Tess of the D’Urbervilles is regarded as the most successful tragic masterpiece of Thomas Hardy. In this thesis, the author tries to analyze the revolt of Tess in two main aspects: reasons for the rebellion and characters of the rebellion. The former one is caused by human’s instinct and nature. The human instinct leads Tess to opposing her fate. Tess’s healthy desire simply to be happy is perhaps the source of her great courage and moral strength. The latter takes on the resolution and cowardliness of the rebellion, and the surface of the cowardliness of the rebellion is the awakening of consciousness and noble personality, which foils the novel’s theme and its value and further illustrates the injustice for female in Victorian England. So such a rebellion is impossible to be avoided.
Key Words
Rebellion; self-respect; resolution; women awakening; women consciousness
Contents
Abstract..............................................................Ⅰ
Key Words.............................................................Ⅰ
摘要..................................................................Ⅱ
关键词................................................................Ⅱ
Introduction..........................................................1
I. Different Reasons for the Rebellion of Tess........................3
A. Reasons for Subsistence............................................3
1. A Hard Life for Peasants......................................3
2. Unequal Morality for Female...................................3
3. Male Domination of Women......................................4
4. Class Oppression..............................................5
B. Reasons for Her Nature...........................................6
1. Her Sense of Responsibility...................................6
2. Self-respect..................................................6
3. Her Aggressive Character......................................6
II. Two Characters of the Rebellion ..................................8
A. Her Character of Resolution......................................8
1. Never Yield to Pressure from the Society .....................8
2. Keeping Apartness to Alec and Killing Him Finally ............9
B. Her Character of Cowardliness....................................10
1. Her Love for Clare ...........................................10
2. Her Second Stay with Alec ....................................12
3. Her Original Opinions and Fantasy.............................13
Conclusion............................................................15
Acknowledgements......................................................16
Notes.................................................................17
Bibliography..........................................................18
