Chapter 25-34 "A woman more sinned against than sinning"

1. Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Instructor: Bibi Halima
Bibi.halima@uow.edu.pk
Thomas
Hardy

2. Phase-IV
The Consequence
He said that fate or Providence had thrown in his
way a woman who possessed every qualification to
be the helpmate of an agriculturist, and was
decidedly of a serious turn of mind

3. (1)Angel decides to play his part as an actor in this world
The Love between them has grown; Angel feels tempted but he
makes himself understand that Tess is a pure woman and not a
thing to be toyed with.
The woman which was a snare for him, now was his goal. He
understands that Tess has her own dignity, her place and
value.
Angel decides to consult his parents and friends about this
marriage. He is quite decided in his mind about Tess.

4. Clare was a man with a conscience. Tess was no
insignificant creature to toy with and dismiss; but a
woman living her precious life—a life which, to
herself who endured or enjoyed it, possessed as
great a dimension as the life of the mightiest to
himself.
Chapter 25

5. (2) Miss Mercy Chant: A Plot Twist
When Angel reaches the city of his father, he saw Miss Mercy Chant, his play-mate.
She was the girl who was chosen by his parents as his bride. He discusses the
matter with his father but his parents had intended Angel to marry Miss Mercy
Chant, a real "lady" and local teacher. Angel is against the union and proposes to
his parents that Tess Durbeyfield would be a much better choice.
Comparison to Tess
• “Real” lady
• Angel brothers, Felix and Cuthbert love her as
perfect match for Angel
• Tess’s purity is questioned
• Her ecclesiastical studies, religious temperament,
respected lineage and purity of her character is
elaborated

6. His father’s elaboration for Miss Mercy could not melt Angel and
he talked about Tess and preferred her for following reasons:
1. He wants to set up a farm on extensive
scale because he is a farmer and he needs
woman who must be more a helping hand
than a wife
2. Tess though daughter of a cottager but a lady
by her high virtues
3. Her beauty and character are higher than
Miss Chant

7. “Yes, yes; Mercy is good and devout, I
know. But, father, don’t you think that a
young woman equally pure and virtuous as
Miss Chant, but one who, in place of that
lady’s ecclesiastical accomplishments,
understands the duties of farm life as well
as a farmer himself, would suit me
infinitely better?”
His parents somehow agreed to his desire
provided that they would see the girl and then
decide for him.
Chapter 26

8. (3) Alec is back!
Alec is reintroduced as someone who
after the death of his father got
spoiled by excessive money. He has
raped many girls and was in the habit
of teasing every woman. The youth
proved very harsh and he insulted Mr
Clare and even abused but somehow
saved by other men. Mr Clare being
honest clergyman wants to reform
such people and find it his duty.
The morning he was about to depart
for Talbothays, there happens a
conversation between Angel and his
father. Mr Clare discussed about
difficulties he had to face in
discharging his duties. He told that
recently in the neighborhood of
Trantridge, he was trying to reform a
passionate d’Urbervilles

9. “O no. The original d’Urbervilles decayed and
disappeared sixty or eighty years ago—at least, I
believe so. This seems to be a new family which had
taken the name; for the credit of the former knightly
line I hope they are spurious, I’m sure. But it is odd
to hear you express interest in old families. I thought
you set less store by them even than I.”
“A dozen times, my boy. What then? I have saved
them from the guilt of murdering their own flesh
and blood thereby; and they have lived to thank
me, and praise God.”
Chapter 26

10. The Reverend Clare of Emminster
1. Angel’s father
2. Self-sacrificing and God fearing clergy man
3. Charitable sentiments
4. A man of great spirit to fulfill his duty honestly
5. Rigid in his opinions

11. “Yes—well, my father had been talking a good deal to me of
his troubles and difficulties, and the subject always tends to
depress me. He is so zealous that he gets many snubs and
buffetings from people of a different way of thinking from
himself, and I don’t like to hear of such humiliations to a
man of his age, the more particularly as I don’t think
earnestness does any good when carried so far.
Chapter 27

12. (4) Marriage Proposal
On his return to Talbothays, Tess is found near his compartment which makes
Angel very happy and he explicitly proposes her.
“I shall soon want to marry, and, being a farmer, you see I shall require for my wife a
woman who knows all about the management of farms. Will you be that woman,
Tessy?”
Tess resists hard and replies,
“O Mr Clare—I cannot be your wife—I cannot be!”
“O yes, yes! And I would rather be yours than anybody’s in the world,
“I don’t want to marry! I have not thought of doing it. I cannot! I only want to love you.”
“Your father is a parson, and your mother wouldn’ like you to marry such as me. She will
want you to marry a lady.”

