Is Thomas Hardy’s ‘Tess’ A Murderer Or A Victim Of Society’s Cruelty And Ruthlessness?

Abstract

Are criminals born or made? I take this question as the main objective of my presentation. Especially, how innocent women are turned into intolerable, stone-hearted characters. To support my idea, I have taken Thomas Hardy’s novel, Tess of the d’Ubervilles. The novel is renowned for its heroine as well as its tragic plot. The novel traces the difficult life of Tess Durbeyfield, whose victimization at the hands of men eventually leads to her horrific downfall. A woman’s home life, upbringing, inconsistent affection, physical abuse, and inconsistent discipline could result in criminality. Tess is a tender soul, who loves others immensely and she even shed tears for the death of her horse. She feels remorse and takes the responsibility for the death of her horse, Prince, and she takes the burden of her family on her shoulders at a very young age itself. She crosses many intricate and difficult phases that bring in her a lot of changes in the course of the play and she becomes a coldhearted murderer at the end.