Thomas Hardy, a Victorian-era poet, and novelist who was influenced by Romanticism, mostly known for his novels. Hardy was a naturalist, and we can see his realistic outlook on life proved in his novels such as Tess of the D’Urbervilles.
The novel first published in 1892, and was met with a great deal of controversy because of the subject matter. Hardy took issue the sexual morals of late Victorian England and religious skepticism. And it was enough to shock readers and get mixed reviews from critics. In Tess of the D’Urbervilles, we get an idea in Hardy’s sight about religion, he uses his characters to make observations that can be quite discouraging his Victorian readers.Expect religion Hardy shows us the generally this time, The Victorian Era.
The Victorian time is well known for the Victorian models of individual ethical quality and the ideal Victorian woman had to be pure, chaste, refined, and modest. It was according to the church and the bible. Religious morality especially changed unduly during the Victorian Era and posed devastating effect on society. This stress on individuals seen and becomes even more profound in Middle-Class life of peasants. Because in urban areas those against the Church were numerous and dissent was widespread, but in rural areas people were still living by this dogma.
For some critics, by this way, and supporting with many minor details, the author also shows us industrialism in Britain. For example, Marxist critic Raymond Williams in his “The English Novel From Dickens to Lawrence” questions the identification of Tess with a peasantry destroyed by industrialization. “Williams sees Tess not as a peasant, but an educated member of the rural working class, who suffers a tragedy through being thwarted, in her aspirations to socially rise and her desire for a good life, not by industrialism, but by the landed bourgeoisie , liberal idealism and Christian moralism in her family’s village”.
But I am not inclined to the idea that Hardy wanted to describe negative consequences of development in the background of Tess. In my opinion with this novel, like previous one he wanted to express cultural taboos surrounding the female body which was caused by religious morality and injustice that never will be restored. Social classes, men domination, and the essence and basis of the problems, the injustice of existence of all humanity is the sharpest themes throughout the novel and only Tess, but no one as a victim of this injustice. Tess is perfect example how morality might destroy lives of several people at the same time, and novel shows unfairness as a general aspect of human existence and in every chapter we can feel how masterly it is described.
The novel tells the story of young, rural and innocent girl-Tess, who discovers that she is from noble and ancient family.And her whole life changes to too bad after it. More precisely, when she meets with her new relative – Alec and had been seduced by him. She loses her purity and give birth of a baby out of marriage, which was unacceptable for the unmarried women. She knows that after that nothing can be as before. However, she meets with another man, but it was too late. And none of them can be happy.
Some people could think that the incidents that occur around the Tess and lead to the death of Alec D. and her own are the result of her own deeds, a Karmic balancing, pay for sins, but speaking for myself and I assume also for Hardy it is not quite so. I regard that completely the society is at fault. First which related to the society of the time, is its dividing into classes and spiritual values of classes. The privileged esteemed history, legacy, ancestry and the continuity of their family line. They considered that they were destined to rule through heavenly right and they wanted this right to continue, and they don’t value the life of simple people. And Alec even doesn’t think that how his desire can destroy life of the 16 years old girl. Even if Alec really loved Tess, it doesn’t give him right to treat her so inhumanly. Second is the public censure which made Angel leave Tess.And when he finally could get rid of this, criticism of society and react of his parents it was late. So late that even Love couldn’t save them.
It is not vainly Hardy added words “A Pure Woman” to the title. According to the teaches of the church, no one who had engaged in pre-marital sex could be described as
“pure”. He wanted to show us purity is different than we expected. Actually, she kept her purity. She was the same girl who Angel fell in love in the fertile Froome valley. But he could understand it very late. In this time, Tess already has returned to the Alec.
Because of the reasons that mentioned above we can presume that society of the time and its standards is the main point in novel, and Hardy’s focus might be Victorian society. But, to my mind it also express deeper subject – injustice and innocence.