In Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy highlights man's inability to escape destiny. The constraints of society highlight the futile nature of attempting to change the course of one's life, as the inability to transcend one's social classes mirrors the impossibility of transcending one's destiny. Likewise, Hardy's skillful control of atmosphere and setting in providing foreshadowing that reinforces the reality that fate is an inevitable force, reinforces the psychological effect of Tess's failed attempts to dictate her own future. These help bring the story out of the realm of the typical and into the realm of the characteristic rhythms of human nature. Simply put, Tess represents the human who suffers for crimes that are not hers and lives an unjustly degraded life (Gatrell 68). William Watson agreed with that statement, writing: "The great theme of the book is the unceasing punishment paid by the innocent for the wicked, the ignorant for the cunning, the child for his fathers; and again and again this spectacle, in its wide diffusion, provokes the novelist to…declaration of rebellion against a supramundane ordinance which may decree, or permit, the triumph of such a wrong” (Watson 78). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Therefore, when Hardy points out that the true measure of one's character is "not among things done, but among things willed," the irony of that statement when compared to Tess's life is evident (Hardy 347) . Not surprisingly, the novel can also be said to be framed by circumstances that support the immutable nature of Tess's cruel fate: the pagan rituals practiced by the peasants at the beginning of the novel and Tess's final rest at Stonehenge (Sprechman 132). . Both are indicative of a world in which the gods are unjust and indifferent, and when the conclusion explicitly states, "'Justice' is done," the cruel and needlessly playful nature of worldly justice is exposed (Hardy 390). Consequently, "Tess is a symbol of unclear and unstable notions of class in nineteenth-century Britain, where ancient family lines retained their ancient charm, but where cold economic realities made raw wealth more important than inner nobility" (Gatrell 70). the main characters suffer from continuous and marked confusion regarding their social classes, once again highlighting the rigid social structure of the time. Angel is intent on rejecting a Cambridge education for the sake of becoming a farmer, Alec is part of a family that is by no means genuine nobility, and Tess, although indeed a noble descendant, benefits little from her ancestral connections. Alec even points out to her, “The little finger of the pretend d'Urberville can do more for you than the whole dynasty of the real beneath,” an ironic statement that once again highlights the inevitable onslaught of fate (Hardy 285). From the beginning the suffocating sense of an ineluctable destiny pervades the novel. For example, while Tess kills Prince on his way to the market, “their failure to deliver the cargo symbolically mirrors their inability to transcend their social class” (Gatrell 23). More importantly, however, Tess does not intend to kill Prince, but is punished anyway, just as she is later wrongfully tortured for her own rape by Alec. Such repercussions once again exemplify the harsh and predetermined nature of Tess's downfall. Climactically, when in the fifth phase Tess comes across the flock of farmers lying in agony and pain, she compares her situation to theirs; so appropriate is his tender killing of birds just as his lifeis slowly coming to its tragic end. We meet the Durbeyfeilds on the day that will significantly change the course of their lives, the hour when they discover the noble hue of their blood. “Do you really not know, Durbeyfield, that you are the direct representative of the ancient and chivalrous family of d'Urberville?”, says the old parson, indirectly triggering the accumulation of almost incredible coincidences that guide Tess towards catastrophe (Hardy 1). Ironically, Tess's parents ignore their inability to transcend their social position and, delighted by the discovery, choose to make the decisions that will ultimately lead to their downfall, such as sending their daughter to the Urberville mansion. Their hopeful and mistaken expectations go hand in hand with their unawareness that fate is predetermined and the future inevitable; Mrs. Durberyfield's beliefs about her fortune-telling book, for example, imply that she is unaware of its uselessness. Tess also sometimes believes she has control over the outcome of her actions, even though she is repeatedly allowed to see the error of such delusions. This is evident when she flees the d'Urberville estate after the rape, promising violence and revenge in a clearly unladylike manner, seemingly attesting to the fact that she will not respect the path that fate has laid out for her and that, instead, she will. , be proactive in shaping your own destiny (Gatrell 161). However, as courageous as Tess may be and driven by "the invincible instinct towards self-pleasure", the reality remains that she has fallen victim and, for the rest of her life, will be marked by her fall from grace. Hardy similarly protests. the unequal judgment that society bestows on the man and woman associated in an identical violation of the moral law, and in doing so sharply reveals the thesis that male dominance is an additional compromising force in Tess's life, as well as of other