An Analysis Of Thomas Hardy 's ' Of The D ' Urbervilles

up being driven mad by the guilt and she ends up taking her own life

The book focuses mainly on a woman named Celie, who has lived a hard life already when, at the age of 14 she begins

people who caused despair to her husband and his friends, she takes pride in the fact that she has

But she changed from hating the men on the hills and killing to something more big and influential like the cellist she was protecting. She shows a brief period of reconciliation during this one particular moment where she thinks to herself for a moment. " She knows this to a certainty. Yet she doesn't want to pull her trigger.

Religion was a major theme in the book. Religion had a major impact on how the

When the Puritans, who possessed very radical beliefs, learned about the pregnancy, they decided she should suffer for her sin. She would never again be able to meet new people without them judging her by the one thing they knew about her.

Novelist, Thomas Hardy is commonly known for his agnostic writing style. Hardy became agnostic after having questioned his faith since childhood. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an agnostic believes that an ultimate reality, such as God, is unknown and probably unknowable. Agnostics typically do not claim faith nor a disbelief in God which is true of Hardy, who, despite his questioning, is known to portray God in many of his works, specifically Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Although God is not portrayed as compassionate in the novel, he is in fact alluded to, most commonly through the subtle incorporation of Scripture scenes, the most prevalent being the story of Creation in Genesis. This allusion can be seen on page 260 where Alec, the

that she, along with anyone she is ever to come upon, will daily be reminded of her past lapse,

Primarily, The Victorian era, during which the novella was published, valued appearance and reputation. The era encouraged and strived for propriety, mainly on the surface. It rejected anything that went against society’s rigid, restraining values. It resisted anything that appeared immoral and corrupt. The era was

begins to realize her self that she does not have to continue living her life in

Then, the story flashes back to several months prior. This time Anna is in Nantucket trying to collect herself after leaving her husband. The back-story to their affair is given in the explanation of how they met and how they spend their time. The chronology is again thrown out as the storyline makes a jump forward to what was supposed to be their last meeting. Anna expects her lover to understand that she must go back to her secluded world and he must go back to his, but he doesn't seem to want that for them. Anna, since the start of this affair, has been indecisive and confused, but as the story moves she grows out of touch with herself and the rest of the world. She alarms herself when she looks in the mirror. "She returned to her husband and saw that another woman, a shadow woman had taken her place" (181). In contrast, the final even takes place in perfect sequential order, and as a consequence Anna leaves the event with a clearer understanding of herself and the way she relates to the rest of the world. When she leaves her lover for the final time, she is content and no longer confused, she even seems happy. "Suddenly, joyfully, she felt miraculously calm" (190). The confusing sequence of events is wrapped up nicely with the sequential order of the ending, which culminates with a clearer minded Anna.

spiritual beliefs in this book and also by the imaginary things Herbert is introducing to us. The

Tess of the D'Urbervilles is a movie based on a novel by Thomas Hardy. The story involves a young girl named Tess who will be the victim, the prey, and sometimes the lover of many men. She will go through this without ever understanding what it is that those men want of her.

The works of Thomas Hardy reflect the ideas of a man who was clearly obsessed with the issue of social class throughout his literary career. From his first novel, The Poor Man and the Lady (the very title of which indicates class differentiation), to his final work, Jude the Obscure, class issues are woven into every novel which Hardy wrote. Furthermore, his works are personal in the sense that they depict Hardy's own lifelong struggles with social mobility and the class structure as a whole throughout his life.

dies. Emma even throws her own bouquet in the fire after pricking her finger on the wire of