Good and Evil in Tess of the dUrbervilles Essay -- Tess of the dUrbe

Good and Evil in Tess of the d'Urbervilles Though the central action of Tomas Hardy's novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" centres on Tess, the other characters are not lacking in interest and individuality. Undoubtedly, Tess's life is marked by two contradictory temperaments, those of the sensual Alec d'Urberville and the intellectual Angel Clare. Both characters are described with artistic detail to show a blend of weakness and strength governed by fate. Both are flesh and symbol complementing the other in the fall and rise, rise and fall again of Tess herself, and both play crucial roles in shaping her destiny. Although Alec is the evil man in Tess's life, he has some good qualities, coming trough us more as a man than Angel does. Alec is tall with a dark complexion, crude red lips and black moustache. There are touches of barbarism in his contour as well as a singular force in his face. Alec feels sexually attracted to Tess from the very beginning and showing to be straightforward with regard to what he wants and how to achieve it, he will do anything to take her. Finally, his dark instincts reveal and taking advantage of Tess's youth and innocence, he seduces her. Although we cannot forgive him for raping Tess, we have to recognise that he is not a complete villain. What he shows is a combination of desire to master her again and a genuine regard for her welfare. He is troubled for his sight of her agonizing labor at Flintcomb Ash, he reacts against society for its cruel treatment of Tess's family and he offers to help her in a variety of ways. Nevertheless, Alec is angry at her ingratitu de and very often taunts her about her missing husband, until in the end Tess kills him. The other man in Tess's life is Angel Clar... ...d on a number of levels: Alec abuses Tess in the flesh but Angel in the spirit; Alec's condemnation of Tess's husband finds its equivalent in Angel's unspoken condemnation of Tess's seducer. Alec returns, Angel doesn't until too late; Alec is in Tess's mind her real husband, while Angel who marries her is not and does not consummate the marriage, at least not, until too late. Consequently, it seems to be certain that neither Alec is completely bad nor Angel completely good. In both Hardy is presenting male dominance, with the resulting reduction of the woman in both, the flesh and the spirit. On one side Angel seems to be a better man than Alec but on the other, it is Angel rather than Alec who destroys Tess with his rejection. In conclusion, although different, both men help her and both contribute to her ruin. In relation to both, Tess is in each case a victim.