Tess of the D'urbervilles THE poor peddler john Durbeyfield is stunned to learn that he is the descendent of an noble family the D'urbervilles .Tess his eldest daughter ,joins the other village girl in the may dance ,where Tess briefly exchanges glances with a young man .

1. Abstract
ThomasHardy's Tess of the D 'Urbervilleshasmultiplecompetingclaimswhichare
difficulttoreconcile withinthe schoolsofhist0l1cal,feminist,orclassical criticism.A
betterwayto approach the novel istolookat Tess as a pawnwithinHardy'sown
struggle withGod.Hardy constructsGod as the author of the multiple systemswhich
leadto Tess'final doom:a flawedgeneticline,aflawedsexualdouble standard,anda
flawedsystemof justice.Tess,inHardy'smind,becomesthe victimof aGod whoisakin
to the deityof GreekplaYW11ght Aeschylus'PrometheusBound,ratherthanthe merciful
and lovingCh11stianGod.ThisvictimizationjustifiesHardy'sasseliionthat Tessisa
pure womaneventhoughsocietyholdsherresponsible formultiplesins.
Hardy and God 4
Hardy and God: Tesso.lthe D'Urbervilles'Role asthe Ultimate Pawn
ThomasHardy wrote TessDurbeyfield'sstorywithapassionthatsomehow
makescoherentabook thatshouldbe collapsingintocompletecontradiction.Few of
these contradictoryelementsare explicitlyresolvedbythe story'send.Theyare
contradictionswhichdemandacritical studythatcan acknowledge andreconcile them.
Hardy, forexample,doesmake astrongstatementagainstthe double standardof sexual
behaviorformenandwomen,ashe condemnsAlecandAngel fortheirbehaviorand
elicitsthe reader'shOlToratthese men'streatmentof Tessandjudgmentsagainsther.Yet
it isextremelyproblematictoaccept the justificationof Tessaspure whichHardy would
seemtoset up:Tess ispure,inthissense,onlybecause she didnotenjoythe sexual
behaviorforceduponheranddoesnot define herself assexual.While thisdefinitionof
purityisbroaderthan that of the stlictvirgointactawhichVictorianpruderydemands,it
ishardlya full liberationforwomenfromthe doublestandard.Yetthe powerof Hardy's
insistence thatTessispure seemsstrongerandfullerthanmerely the ideathatTessis
pure merelybecause she doesnotenjoysex.
More overtcontradictionsthanthisone threatentopull apartthe book.Hardy's
language veersdramaticallyfromastaunch Darwinianrhetoric(the inexorableforce of
heredity,forexample,ora stemerDarwinismwhichhe expressesinceliainMalthusian

2. tumsof phrase) toan intenselyreligioususe oftone,metaphor,anddirectcommentary.
He saysthat God is sleepingwhenTessisseducedorrapedbyAlecD'Urberville.Thisis
Hardy's ideaof God. Thisis a god whose notionsof justice involve visitingthe sinsof
the fathersontothe children,andwhose bloodlustissatisfiedwiththe destructionof
Tess.Thisreligioustone alsoinfluencesthe classicismwithinTess,which canbe readas
Hardy and God 5
a myth of regeneration,like Persephone,or,farmore depressingly,asa type of a Greek
tragic hero.Eitherkindof religioustone representsacontradictionwithsternDarwinism
whichclaimseverythingasa resultof natural forcesratherthan casual interactions
betweenGodorgods andmmials.
Eventhe religiousallusionshave anintemal contradiction,sinceanequal case
can be made forTess as tragedy,orTess as mythof regeneration,orTessas modemized
Greekdrama, or Tessas biblicallyboundindictmentofthe church.Suchcompetingideas
representintense contradiction:DoesHardy'sGodwantTess dead,or isshe merelya
wom-outspecimenof adecayedgeneticline whoistoexpire andletthe strongsurvive?
But, again,the strengthof Hardy's passionoverwhelmsoursense of the contradiction.
His anger,andhis forceful defense of Tess,restsonsome resolutionof thatconflict
whichwe are a stepbehindingrasping.
Hardy alsopresentsanextraordinarypuzzle forfeministcriticismtodecipher.
Tessherself isbytumsvictimandchampion.She isvictimwhenshe israped/forcedby
AlecD'Urberville;championwhenshe decidesthatsociety,notnature,causesherto
shame.She isvictimwhenAngel leavesher;andchampion(of asOli) inherdesperate
attack on Alec.Thusherstory can be read twocontradictoryways:as a parable of the
honorsof a patIiarchal society,asocietywhichinexorablytieshertohersexual pUlity
and whichpresentsnoescape fromherallottedrole asthe playthingof menanda
masculine God;or as a parable of the triumphof woman'sspiritinthe face of oppression,
whose spiritremainsfree evenasherbodyisbroughtto the "justice"demandedbyher
world.Hardymakesit no easierforreaderstodetenl1inewhichwaytosee Tess.His
depictionsof herlips(41),andher breasts(30,35) force us to victimize her.She herself