13. “Tess, why did you say ‘no’ in such a positive way?”
“Don’t ask me. I told you why—partly. I am not good enough—not worthy
enough.”
• Tess’s guilt hinders her to marry Angel
• She is unable to trust life
“Happiness is but an occasional episode in the general drama of pain”
• Repeatedly refuses his proposals but her delay wins readers’ heart
because they become living-witness of her struggle and they ultimately
yearn for Tess’s happiness
• High moral standards and woman of true virtues
Why does Tess resist?

14. “I shall give way—I shall say yes—I shall let
myself marry him—I cannot help it!” she
jealously panted, with her hot face to the
pillow that night, on hearing one of the other
girls sigh his name in her sleep. “I can’t bear to
let anybody have him but me! Yet it is a wrong
to him, and may kill him when he knows! O my
heart—O—O—O!”
Chapter 28

15. (5) Tess agrees to his proposal
One day, they are on their way to Egdon Heath, and the two are silent for a long time. It starts to
rain, and they grow close to one another. He asks her for an answer sometime before they get
home. At that moment they drive by an old mansion, and Angel says it once belonged to the
d'Urberville family. (Cannot escape past)
Angel again requests her to consider the proposal and Tess starts telling him her history
but he clarifies all her objections. It becomes the moment of truth and maybe for the
first time, Tess makes a selfish decision and accepts his proposal.
Tess realizes she has failed in her conviction, and feels she acted selfishly. Tess
immediately feels guilty, although truthfully her history shouldn't even be an issue.
Angel asks that Tess call herself d'Urberville now, and thinks his mother will be
impressed. Tess would rather not, and then Angel mentions the young man who abused
his father, and the coincidence that he was a false d'Urberville. (One more unlucky
moment of intruding Tess)

16. “I was born at Marlott,” she said, catching at his
words as a help, lightly as they were spoken. “And I
grew up there. And I was in the Sixth Standard when I
left school, and they said I had great aptness, and
should make a good teacher, so it was settled that I
should be one. But there was trouble in my family;
father was not very industrious, and he drank a little.”
“Yes, yes. Poor child! Nothing new.”
Nature always wins against the weak and
arbitrary rules of society, so it was inevitable
that Tess should have agreed eventually
Chapter 30 (Must-read chapter)

17. (6) Tess’s letter for her mother
Tess writes a letter to her mother and inform about present
proposal; she asks for her recommendation whether she
should tell Angel about her past or not. Her mother finally
thank God and expresses a great deal of pleasure for her
happiness; she strictly advises her not to disclose her past to
Angel for the reason that girl must not be this much fool.
Tess (Unluckily) agrees to her mother’s suggestion. (Advice
is an odd match to Tess’s natural sincerity)

18. Both Tess and Angel are deluded about the true character of the other.
Because of her unfortunate experience with Alec, Tess overestimates
Angel's moral integrity and his personal superiority to herself. Initially
she sees him not as a man but as an "intelligence" (page 126); she
learns, to her sorrow, how hard his reliance on intellect can make him.
She admires his self-control and sense of duty in making no effort to
seduce Marion, Izz, and Retty, even though all three would be easy prey
because of their love for him. She well knows the suffering that he could
cause them. Tess attributes a chivalrous, honorable attitude toward
women to Angel,
Mutual Misconception

19. (7) Wedding Date and Preparation
Tess's guilt and joy in the engagement keeps her from naming a date. Angel keeps
asking her at tempting times. Setting a wedding date would be like submitting to fate
for Tess, so she avoids it. Tess finally gives in to the inevitable future and accepts that
this time of easy happiness cannot last. She must face both the past and the future at
some point.
Angel has begun to influence Tess's way of speaking and thinking, and he fears to
leave her to revert to rustic ways. He wants to “train” her to meet his mother, so she
doesn't embarrass him. Angel still cares more for other's opinions than he thinks.
Angel also plans to spend a while learning about flour-mills at Wellbridge, and he is
greatly influenced by the fact that their lodgings would be in an old d'Urberville
mansion. He decides to go there right after the wedding, but keeps his plans vague
to Tess. (Intruding of past and Fate)

