Reinvention of Self in Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

During the weeks Molly spends with Vivian, she learns a lot from Vivian. Most important, she realizes that Vivian also had a difficult childhood but was able to overcome her bad experiences and lead a happy life. Molly’s realization reflects the theme of the book: learning about the experiences

Anne Sexton was a junior-college dropout who, inspired by emotional distress, became a poet. She won the Pulitzer Prize as well as three honorary doctorates. Her poems usually dealt with intensely personal, often feminist, subject matter due to her tortured relationships with gender roles and the place of women in society. The movies, women’s magazines and even some women’s schools supported the notion that decent women took naturally to homemaking and mothering (Schulman). Like others of her generation, Sexton was frustrated by this fixed feminine role society was encouraging. Her poem “Cinderella” is an example of her views, and it also introduces a new topic of how out of touch with reality fairy tales often are. In “Cinderella”, Anne Sexton uses tone and symbolism to portray her attitude towards traditional gender roles and the unrealistic life of fairy tales.

Tessie’s victimization at the hands of the towns people allows her to be a semi-symbolic character, which will lose her life due to a cruel death by stoning. They did this all for the sake that there may be a fruitful crop for the coming harvest season. Surprisingly, even Tessie’s closest friend was mentioned as finding a stone so big that she had to lift it with both hands. Mrs. Hutchison was tardy to the biggest event of the year. She desperately hoped that she

Tess woke up in the middle of the night with Ivy not there.Tess walked down the spiral staircase and saw a sliver of light coming from Ivy’s office. Tess walked in and saw pictures of the men that were killed and a picture of her father, the one that died before she could meet him.Ivy explained why she had the pictures of these men hanging in her office and Tess was astonished. “I left you there, and it broke me. It shattered me, and I didn't know how to go back.” Family will always do what's best for

The text uses main character, Clare, to demonstrate how an individual's abandonment of their own race in pursuit of better life ultimately leaves them feeling lost in society. Clare represents this pursual of a better life, by passing in order to marry into

The women described in the Lais of Marie de France often commit traditionally sinful deeds, such as adultery, murder, and betrayal. However, with a few exceptions, the protagonists often end up living happily with their beloved for the rest of their lives. The Lais advocate for situational judgement rather than general condemnation of specific acts, which can be seen through Marie de France’s treatment of sinful heroines.

The authors use of imagery paints a disconsolate scene of the struggles of young women. Anne Sexton grew up in a rather dismal home, noting abuse and neglect. Her parents were moderately wealthy, but mentally unavailable. Her depression took a turn for the worst after the birth of her first child. Since that severity wasn’t always there to haunt her, it

Anne Sexton was a junior-college dropout who, inspired by emotional distress, became a poet. She won the Pulitzer Prize as well as three honorary doctorates. Her poems usually dealt with intensely personal, often feminist, subject matter due to her tortured relationships with gender roles and the place of women in society. The movies, women’s magazines and even some women’s schools supported the notion that decent women took naturally to homemaking and mothering (Schulman). Like others of her generation, Sexton was frustrated by this fixed feminine role society was encouraging. Her poem “Cinderella” is an example of her views, and it also introduces a new topic of how out of touch with reality fairy tales often are. In “Cinderella”, Anne Sexton uses tone and symbolism to portray her attitude towards traditional gender roles and the unrealistic life of fairy tales.

Once an individual has been molded by society, it is very hard to change their behavior. Despite being in a society that undermines women, Tessie speaks against the lottery and as a result is stoned to death.

Moreover, the town who originally made Tess feel like an outsider was shown from the start. The fact that she is late to the lottery and yet still eager is the first sign of showing that she did not fit in with her community. Even though the town treated her tardiness in an abundant way, several people did not and felt the need to say a comment, “in voices just loud enough to be heard across the crowd, ‘Here comes your Missus Hutchinson,’” (433). Another example that displays how the town acted in not so nice way towards Tess and her

The society was still not satisfied with this punishment and chose to pass their negativity on to their offspring. "Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast…as the figure, the body, the reality of sin" (83). The mothers of the children in the community would point her out and tell their children not to be like her. They would use her as an example of the consequences of being an individual and going against society's rules. "Children too young to comprehend wherefore this women so be shut out from the sphere of human charities… coming forth along the pathway that lead town ward; and, discerning the scarlet letter on her breast, would scamper off with a strange, contagious fear" (85). The fact that the community went to so much trouble to never let her forget what she had done, and the fact that she accepts societies condemnation, says she does not run away from her problems. As much as the community tries to totally ostracize her from everything, both physically and mentally she still sticks with it and that shows how she willingly accepts the consequences of her past decisions.

In addition, the feminist view of sexuality is evident throughout Rossetti’s poem. Laura and Lizzie’s magical experience portrays the pursuit for sensual awareness while struggling between physical identity and spiritual salvation. Furthermore, “She clipped a precious golden lock, she dropped a tear more rare than pearl, then sucked their fruit globes fair or red, sweeter than honey from the rock” (ll. 126-29) and “sucked until her lips were sore” (l. 136). With blatant sexual undertones, this pivotal moment signifies the character’s transition from maiden to woman or innocence to experience. Additionally, this exchange could be a metaphor for Laura’s relinquishment of her sacred virginity. As Laura falls sicker and slowly begins to deteriorate, Rossetti illustrates the consequences of succumbing to the temptation of men’s deceit and the importance of remaining pure. With use of vivid imagery, Rossetti further emphasizes the animalistic and uncanny

“Tess of the d’Urbervilles” is a tale of the tragic life of Tess that results when she accidentally kills Prince, the family horse. Tess’ parents use the guilt that she feels to exploit her and force her to work for

This is the first occasion where silence brings about a tragedy.  The guilt ta tragedy.  The guilt that Tess heaps upon herself here is only the first drop in the bucket that she carries around with her for the rest of her life, constantly adding to its weight.  At this point, she regards "herself in the light of a murderess."  This heavily foreshadows the murder to come later in her life.

Her problems start with her “cousin” Alec, who after seeing Tess’s beauty, tries to cohort her having sex, which she refuses. After she continued resistance for three months, Alec claims that she has “trifled with [his] feelings, eluded [him], and snubbed [him]” (Hardy 1891, p. 102) in regards to his advances. In the story, however, Tess has never accepted his advances, she has continued to tell him, no, but she always ends up apologising or it (which he gets angry from). Alec believes that she owes him something and Tess, in turn, feels bad for not accepting this because it makes him feel “hurt.” It is this set by society that the woman is meant to succumb to a man. Even when she marries when Tess tells her husband Angel that she had relations (though it is her being raped by Alec) in response to Angel telling her about his relations. She felt relieved saying to him, “now YOU can forgive ME!” (p. 331), which he denies her; Angel does not forgive her as she has forgiven him. She is held to a double standard because she is a woman. The males in her life dictate who she is and where her story goes; the men are free, but Tess is held in place. They are dominating in her society, a masculine trait, and one that leads to Tess killing