3. Hardy and God 6
isoftenambivalentaboutherappearance orresentfulatthe attentionshe receives,asseen
inher conflictedresponse toAlec'soveli adorationof herface [304] ).Yet Tessis not
necessarilyapassive victim.Onoccasion,she criesoutagainstthe injustice of herlife
withall the force more traditionallyassociatedwithaman.
Hardy, then,presentsaworkthat wouldseemtobe literallyfallingapmi,astory
oftrailingthemesandnoconclusions.Yet,again,the sheerforce of hispowerandof his
visioncompelsustoasclibe acoherence-toendthe workfeelingdizzied,asif we are
on the thresholdof understandingsome partofthe tremendousthingthathe istryingto
say.
Perhapsthe solutionistouse existingschoolsof cliticismasspringboards,as
illuminationsforindividualaspectsof the work,butalsoto accept thatHardy speaksin
hisownindefinable andinimitable voice andtoworkto discoverthe source ofthe
coherencythatwe have sensed.The mainactionof the story, an action that remains
consistentlywoventhroughouteachof the individual elementswhichwouldbe
contradictoryif presentedalone,occursinan unlikelyplace.Thisisnotastory about
Tessas such, butabout Hardy,and about God.
The role of Tessis unequivocallythe role of apawn,buffetedbycircumstance,
heredity,and,inthe end,destroyed.Yetwe mustquestionwhowantshertofall andwhy.
Societyisnotactivelyseekingherdestruction,thoughitiswillingtohmi herwhenshe
fallsafoul of itsmores.Neitherof the meninherlife canbe grantedthe status of
mastem1ind.AlecD'Urberville isavictim/pawnof hisancestral wickedness,fillingthe
role of the richurbane villainwhichwe,the readers,know he will playfromthe moment
that he callsTess"Beauty"in thatdastardlysneeringwaythatlichdespoilersalways
Hardy and God 7
have,andAngel Clare cmmotgatherhis thoughts,emotions,andreligiositytogetherlong
enoughtoexploitTessinanybutthe weakestway.
Where thencan we lookfor the enom10US struggle whichwe sense aswe read
throughTess' life?We see signsof sucha struggle everywhere.We see itwithinHardy's

4. frequentinterruptionof the nalTativetodiatlibeagainstthe injustice andthe inevitability
of hisheroine'ssituation.We see itinTess'frequentlyexpressedfeelingthatshe isnot
mistressof the situationsintowhichshe drifts.Mostprominently,we see itinthe
statement,"The Presidentof the ImmOlialshadendedhisspOli"(314).Thisstatement
providesthe clue tothe true contestwithinTess:Hardy,the self-proclaimeddefenderof
Tess'viliue andasthe championof hersituation,seeks(farmore overtlythanhis
heroine) tofightagainstherplight.Thisbattle pitshimagainstthe authorofthe class
inequalities,of the geneticdetel111inismresponsible forTess'decayedgentility,the one
whocheckmatesthe narrator at everytumand who,inthe end,winsthe game:the
ruthlessGodHardy constructs,whohas more in commonwiththe pagangods thanwith
the God of the Bible.AsLionel Johnsonsays,"Someone,some thing,mustbe toblame.
It cannot be Nature,because youcannotblame anabstraction:it cannotbe Society,unless
youwouldhave itcommitsuicide:itmustbe God" (394).
CertainlyHardyisthe author and thus,itwouldseem, the ultimate"Creator"
because he isthe writerof both Tess,Tess'worldand circumstances,andthe veryGod
whose machinations,withinhisrole asnalTator,Hardyresents.Yetone impOliantfeature
of Hardy'sauthorship,remarkedbycriticsincluding,mostfamously,VirginiaWoolf,is
that Hardy barelyseemstobe the crafterof hisstories(401). She compareshimto
DickensandScott, examplesof "unconsciouswliters"whointheir"moments of vision"
Hardy and God 8
are sweptupintothe story,makingthe author a ubiquitouspartof the nanative itself who
has beengiventhe taskoftellingthe visionthusrevealed,versusactuallycreatingit.
From the title page he hasestablishedhimself asherdefenderandasthe story progresses
he remainshighlyinvolvedwithher.Hisdescriptionsof herare those of a lover,nota
clinicallydetachedauthor.Althoughthe examplesof suchrhetOlicare toonumerousto
detail fully,afewincludewhenhe callsattentiontoher"flexuous"fOl111[69], and to her
immaculate beauty[74],orhe ruminatesonthe causesof the color inher cheeks[81]).
ThisTess thathe loves,however,isrepeatedlydestroyed,andaccordingtoHardy we
mustlookto God for the source of herdestruction.Tessthusbecomesthe symbol andthe

