Tess of the DUrbervilles essays

Tess of the D'Urbervilles essays Tess Durbeyfield is a victim of external and inexplicable forces. Throughout Hardys novel, Tess of the dUrbervilles, seemingly insignificant coincidences change Tess life for the worse. The belief that the order of things is already decided and that peoples lives are determined by a "greater power" is called fate. Many people, called fatalists, believe that they have no power in determining their futures. Despite fate, many others believe that coincidence is the only explanation for the way their lives and others turn out. Thomas Hardys portrayal of chance and coincidence can be seen in a number of events that are quite influential and create major effects on Tess future. The first event occurring when Tess Durbeyfields father, discovered that their family came from the oldest, and at one time most wealthy family in England. Parson Tringham reveals this to John Durbeyfield when he states, "lineal representative of the ancient and knightly family of the d'Urbervilles, who . . . came from Normandy with William the Conqueror."(p. 18) This news suddenly changes Durbeyfield's view on his family's lifestyle and he decides that they should be living as their knightly and noble ancestors once did. With this revelation, the downward spiral of Tess life begins. Her once simple life is now trifled with complexity. However, it is primarily the death of the horse, Prince, the Durbeyfields main source of livelihood, that commences the web of circumstance that envelops Tess. Tess views herself as the cause of her familys economic downfall. Filled with guilt, Tess agrees to ask the true dUrbervilles for money, where she meets Alec. This single decision, of sending Tess to the d'Urberville, and making her leave the sheltered life and town of Marlott that she had known for so long would be the change in her life that would lead to so many other events for her. Had...