24/7.

Sponsors: ArgusVision   vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.