5. victimof Hardy's accusationsagainstGod himself.Thisiswhy,while he "created"the
God of hisnanative asthe pagan godthat he sees,thisgodtranscendsthe novelist's
authorship.Itmusthappenthisway,forthere is nosense inwhichHardy can defeatGod
and yettell the storythat has flashedintohisvision.IfhisGodisas cruel and
unstoppable asHardyclaimsthat he is,thenTesscannot be rescuedat the lastmoment.If
thisGod relents,thenHardyhasno groundsto be so bitter.
The intensityof thisconflictbetweenHardyandGod infonnseveryaspectof the
storyand pullscoherence where therewouldseemtobe onlyloose ends.The battle
betweenGodandHardy explainsthe tensionsbetweenreligiousnessandDarwinism.God
checkmatesHardythroughthe unbeatable systemssuchasheredityandnatural selection
whichDarwinidentified.ToHardy,theybecome personalized,the instrumentsof cruelty
before whichahumancan onlyrage infutilityandthendie.Inthe contextof thiswar,
Tessas a womanbecomesmore fullyrealized.She ispure because the systemof sin
assignedbythisGod makesnosense.He forcedthe fall inmaliciousglee,thenmade sure
Hardy and God 9
that "the womanpays"(Tess178). The two strongestclassical referencesinTessboth
CatTY a sense of the injustice of the godsandimbue the bookwiththe twoexamplesof
behaviorwhichthe mythsall,atcore,establish:inthe face of the wickednessof the gods,
one can give inand driftalongthe surface of the eatih,trustingthatone will be
regeneratedasthe eatihisregenerated.Orone can cry out eventhoughthere isnohope
of answerorrescue,merelycryingoutagainstinjustice because todolessisto endorse
the wickednessof God.Tesstakesthe latterpath,becomingmore of a Persephoneor
somethinglessthanheroic,tiedtothe natural cyclesof the eatih,anditis Hardy whois
the Prometheus,defyingGodanddefendingthe innocentmOlials.
An examinationof Tessalongthese lines,then,breaksdownintothree sections,
much inline withthe three majorsubdivisionsof contradictionthatare mosteasily
identified:anexaminationof Hardy'sDarwinistinfluencesand statementsandhow those
interactwiththe religiousaspectsof the story;anexaminationof Tessasa woman,and
where the divisionsbetweenpUlity,femininity,strengthandvictimizationoccuraswell

6. as where the "faithful presentation"comesintoplay;andanexaminationof Tessasa
classical mythwhichplaysbetweenthe Persephone andthe Prometheus/tragichero
traditions.
Hardy's Battle Againsta Powerful Indifference
Hardy's cry againstGod is nevermore bitterlycrystallizedthaninhisstatement,
"The Presidentof the ImmOlialshadfinishedhisspOli."The specificPresidentof the
ImmOlialsspokenof byAeschylustowhichHardyalludesisnowhere giventhe
attributesofthe Judeo-ChlistianGod(suchas omnipotence,omnipresence,omniscience).
Elsewhere Hardywill blingelementsof the Judeo-ChristianGodintohispOliraitof his
Hardy and God 10
enemy,suchashis notationthatthisGod believesinvisitingthe sinsof the fathersonthe
children.However,he clearlyseesfewdifferencesbetweenthe ancientportrayal ofthe
presidentof the godsandthe OldTestamentGod.For Hardy's Tess,there isno
difference atall:God isdeaf and helplessortoounkindtohelpherinher distress. He
doesnotneedto be evena strongand vengeful God.He canbe as querulousandflawed
as the GreekspOlirayedhimbecause he onlyneedstobe a bitstrongerthanthe mOlials
he crushes.
Much of Hardy's poetryislacedwithreferencestothissame God,a God whose
crueltyliesinthe combinationof hismaliciousnessandhishelplessness.Whetherornot
Hardy's God ispowerful enoughtoreachdownandbreak Tess'neck,the machinesof
crueltyhe has causedintobeingare unstoppable andunbeatable.
The slowdiscoveryof thisunbeatable indifference/maliciousnessunderliesthe
majoraction of the story. The mOlials,strickenbychance cruelty,pull the piecesof their
livestogetherandbegintohope again,onlytohave thatoptimismcrushed.For example,
the initial povertyof the Durbeyfieldsislightenedbythe suddenhope thattheycanclaim
kinshipwiththe wealthy.The destructionof Plince giveswaytoanoptimismthatmore
eamingpotential isaheadforTessasa D'Urberville employee.Thisoptimismisbrutally
crushed,of course,bythe eventsinThe Chase,whichHardyspecificallylabelsasaresult
of unbeatable hereditaryforces(57).While notaD'Urberville byblood,Aleciscastas

