Bitterness, Weariness and Impotence in Hardy's Tess of the d'Ubervilles

In old age many of the dying reflect on their choices, choosing to take solace in their

The atmospheric conditions may represent the hardships that the couple had to go through in their relationship, and may also be used contrast the unpredictability of the outside world compared to the steady relationship that the couple have. ‘A Youth Mowing’ is also a poem about relationships, this time it is between a younger couple. The river ‘Isar’ is a symbol of freedom, it represents the way that the men’s lives are. However, this sense of liberty is broken by the ‘swish of the scythe-strokes’ as the girl takes ‘four sharp breaths.’ Sibilance is used to show that there is a sinister undertone to the freedom that the boy has which will be broken by the news that his girlfriend is bringing. She feels guilty for ‘what’s in store,’ as now the boy will have to be committed to spending the rest of his life with her, and paying the price for the fun that they had.

Throughout My Ántonia, by Willa Cather, the change of seasons is often mentioned and represents the hardships and beauties of the world. The summer and spring are examples of the beauties in the world since the citizens are able to work due to the long days. The spring is almost as important as the summer since it is the time of year when farmers begin to farm again after the winter. But, the winter is unforgiving. During the winter all of citizens are hiding in their nice warm houses trying to avoid the harsh cold. Due to the citizens’ perseverance and hard work their town is able to thrive.

AlecÕs first words to Tess , ÒWell, my Beauty, what can I do for you?Ó

7. The setting is used as a reflection of the woman's inner emotions. The sun shines and birds sing with no sign of gloom because she is not actually mourning as she thinks to herself. The lack of sorrow from the woman cause the setting to seem even more lovely to her as she realizes she is feeling joy. The details used by the writer portray a sense of well being and positivity. The woman reaches out towards the window as if her joy is tangible, this is a vey important

In conjunction with the symbolic representation of Elisa’s life, the dramatic description of the environment can also be seen as a unique representation of the relationship conflict between husband and wife. Steinbeck’s foggy description demonstrates conflict through the following statement, "a time of quiet and waiting." This description is interesting because the fields are personified as waiting for rain, however, “rain and fog do not go together” therein lies the conflict just as Elisa waits for a positive change in how her husband treats her (Palmerino, Gregory J). Gregory P. further points out that, “The natural elements of the foothills ranch seem as unwilling to confront each other as the characters that inhabit its environs. Hence, fog and rain can be seen as the female and male equivalents to Elisa and Henry.” This only further solidifies the deep rooted troubles within Elisa and her relationship with her husband. The setting of the story is personified to act as a symbolic representation of the couple’s relationship (Steinbeck, John 337-338).

Beginning with the opening sentence, Steinbeck conveys a somber tone through the description of the setting hanging above the farm in The Chrysanthemums. “The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world” (Steinbeck, John uhhhh boneless pizza). As the female protagonist in a historically accurate story in the late 1930s, Elisa is condemned to living in a sort of confinement from the outside world, seeing as her husband would do all of the business on the farm. She has something in common with the Salinas Valley, as she too is closed off from the sky and from all the rest of the world under the cloak of her married name. Accompanying the isolation from the outside world is a dismal depression, which can be transcribed as a “high grey-flannel fog” or an overcast sky to mimic the solemn feeling. Elisa’s attempt to stave off this depression of not being able to live her best life can be noticed as she gives her utmost attention to her flowers.

His integration of various traditional symbols elevates the poem’s overall meaning to his audience. The garden signifies the speaker’s relationship to another that soured, “The sunlight on the garden / Hardens and grows cold,” (MacNeice, 1-2). This is associated with “Our freedom as free lances / Advances towards its end; / The earth compels, upon it” by describing their relationship as something that was healthy and vast that has ended (MacNeice, 6-8). The nature theme is continued with garden paired with sunlight in the repetition of “The sunlight on the garden” (MacNeice, 1, 24).

When death presents itself, we do not know how react but with despair and for a brief

When it comes to nature there are many times in the book that it symbolizes love or has something to do with it. In the beginning it talks and the pear tree and the bees around it pollinating the flower of the tree. This showed how she thinks love should be, pure. The storm later to me represented that love can be unpredictable. They choses to stay because they didn’t think the storm would be as

     Thomas Hardy often alludes to his heroine as the "soft and silent Tess."  "Soft" certainly insinuates her beauty, which Harrtainly insinuates her beauty, which Hardy stresses as her downfall.  However, it seems that Tess's silence is the all-pervading reason for her tragedies.  "The two men she encounters in her life steal her voice: one with violence, the other with his own language"(Jacobus 47).  Tess struggles with the damage that these men cause until redeeming herself through innocence.

Consequently, this tragedy foreshadowed Tess’ life in general, since she always gets wrapped up in the past and sorrow follows her every move. For example, Tess feels happy with her new husband Angel, so she decides to share her past with him, and he rebukes her for this, leading her back to a life without happiness but pain in its place. Foreshadowing is highly prevalent in this work of art and it truly develops Hardy’s themes of the double standard in life and injustice that Tess faces. Her precious child, the only good that came from her relationship with Alec, dies only a few months after his birth, which resembles much of her consequent life, especially Angel. In this regard, peace and freedom from injustice is impossible for Tess.

Just as most pieces of literature, Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d’Urbervilles uses different forms of symbolism throughout the novel. A prominent symbol through the novel, red is used quite often. Hardy uses it to foreshadow, warn, and hint at future events that are important to the theme and in the progression of the novel. Other symbolic devices are used, but the color red’s myriad of meanings has proven it to be the best way to trace Tess's journey.

In “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” Hardy does expose the social injustices and double standards which prevail in the late nineteenth century.

Thomas Hardy, born 1840 in Higher Bockhampton, Dorset, England..As a child of a builder, he got apprenticed to an architect at the age of sixteen. Later on, he decided not to attend university due to financial problem, and decided to be a writer instead. In his early career life, he produced many unsuccessful novels and poetry. Then his life changed after the rising popularity of “Far away from the Madding Crowd” which published in 1874, and he finally able to support his life as a writer. In addition, he was well off enough to married a woman he loved named Emma Lavinia Gifford in the same year. Even with the new-gain fame, Hardy only considered himself as a writer to survive, writing was never his hobby or had he any fun writing.