Aunt Martha In Tess Of The D Urberville

This passage develops the characters of Tabitha Wheelwright and Aunt Martha. It develops Tabitha’s personality more, and it paints her as an almost flawless woman who has the disposition of a saint. But it also reveals her propensity for deceiving and manipulating people. She fools people into thinking she’s more timid than she actually is, and then uses this misconception to act freely. When she inevitably is found out, she erases the anger of whoever is mad at her by showering them with affection until they forget. This passage also makes Aunt Martha seem slightly envious of Tabitha and the favoritism she receives. It also reveals that Aunt Martha is one of the few people who can see through Tabitha’s ruse. This quote also helps to support the revelation of Tabitha’s secret double life later in the novel. It reveals that Tabitha has the ability to hide important things from people and fool them with her personality. A message that reoccurs throughout the novel is the idea that things aren’t as they first appear to be. This passage supports this …show more content…
Owen once again shows his intelligence when he explained the wonders of Tess of the D’Urbervilles in a way that John could understand. Owen was constantly having to carry John through school, and in this passage some of his frustration emerged. He couldn’t understand why John didn’t enjoy the book, as it gave a unique insight into the world that Owen himself found fascinating. Owen then transitioned to discussing English majors and the lack of difficulty they have. This conversation would later inspire John to become an English major himself, although even when he was writing his master’s thesis he still needed Owen’s help. John never completely learned what Owen was trying to teach him in this passage, which is an idea that exists throughout the entire novel. John, despite trusting Owen implicitly, still doubted him and his ideas quite