7. the instrumentof geneticvengeance forTess,which,combinedwiththe beautyand
voluptuousnessthatTesshasinheritedfromhermother,leavesoddstoogreatfor Tessto
fightagainst.All leadinexorablytothe scene inThe Chase where Hardymust
acknowledge thatGodhaswon a battle againstTess.Heredityhasbeenmobilizedagainst
Hardy and God 11
Tessand, as PeterMOlionexplains:
Pmi of Tess'education(andours) consistsinHardyshowingherandus
that herheredityisthe thing'inherentin the universe'which,valueless
thoughilTesistible,helpstodestroyher;andthisdespite herdreams....
Hardy may well insistinalaterintrusionthat'to visitthe sinsof the
fathersuponthe children...doesnotmendthe matter'... thenwhat
does?For the tragedycan be traced back to Tess'inhelitance of the
qualitiesof herancestors;tothe fact that onher father'sside she isan
atavism...and that on hermother'sside hert1uorescentchanns...are
the source of herdestructive sexualmagnetism.(443)
Hardy's authOlial intrusion,citedbyMOlion,indicatesthe source of hisresentment:
Hereditydoesnot"mendthe matter"at all,noris itintendedtodoso. GillianBeernotes
Hardy's comlectiontoandexpansionof Darwinianpessimism,"asense thatthe lawsof
life are themselvest1awed.ThatHardydidfeel thisisundeniable"(451).She quotesa
pmiicularlybitterpassage of Hardy's,whichadditionallyechoesthe cruel-Godtheme of
Tess:
[A] longline of disillusivecentmieshaspennanentlydisplacedthe
Hellenicideaoflife ...Whatthe Greeksonlysuspectedwe know well;
whattheirAeschylusimaginedournurserychildrenfeel ....revelingin
the general situationgrowslessandlesspossible aswe uncoverthe
defectsof natural laws,andsee the quandarythat man isinby their
operation.(451)
Yet despite all this,Hardyhasnotbeenbroughtto the ultimate defeat,andsome
Hardy and God 12

8. furtherhope isofferedtoTessinthe promise of a greatermaturity,a womanliness,anda
"liberal education"thatthe rape and Souow's life anddeathprovided,aneducation
whichwill allowTesstolove Angel Clare more fullythanshe otherwisecould have
done.Thistoois onlya false hope.Tess'so-callededucationisregardedbyAngel Clare
withabhorrence andrejection,provingthatthe forcesthatthisGod has setin motion
cannot be so lightlydisregarded.Angel'sresponse combinesreligiousPuritanismwith
the specificsocietal pressuresof thatsociety,pressure thatcreatesthe virginal blide as
the proof of the Vililityandmanlinessof herhusband,thatromanticizesthe countryside
as Edenicinspite of the practical realismlivedbythe countryfolkthemselves,andthat
callsrape a failure of awoman'smoral code.All of these forcescannotbe beatenevenby
a verydetel111inedpmiisanof the injuredwoman,andHardymustacknowledge hisGod's
victoryyetagain.
The unbeatable forcesof thisGodwinyetagainin the final battle whenTess
attemptsto reclaimhappinessandlife fromthe sortof deathlyunhappinessinwhichshe
islivingasAlec'smistress.She isable toescape momentarilywithAngel.YetGodwill
not be beaten,andHardy bitterlyindicatesthatthe legal systemwhichkillsTessisinfact
the minionof God andalso the instrumentof hiscruel victoryoverHardythroughTess.
The "obscure strainin the d'Urberville blood...hadledtothisabelTation"(373).Even the
d'Urberville coachlegendwhichforeshadowsof herClime impliesahereditaryforce
beyondhercontrol (345). All thatis leftisto proclaimtothe readersand to the societyat
large that Tessis a victimratherthan a villain,butthisisahollow victoryforHardy
indeed,forthe more victimizedTessis,the more Godhaswon,by checkmatingall
attemptsat happinessandViCtOliollS,self-asseliive life.
Hardy and God 13
DorothyVan Ghentsays,"The dilemmaof Tessisthe dilemmaof morally
individualizingconsciousnessinitsemihymixture.The subjectismythological,forit
placesthe humanprotagonistindramaticrelationshipwiththe nonhumanandOlientshis
destinyamongpretematural powers"(qtd.inHowe 420).The human protagonistVan
Ghentspeaksof,however,cannotbe limitedtoTess,because if so,thenherdiffidence

9. becomeshighlyproblematic.Hardyisthe bitterer,the more vengeful forTessthanTess
everisfor herself.Evenwithinthe pivotal murderof Alec,Tessis desclibedasa passive
vessel.HerspeechtoAlecisnotthat of one who takescharge of herdestinyandsets
herself inoppositiontothe forcesaroundher;itis ratherthe desperationof atrapped
animal whotumsto devourthe footthat trappedit,as whenshe says,"I have losthim
nowforever...andhe will notlove me the leastlittlestbiteveranymore-onlyhate me
...0 yes,I have losthimnow-againbecause of-you!"(Tess300).Althoughshe
expressesnorepentance,she isneverthelessnever movedfi'omaverydefensive,rather
than offensive posture,andacceptswithdefeatedresignationthe knowledge thatshe has
that "mylife can onlybe a questionof afew weeks"(Tess309).It isHardy who shakes
hisfistat the victory.In the nextandlast authOlial intenuption,hisinfamous
characterizationthat'" Justice'wasdone,andthe Presidentof the Immortals(in
Aeschyleanphrase) hasendedhisspOliwithTess.Andthe d'Urberville knightsand
damessleptonintheirtombsunknowing"(Tess314). Abstract
ThomasHardy's Tess of the D 'Urbervilleshasmultiplecompetingclaimswhichare
difficulttoreconcile withinthe schoolsofhist0l1cal,feminist,orclassical criticism.A
betterwayto approach the novel istolookat Tess as a pawnwithinHardy'sown
struggle withGod.Hardy constructsGod as the author of the multiple systemswhich
leadto Tess'final doom:a flawedgeneticline,aflawedsexualdouble standard,anda
flawedsystemof justice.Tess,inHardy'smind,becomesthe victimof aGod whoisakin
to the deityof GreekplaYW11ght Aeschylus'PrometheusBound,ratherthanthe merciful
and lovingCh11stianGod.ThisvictimizationjustifiesHardy'sasseliionthat Tessisa
pure womaneventhoughsocietyholdsherresponsible formultiplesins.
Hardy and God 4
Hardy and God: Tesso.lthe D'Urbervilles'Role asthe Ultimate Pawn
ThomasHardy wrote TessDurbeyfield'sstorywithapassionthatsomehow
makescoherentabook thatshouldbe collapsingintocompletecontradiction.Few of
these contradictoryelementsare explicitlyresolvedbythe story'send.Theyare
contradictionswhichdemandacritical studythatcan acknowledge andreconcile them.