women (Watson 73). The suffocating hold of one sex over the other reinforces the claim that Tess's power to choose the trajectory of her life is diminished not only by a predetermined fate, but also by overt situational constraints. The central example is undoubtedly Alex's unfortunate rape of Tess, but more disturbing signs of male domination are also scattered throughout the novel: for example, Retty's suicide and Marian's alcoholism after discovering that Angel has chosen to marry Tess are indicative of an unhealthy, disturbing obsession. As the novel develops, Tess continues to suffer as a social outcast from a misfortune that is as much her fault as Alec's; meanwhile, Alec has the “luxury of repenting and even gaining acceptance as a preacher” (Watson 73). With this juxtaposition, Hardy conveys how unfair Tess's situation is as a woman, a bold statement that is reinforced by the section's subtitle, "A Woman Pays." Hardy uses the figure of Tess, beautiful and responsible, as a counterweight to male domination, an attempt that culminates in Alec's murder (Sperchman 124). Whatever the repercussions of her actions, Tess's act can be seen as a rebellion against both male domination and the harsh fate that has subjected her to a melancholy succession of events. The plot of the novel also hinges on a series of unfortunate coincidences, which in themselves highlight the predetermined nature of the future and convey the feeling that fate itself opposes Tess at every moment. From Simon Stoke's decision to change his name to the more aristocratic d'Urberville, to Angel's decision to work as a farm labourer, to Tess's unfortunate meeting with Alec after his conversion; the accumulation of such unfortunate and seemingly inevitable events is what ruins the future ofTess and tortures her present life. Coincidentally, he also sees a painter's sign on a wall while walking home from the Urberville mansion, one that says "Your damnation will not sleep"; a more obvious omen would be almost impossible (Hardy 78). In the end the omens are correct and, despite all her efforts, courage and moral fiber, Tess is punished. For example, even when she is in love with Angel she cannot reveal her passion for fear of having to confess to the rape. In this way, Hardy effectively highlights that a moral code that condemns two people guilty of the same "crime" to such different fates as Tess's suffering and Alec's redemption through conversion to religion is flawed (Watson 75). Indeed, it seems that Tess will never be able to escape the wrongs of her past, as her rape ruins even her promising marriage to Angel. The inescapable and harsh nature of the order of life is poignantly expressed in the statement that Tess is openly the victim of “the thoughtless execution of the well-judged plan of things” (Hardy 114). Hardy repeatedly uses nature and the atmosphere surrounding his characters as omens, inadvertently reinforcing the perception that the course of one's life has already been dictated (Hardy xii). For example, in the scene of Tess's confession to Angel, the room undergoes a change, becoming a detached spectator of the tragic human plot that unfolds as Tess recounts her past, while simultaneously heightening the dramatic reality that Tess cannot escape her past and cannot improve. his future (Hardy xii). Hardy writes: But even the appearance of external things seemed to undergo a transmutation as the announcement proceeded. The fire at the gate looked malicious – demonically funny, as if it didn't care in the slightest about his difficulties. Bumper smiled lazily, as if he didn't care either. The water bottle light was simply engaged in a color problem. All material objects around announced irresponsibility with terrible iteration. Yet nothing had changed since the moments in which he had made fun of her, or rather, nothing in the substance of things: but the essence of things had changed. (Hardy 273) Likewise, Tess grows up in the beautiful Vale of Blackmore, but as her life becomes more tragic, the landscape follows the trend by becoming dark and disturbing. The Valley is presented as beautiful and rustic, “so tinged with blue that even what artists call the middle distance partakes of the hue, while the horizon beyond is of the deepest ultramarine” (Hardy 13). Yet, the weather becomes noticeably hazy, the surroundings take on distinctly darker hues, and a misty fog envelops the forest on the night of Tess's fall. A similar transformation occurs when Tess finds herself the subject of gossip upon her return and only leaves after darkness covers the land. The surrounding environment serves as a foreshadowing of Tess's harsh fate by paralleling her emotional states. Ellen Sprechman agrees with this statement, writing, "When her husband leaves Tess, she migrates to the cold north of Flintcomb-Ash, where the harsh land merges with her state of mind to hasten the tragedy of her life. In the scene final at Stonehenge, the antiquity of the setting heightens the significance of its fall" (Sprechman 127). Throughout the book, the land surrounds, beautifies, and enriches the story. Tess begins blessed by the sun, delighted by the world around her. The sun bathes her during the first descriptions of Tess and the dancers, “for each of them was warmed by the sun, so each of them has a private little sun for her soul to bask in” (Hardy 8). Then again, in Talbothays the sunshine and fertile surroundings reflect Tess's growing happiness and love for., 1993.