Thomas Hardy 's Tess Of The D ' Urbervilles

In today 's society, marriage is a significant bond that must be on the basis of love and understanding. Marriage is a relationship described as more for love and emotion rather than convenience or money. Through the experience of Lydia and Wickham, Charlotte and Collins, and Elizabeth and Darcy, Austen criticizes marriages based on infatuation, convenience and money, and emphasizes that marriage can only be successful if they are founded on mutual love.

Shaped by its light-humored wit as well as heartfelt cast of characters, Pride and Prejudice explores the classic yet distinctive narrative of the two divergent characters Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Set towards the end of the eighteenth century and early nineteenth century in England, Jane Austen offers a profound insight into the social manners and behaviors expected of individuals in this time. In Elizabeth’s endeavor for independence in the face of her expectation as a female to marry, she must also unravel a series of miscommunications that strive to prevent her from realizing Mr. Darcy’s innate goodness. With a focus on her characters’ responses to the various conflicts that arise throughout the novel, Austen analyzes the

In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, she has specific criteria that her characters follow when choosing their mates. In today’s society, most couples still follow these criteria and more when choosing their ideal mate. What are these important criteria that Austen’s characters consider when choosing a mate? For Austen, the important criteria that she has for choosing a mate are that couples are personally compatible, they are in love with each other, and they must have a good moral character.

Aware of the values of female subordination, she truly believes that “the best thing a girl can be in this world [is] a beautiful little fool” (17). Due to her feelings of personal victimization, as a mother, Daisy wishes what she believes is best for her daughter: to be beautiful enough to attract a wealthy man, but ignorant enough so that she is unaware of how he is hurting her. However, Daisy has accepts defeat in her lifestyle with Tom because her Old Money values result in her lack of competency to be independent. Especially within the Old Money social class, women are taught to be proper and delicate, conforming to unspoken rules of feminine social conduct, producing a class of indistinguishable women with no personal identity or individuality. Although all women “[are] never quite the same ones in physical person, they [are] so identical one with another” (63) that an indication of a social formula for high class women exists. Even the narrator himself, who tries to avoid judgement, believes that “dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply” (58); women are viewed as inferior to men, and as a result, they are exempt from dutifully following the moral code and forgiven for actions they cannot

Toward the late 1800’s, Europe was plagued with bad news. They had already reached the prime of their empire and were now on their way to the declination of the continent. Later, people like Adolf Hitler would try to bring it back to its full glory, but for now everything was heading south. As usual, the tone of artistic works followed the success of the empire. Many pieces of art and literature became darker. Even poets such as Thomas Hardy and Emily Bronte started to write in a much more serious, somber tone. Their poems started to be drawn to subjects more of things in the past. In Emily Bronte’s Remembrance and Thomas Hardy’s poems The Darkling Thrush and “Ah, are you Digging on My Grave?”, the speakers undergo loss of love, loss of hope, and somber remembrance of things past, respectively.

Women are “expected to be pretty and well-dressed till [they] drop” (10), a reflection of the constant objectification of women in high society. Lily ultimately is in the worst position in her social circle because of her inability to marry for the sake of financial benefit, as evidenced by her ultimately temporary relationship with Percy Gryce. Her inability to conform to the norms of high society results from the strict social boundaries of the era and the limitations they present to women. Wharton reveals that, contrary to expectations, women in higher classes have stricter social boundaries than lower-class women. Lily’s situation, for example, contrasts sharply with that of Gerty Farish, whom Lily comes to admires but publicly derides as “dingy” and living in “a horrid little place” (6). Gerty, although of a lower class, has much more freedom than Lily as an independent heiress. Because she is not bound by the strict societal boundaries that characterize the upper class, Gerty may be poorer than Lily but she experiences true freedom to pursue her interests and live a satisfying life. Lily herself acknowledges this truth, seen when Wharton writes,” She likes being good, and I like being happy. She is free and I am not” (6). Lily’s lives a “happy” life