10. Hardy, forexample,doesmake astrongstatementagainstthe double standardof sexual
behaviorformenandwomen,ashe condemnsAlecandAngel fortheirbehaviorand
elicitsthe reader'shOlToratthese men'streatmentof Tessandjudgmentsagainsther.Yet
it isextremelyproblematictoaccept the justificationof Tessaspure whichHardy would
seemtoset up:Tess ispure,inthissense,onlybecause she didnotenjoythe sexual
behaviorforceduponheranddoesnot define herself assexual.While thisdefinitionof
purityisbroaderthan that of the stlictvirgointactawhichVictorianpruderydemands,it
ishardlya full liberationforwomenfromthe doublestandard.Yetthe powerof Hardy's
insistence thatTessispure seemsstrongerandfullerthanmerelythe ideathatTessis
pure merelybecause she doesnotenjoysex.
More overtcontradictionsthanthisone threatentopull apartthe book.Hardy's
language veersdramaticallyfromastaunch Darwinianrhetoric(the inexorableforce of
heredity,forexample,ora stemerDarwinismwhichhe expressesinceliainMalthusian
tumsof phrase) toan intenselyreligioususe oftone,metaphor,anddirectcommentary.
He saysthat God is sleepingwhenTessisseducedorrapedbyAlecD'Urberville.This is
Hardy's ideaof God. Thisis a god whose notionsof justice involve visitingthe sinsof
the fathersontothe children,andwhose bloodlustissatisfiedwiththe destructionof
Tess.Thisreligioustone alsoinfluencesthe classicismwithinTess,whichcanbe readas
Hardy and God 5
a myth of regeneration,like Persephone,or,farmore depressingly,asa type of a Greek
tragic hero.Eitherkindof religioustone representsacontradictionwithsternDarwinism
whichclaimseverythingasa result of natural forcesratherthan casual interactions
betweenGodorgods andmmials.
Eventhe religiousallusionshave anintemal contradiction,sinceanequal case
can be made forTess as tragedy,orTess as mythof regeneration,orTessas modemized
Greekdrama, or Tessas biblicallyboundindictmentofthe church.Suchcompetingideas
representintense contradiction:DoesHardy'sGodwantTess dead,or isshe merelya
wom-outspecimenof adecayedgeneticline whoistoexpire andletthe strongsurvive?
But, again,the strengthof Hardy's passionoverwhelmsoursense of the contradiction.

11. His anger,andhis forceful defense of Tess,restsonsome resolutionof thatconflict
whichwe are a stepbehindingrasping.
Hardy alsopresentsanextraordinarypuzzle forfeministcriticismtodecipher.
Tessherself isbytumsvictimandchampion.She isvictimwhenshe israped/forcedby
AlecD'Urberville;championwhenshe decidesthatsociety,notnature,causesherto
shame.She isvictimwhenAngel leavesher;andchampion(of asOli) inherdesperate
attack on Alec.Thusherstory can be read twocontradictoryways:as a parable of the
honorsof a patIiarchal society,asocietywhichinexorablytieshertohersexual pUlity
and whichpresentsnoescape fromherallottedrole asthe playthingof menanda
masculine God;or as a parable of the triumphof woman'sspiritinthe face of oppression,
whose spiritremainsfree evenasherbodyisbroughtto the "justice"demandedbyher
world.Hardymakesit no easierforreaderstodetenl1inewhichwaytosee Tess.His
depictionsof herlips(41),andher breasts(30,35) force us to victimize her.She herself
Hardy and God 6
isoftenambivalentaboutherappearance or resentfulatthe attentionshe receives,asseen
inher conflictedresponse toAlec'soveli adorationof herface [304] ).Yet Tessis not
necessarilyapassive victim.Onoccasion,she criesoutagainstthe injustice of herlife
withall the force more traditionallyassociatedwithaman.
Hardy, then,presentsaworkthat wouldseemtobe literallyfallingapmi,astory
oftrailingthemesandnoconclusions.Yet,again,the sheerforce of hispowerandof his
visioncompelsustoasclibe acoherence-toendthe workfeelingdizzied,asif we are
on the thresholdof understandingsome partofthe tremendousthingthathe istryingto
say.
Perhapsthe solutionistouse existingschoolsof cliticismasspringboards,as
illuminationsforindividualaspectsof the work,butalsoto accept thatHardy speaksin
hisownindefinable andinimitable voice andtoworkto discoverthe source ofthe
coherencythatwe have sensed.The mainactionof the story, an actionthat remains
consistentlywoventhroughout eachof the individual elementswhichwouldbe
contradictoryif presentedalone,occursinan unlikelyplace.Thisisnotastory about

