Thomas Hardy's Struggles In Tess Durbeyfield

Women’s drive towards growth as persons is thwarted by our society's prescriptions concerning gender’, told by Annis Pratt, is a dilemma unilaterally faced by Tess Durbeyfield and Esther Greenwood. Both female protagonists fall victim to societal pressures, including: restraint, expectations, judgement, suppression, pressure to conform and double standards that all impair their development and label them as fallen women, fallen from the grace of God. It is Hardy and Plath’s challenge to present women’s constant struggle to defy the boundaries that society has placed upon them throughout history and redefine ‘fallen woman’ as one whose identity has been fractured by man. Hardy charts the destruction of Tess’ mind as she is faced with the challenge of appeasing her misogynistic …show more content…
Whilst not a big claim, in the context of Tess’ life and the relentless abuse she receives it becomes a pivotal change marking her regaining the reigns of her life. In her own mind she is no longer a fallen women and will no longer allow society to exploit her, Angel has come back to her so she no longer feels betrayed, although she never loses her title: ‘tragic heroine’. She is still looked down upon with Angel believing that ‘in the moment of mad grief of which she spoke, her mind had lost its balance and plunged her into this abyss’. The metaphor ‘plunged her into this abyss’ implies that Tess never recovered and has only fallen further, rather than seeing her happiness he views her as damaged. Angel, after Tess has sacrificed her life to be with him, still judges her and fails to live up to his name; he is rigid and selfish towards Tess, denying her this ‘content’ that she has longed for her entire life. Whilst many argue that this is a tragic ending for Tess, she seems oblivious, surpassing the plane of judgment she has consistently been met