According to George, a woman’s concerns should not revolve around analytical thoughts or what they learn, but rather their picturesque appearance to other men because that it “all they need” to worry about. His wish for a simple and quiet girl further portrays his patriarchal beliefs and shallow character. Nonetheless, Beneatha defies this stereotype of simplicity by being an intellectual who seeks understanding, as well as others who can match her level of intelligence. She refuses to let George Murchinson minimize her to the image that society paints for all woman. Thus, Beneatha does not have the time or patience to continue a relationship with him due to his sexist and shallow nature, which shows the control that she has over her relationships and character. Beneatha is not the average “sophisticated girl,” as can be seen through her speech and dream of becoming a doctor. Thus, this depicts how Hansberry uses Beneatha’s reactions to George Murchison after his sexist comments, in order to prove that women must not conform to gender stereotypes and must overcome patriarchal

Mama is not the only character that is intricately characterized in the book. Beneatha, Lena’s daughter, is also put together to represent the inevitability of living like one of the lower class. She says that, “George looks good- he’s got a beautiful car and takes me to nice places..” (Hansberry 49) While this quote defines Beneatha’s acceptance of George’s privileged life, it is said with a shadow of jealousy. According to Freydberg, a writer and author, this “establishes the class differences between the Youngers and the Murchisons.” This new “fine line” that separates the upper and lower class creates individual characteristics that define each class. Darwin Turner, an honored African American who taught at the University of Iowa, asserted that even though the “blacks and whites have similar character traits and similar values, they are ambivalent about social interrelationships.” These two races are truly self-defining, and the inequality between these two ethnicities proves it. With Beneatha’s apparent jealousy for the life of the upper class, the text

Throughout the Earth’s vast history, women who have defied or who have simply not adhered to society’s standards have been literally and metaphorically burned at the stake. These kinds of women have been ostracized, demonized, and called all kinds of names simply for not fitting a uniform criterion. This exclusion of female outcasts is what Anne Sexton focuses on in her poem “Her Kind.” In it, she elaborates on the idea that society naturally shuns and persecutes all women that are deemed undesirable or nonconforming. Put simply, in Anne Sexton’s “Her Kind,” imagery, repetition, and syntax reveal the author’s theme on societal views regarding female identity.

The poem “Her Kind” by Anne Sexton describes different scenarios of a woman. In the poem, Anne Sexton uses three different characters to explain that she has been each of them in some way. Society places a gender role on what women are allowed to be and how they should behave, condemning the women who do not conform, trying to change them into society’s perfect view of what a woman should be. While this poem shows the author describing herself in terms of the supernatural, it ultimately shows that rebellion against societal norms for women comes at a cost, sparking judgement from a society that sees women as common housewives. Her imagery in the poem represents how she is seen as a disfigured and

“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

the coming of age of a young girl, the seasons, and the imagery of the wealth Babettes family.

In the poem “The Ruined Maid” by Thomas Hardy, there are two women talking in a town. The first women is admiring and praising the second called Amelia. She tells her about how much she has changed and how she has practically moved from rags to riches. In a constant back and forth banter between the two Amelia continues to respond with, that is what happens when one gets ruined hinting to repetition. Apart from using repetition Hardy also extensively uses voice with the second woman to show just how surprising the changes are. In using repetition and voice Thomas Hardy slowly gives the readers the theme of not letting money consume one.

The novel by Thomas Hardy was originally, Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman, was written in the Victorian Age when English society had strict moral codes. As Vimala Pasupathi states, “the codes were in fact harsher for women, who were expected to conform to one of three rigid ideals: the innocent virgin, saintly mother, or dutiful wife” (xi). Thomas later removed “A Pure Woman” from the title to read, Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Throughout the novel, Tess tries to find a way to overcome the burdens she carries from her parents (John and Joan Durbeyfield), Alec d’Urberville, and Angel Clare and maintain her Victorian Era image of being a morally pure woman.

Often time’s children are reared to believe in the values and morals of their family. Family traditions and beliefs are expected to be followed and obeyed. However, Laura Sheridan is a young girl from a rich family. She has an innocent mind and contradicts her family’s morals. The morals that the reader views about Laura are strong in the fact that she challenges with most of the rich viewpoints that her family has. Katherine Mansfield’s usage of characters in “The Garden Party” illustrates the contradiction of values between the upper class and lower class, yet it also seems that Laura and Laurie, who is more like his upper class family, are twins.