12. Tessas such, butabout Hardy,and about God.
The role of Tessis unequivocallythe role of apawn,buffetedbycircumstance,
heredity,and,inthe end,destroyed.Yetwe mustquestionwhowantshertofall andwhy.
Societyisnotactivelyseekingherdestruction,thoughitiswillingtohmi herwhenshe
fallsafoul of itsmores.Neitherof the meninherlife canbe grantedthe status of
mastem1ind.AlecD'Urberville isavictim/pawnof hisancestral wickedness,fillingthe
role of the richurbane villainwhichwe,the readers,know he will play fromthe moment
that he callsTess"Beauty"in thatdastardlysneeringwaythatlichdespoilersalways
Hardy and God 7
have,andAngel Clare cmmotgatherhis thoughts,emotions,andreligiositytogetherlong
enoughtoexploitTessinanybutthe weakestway.
Where thencan we lookfor the enom10US struggle whichwe sense aswe read
throughTess' life?We see signsof sucha struggle everywhere.We see itwithinHardy's
frequentinterruptionof the nalTativetodiatlibeagainstthe injustice andthe inevitability
of hisheroine'ssituation.We see itinTess'frequentlyexpressedfeelingthatshe isnot
mistressof the situationsintowhichshe drifts.Mostprominently,we see itinthe
statement,"The Presidentof the ImmOlialshadendedhisspOli" (314).Thisstatement
providesthe clue tothe true contestwithinTess:Hardy,the self-proclaimeddefenderof
Tess'viliue andasthe championof hersituation,seeks(farmore overtlythanhis
heroine) tofightagainstherplight.Thisbattle pitshimagainstthe authorofthe class
inequalities,of the geneticdetel111inismresponsible forTess'decayedgentility,the one
whocheckmatesthe narrator at everytumand who,inthe end,winsthe game:the
ruthlessGodHardy constructs,whohas more in commonwiththe pagangods thanwith
the God of the Bible.AsLionel Johnsonsays,"Someone,some thing,mustbe toblame.
It cannot be Nature,because youcannotblame anabstraction:it cannotbe Society,unless
youwouldhave itcommitsuicide:itmustbe God" (394).
CertainlyHardyisthe author and thus,itwouldseem, the ultimate"Creator"
because he isthe writerof both Tess,Tess'worldand circumstances,andthe veryGod
whose machinations,withinhisrole asnalTator,Hardyresents.Yetone impOliantfeature

13. of Hardy'sauthorship,remarkedbycriticsincluding,mostfamously,VirginiaWoolf,is
that Hardy barelyseemstobe the crafterof hisstories(401). She compareshimto
DickensandScott, examplesof "unconsciouswliters"whointheir"momentsof vision"
Hardy and God 8
are sweptupintothe story,makingthe author a ubiquitouspartof the nanative itself who
has beengiventhe taskoftellingthe visionthusrevealed,versusactuallycreatingit.
From the title page he hasestablishedhimself asherdefenderandasthe story progresses
he remainshighlyinvolvedwithher.Hisdescriptionsof herare those of a lover,nota
clinicallydetachedauthor.Althoughthe examplesof suchrhetOlicare toonumerousto
detail fully,afewincludewhenhe callsattentiontoher"flexuous"fOl111[69], and to her
immaculate beauty[74],orhe ruminatesonthe causesof the color inher cheeks[81]).
ThisTess thathe loves,however,isrepeatedlydestroyed,andaccordingtoHardy we
mustlookto God for the source of herdestruction.Tessthusbecomesthe symbol andthe
victimof Hardy's accusationsagainstGod himself.Thisiswhy,while he "created"the
God of hisnanative asthe pagan godthat he sees,thisgodtranscends the novelist's
authorship.Itmusthappenthisway,forthere is nosense inwhichHardy can defeatGod
and yettell the storythat has flashedintohisvision.IfhisGodisas cruel and
unstoppable asHardyclaimsthat he is,thenTesscannot be rescuedat the lastmoment.If
thisGod relents,thenHardyhasno groundsto be so bitter.
The intensityof thisconflictbetweenHardyandGod infonnseveryaspectof the
storyand pullscoherence where therewouldseemtobe onlyloose ends.The battle
betweenGodandHardy explainsthe tensionsbetweenreligiousnessandDarwinism.God
checkmatesHardythroughthe unbeatable systemssuchasheredityandnatural selection
whichDarwinidentified.ToHardy,theybecome personalized,the instrumentsof cruelty
before whichahumancan onlyrage infutilityandthendie.Inthe contextof thiswar,
Tessas a womanbecomesmore fullyrealized.She ispure because the systemof sin
assignedbythisGod makesnosense.He forcedthe fall inmaliciousglee,thenmade sure
Hardy and God 9
that "the womanpays"(Tess178). The two strongestclassical referencesinTessboth