20. (8) Unread Letter Of Tess to Angel
Before their wedding Tess decides to tell
everything to Angel and writes a letter to
him; she pours out her heart fully in it and
SLIPPED it in the room.
Next morning, she finds no change in
Angel and becomes pleases to think that
He has forgiven her.
For many days, Angel didn’t talk about any
letter and an idea intrude Tess as if letter
might have been misplaced.
On wedding day, Tess goes to his
room and finds that letter was slide
under the carpet. She took it out
and went to her room; tore it off
and began to weep.
Tess is given another painful
reprieve, which makes confessing
even harder. She chooses to delay
the inevitable again. (Hubble of
fate)

21. (9) Wedding
31st Decemeber is finally set the date of
their wedding. The ceremony is small and
focused on the future rather than on family
and the past. Angel fears facing his
family's scorn, and wants to delay until he
has to. In his passion Angel puts too much
stock in the d'Urberville name, which has
already been the downfall of many.
They go to the church in an ancient
carriage driven by an ancient man. It is
just the couple and the
Cricks. Angel wishes his brothers had
come, but thinks they would have been
out of place among the dairy
workers. Tess experiences the ride in a
bright haze, and feels like one of the
divinities Angel used to compare her to.
Bad Omens
The cock's crowing, Angel's reference to the d'Urberville coach, the horrid women in
the portraits, and Retty's suicide attempt. Immediately after the ceremony she
wonders whether she has any right to be his wife, whether her real husband is Alec.

22. “These violent delights have violent ends”
~Romeo and Juliet
Is she doomed by circumstances?
Was chance operating against her when agreed to marry Angel?
Will she be punished?
What is going to be the price of this wedding?
Cannot she be forgiven?
Is Angel too an agent of oppressive Nature?
What is going to be the consequence of this wedding?

23. (10) That Unfortunate Wedding Night
They shift to that old d’Urbervilles mansion Angel planned. This is where Tess
meets the portrait of horrid women. Angel receives a gift for his wife from
his parents also, i.e, Diamond jewellery case with a letter for Angel.
They receive the sad news of Retty also who tried to commit suicide after
Tess left.
Angel makes confession and is immediately forgiven by Tess. It encourages
Tess and she too decides to make her confession and it finally happens.
How Angel is going to respond?

24. “Welcome to one of your ancestral mansions!”
“What’s the matter?” said he.
“Those horrid women!”
“Whose portraits are those?” asked Clare of the charwoman.
“I have been told by old folk that they were ladies of the
d’Urberville family, the ancient lords of this manor,” she said,
“Owing to their being builded into the wall they can’t be
moved away.”
Chapter 34

25. My dear son,—
Possibly you have forgotten that on the death of your godmother, Mrs
Pitney, when you were a lad, she—vain, kind woman that she was—left
to me a portion of the contents of her jewel-case in trust for your wife, if
you should ever have one, as a mark of her affection for you and
whomsoever you should choose. This trust I have fulfilled, and the
diamonds have been locked up at my banker’s ever since. Though I feel
it to be a somewhat incongruous act in the circumstances, I am, as you
will see, bound to hand over the articles to the woman to whom the use
of them for her lifetime will now rightly belong, and they are therefore
promptly sent. They become, I believe, heirlooms, strictly speaking,
according to the terms of your godmother’s will. The precise words of
the clause that refers to this matter are enclosed.
Chapter 34

26. I want to make a confession to you, Love.”
He then told her of that time of his life to which allusion has been made when,
tossed about by doubts and difficulties in London, like a cork on the waves, he
plunged into eight-and-forty hours’ dissipation with a stranger.
“Happily I awoke almost immediately to a sense of my folly,” he continued. “I would
have no more to say to her, and I came home. I have never repeated the offence.
But I felt I should like to treat you with perfect frankness and honour, and I could
not do so without telling this. Do you forgive me?”
“O, Angel—I am almost glad—because now you can forgive me! I have not made my
confession. I have a confession, too—remember, I said so.”
Chapter 34 (Must-read chapter)

27. Their hands were still joined. The ashes under the grate were lit by the
fire vertically, like a torrid waste. Imagination might have beheld a Last
Day luridness in this red-coaled glow, which fell on his face and hand,
and on hers, peering into the loose hair about her brow, and firing the
delicate skin underneath. A large shadow of her shape rose upon the
wall and ceiling. She bent forward, at which each diamond on her neck
gave a sinister wink like a toad’s; and pressing her forehead against his
temple she entered on her story of her acquaintance with Alec
d’Urberville and its results, murmuring the words without flinching, and
with her eyelids drooping down.
Chapter 34 (Last paragraph of chapter)

28. • Why is this phase named “The Consequence”?
• Why does Tess repeatedly resist to Angel’s
proposal?
• Will Angel forgive her or not?

29. More sinnedagainst than
sinning