14. CatTY a sense of the injustice of the godsandimbue the bookwiththe twoexamplesof
behaviorwhichthe mythsall,atcore,establish:inthe face of the wickednessof the gods,
one can give inand driftalongthe surface of the eatih,trustingthatone will be
regeneratedasthe eatihisregenerated.Orone can cry out eventhoughthere isnohope
of answerorrescue,merelycryingoutagainstinjustice because todolessisto endorse
the wickednessof God.Tesstakesthe latterpath,becomingmore of a Persephoneor
somethinglessthanheroic,tiedtothe natural cyclesof the eatih,anditis Hardy whois
the Prometheus,defyingGodanddefendingthe innocentmOlials.
An examinationof Tessalongthese lines,then,breaksdownintothree sections,
much inline withthe three majorsubdivisionsof contradictionthatare mosteasily
identified:anexaminationof Hardy'sDarwinistinfluencesandstatementsandhow those
interactwiththe religiousaspectsof the story;anexaminationof Tessasa woman,and
where the divisionsbetweenpUlity,femininity,strengthandvictimization occuraswell
as where the "faithful presentation"comesintoplay;andanexaminationof Tessasa
classical mythwhichplaysbetweenthe Persephone andthe Prometheus/tragichero
traditions.
Hardy's Battle Againsta Powerful Indifference
Hardy's cry againstGod is nevermore bitterlycrystallizedthaninhisstatement,
"The Presidentof the ImmOlialshadfinishedhisspOli."The specificPresidentof the
ImmOlialsspokenof byAeschylustowhichHardyalludesisnowhere giventhe
attributesofthe Judeo-ChlistianGod(suchas omnipotence,omnipresence,omniscience).
Elsewhere Hardywill blingelementsof the Judeo-ChristianGodintohispOliraitof his
Hardy and God 10
enemy,suchashis notationthatthisGod believesinvisitingthe sinsof the fathersonthe
children.However,he clearlyseesfewdifferencesbetweenthe ancientportrayal ofthe
presidentof the godsandthe OldTestamentGod.For Hardy's Tess,there isno
difference atall:God isdeaf and helplessortoounkindtohelpher inher distress.He
doesnotneedto be evena strongand vengeful God.He canbe as querulousandflawed
as the GreekspOlirayedhimbecause he onlyneedstobe a bitstrongerthanthe mOlials

15. he crushes.
Much of Hardy's poetryislacedwithreferencestothissame God,a God whose
crueltyliesinthe combinationof hismaliciousnessandhishelplessness.Whetherornot
Hardy's God ispowerful enoughtoreachdownandbreak Tess'neck,the machinesof
crueltyhe has causedintobeingare unstoppable andunbeatable.
The slowdiscoveryof thisunbeatable indifference/maliciousnessunderliesthe
majoraction of the story. The mOlials,strickenbychance cruelty,pull the piecesof their
livestogetherand begintohope again,onlytohave thatoptimismcrushed.Forexample,
the initial povertyof the Durbeyfieldsislightenedbythe suddenhope thattheycanclaim
kinshipwiththe wealthy.The destructionof Plince giveswaytoanoptimismthatmore
eamingpotential isaheadforTessasa D'Urberville employee.Thisoptimismisbrutally
crushed,of course,bythe eventsinThe Chase,whichHardyspecificallylabelsasaresult
of unbeatable hereditaryforces(57).While notaD'Urberville byblood,Aleciscastas
the instrumentof geneticvengeance forTess,which,combinedwiththe beautyand
voluptuousnessthatTesshasinheritedfromhermother,leavesoddstoogreatfor Tessto
fightagainst.All leadinexorablytothe scene inThe Chase where Hardymust
acknowledge thatGodhaswon a battle againstTess.Heredityhasbeenmobilizedagainst
Hardy and God 11
Tessand, as PeterMOlionexplains:
Pmi of Tess'education(andours) consistsinHardyshowingherandus
that herheredityisthe thing'inherentinthe universe'which,valueless
thoughilTesistible,helpstodestroyher;andthisdespite herdreams....
Hardy may well insistinalaterintrusionthat'to visitthe sinsof the
fathersuponthe children...doesnotmendthe matter'... thenwhat
does?For the tragedycan be traced back to Tess'inhelitance of the
qualitiesof herancestors;tothe fact that onher father'sside she isan
atavism...and that on hermother'sside hert1uorescentchanns...are
the source of herdestructive sexualmagnetism.(443)
Hardy's authOlial intrusion,citedbyMOlion,indicatesthe source of hisresentment:

16. Hereditydoesnot"mendthe matter"at all,noris itintendedtodoso. GillianBeernotes
Hardy's comlection toandexpansionof Darwinianpessimism,"asense thatthe lawsof
life are themselvest1awed.ThatHardydidfeel thisisundeniable"(451).She quotesa
pmiicularlybitterpassage of Hardy's,whichadditionallyechoesthe cruel-Godtheme of
Tess:
[A] longline of disillusivecentmieshaspennanentlydisplacedthe
Hellenicideaoflife ...Whatthe Greeksonlysuspectedwe know well;
whattheirAeschylusimaginedournurserychildrenfeel ....revelingin
the general situationgrowslessandlesspossible aswe uncoverthe
defectsof natural laws,andsee the quandarythat man isinby their
operation.(451)
Yet despite all this,Hardyhasnotbeenbroughtto the ultimate defeat,andsome
Hardy and God 12
furtherhope isofferedtoTessinthe promise of a greatermaturity,a womanliness,anda
"liberal education"thatthe rape and Souow's life anddeathprovided,aneducation
whichwill allowTesstolove Angel Clare more fullythanshe otherwisecouldhave
done.Thistoois onlya false hope.Tess'so-callededucationisregardedbyAngel Clare
withabhorrence andrejection,provingthatthe forcesthatthisGod has setin motion
cannot be so lightlydisregarded.Angel'sresponse combinesreligiousPuritanismwith
the specificsocietal pressuresof thatsociety,pressure thatcreatesthe virginal blide as
the proof of the Vililityandmanlinessof herhusband,thatromanticizesthe countryside
as Edenicinspite of the practical realismlivedbythe countryfolkthemselves,andthat
callsrape a failure of awoman'smoral code.All of these forcescannotbe beatenevenby
a verydetel111inedpmiisanof the injuredwoman,andHardymustacknowledge hisGod's
victoryyetagain.
The unbeatable forcesof thisGodwinyetagainin the final battle whenTess
attemptsto reclaimhappinessandlife fromthe sortof deathlyunhappinessinwhichshe
islivingasAlec'smistress.She isable toescape momentarilywithAngel.YetGodwill
not be beaten,andHardy bitterlyindicatesthatthe legal systemwhichkillsTessisinfact

17. the minionof God andalso the instrumentof hiscruel victoryoverHardythroughTess.
The "obscure strainin the d'Urberville blood...hadledtothisabelTation"(373).Eventhe
d'Urberville coachlegendwhichforeshadowsof herClime impliesahereditaryforce
beyondhercontrol (345). All thatis leftisto proclaimtothe readersand to the societyat
large that Tessis a victimratherthan a villain,butthisisahollow victoryforHardy
indeed,forthe more victimizedTessis,the more Godhaswon,by checkmatingall
attemptsat happinessandViCtOliollS,self-asseliive life.
Hardy and God 13
DorothyVan Ghentsays,"The dilemmaof Tessisthe dilemmaof morally
individualizingconsciousnessinitsemihymixture.The subjectismythological,forit
placesthe humanprotagonistindramaticrelationshipwiththe nonhumanandOlientshis
destinyamongpretematural powers"(qtd.inHowe 420).The human protagonistVan
Ghentspeaksof,however,cannotbe limitedtoTess,because if so,thenherdiffidence
becomeshighlyproblematic.Hardyisthe bitterer,the more vengeful forTessthanTess
everisfor herself.Evenwithinthe pivotal murderof Alec,Tessisdesclibedasa passive
vessel.HerspeechtoAlecisnotthat of one who takescharge of herdestinyandsets
herself inoppositiontothe forcesaroundher;itis ratherthe desperationof atrapped
animal whotumsto devourthe footthat trappedit,as whenshe says,"I have losthim
nowforever...andhe will notlove me the leastlittlestbiteveranymore-onlyhate me
...0 yes,I have losthimnow-againbecause of-you!"(Tess300).Althoughshe
expressesnorepentance,she isneverthelessnevermovedfi'omaverydefensive,rather
than offensive posture,andacceptswithdefeatedresignationthe knowledge thatshe has
that "mylife can onlybe a questionof afew weeks"(Tess309).It isHardy who shakes
hisfistat the victory.In the nextandlast authOlial intenuption,hisinfamous
characterizationthat'" Justice'wasdone,andthe Presidentof the Immortals(in
Aeschyleanphrase) hasendedhisspOliwithTess.Andthe d'Urberville knightsand
damessleptonintheirtombsunknowing"(Tess314).
Acceptance of SeniorHonorsThesis

18. ThisSeniorHonorsThesisisacceptedinpartial fulfillmentof the requirementsforgraduationfromthe
Honors Programof LibertyUniversity.
fJ' ,0 1:1 J / ~ i'; 1{j1rJ ~ (i ,',VI.,! 101, KarenSwallow Prior,Ph.D.Chainnanof Thesis
BrendaAyresfPh.D.Committee Member
Cra Hmkson,Ph.D.Committee Member
f ' / ' J,udv~.)Sandlin,Ph.DIf"Asst/HonorsProgramDirectors