This is a book of grievous mood. A beautiful young girl?s life was destroyed gradually and really---not by her energy, but by the people who said love to her. What kind of this love is? What make the love destroy its lover? Tess could be a happy girl though her family was very poor. But “noble, status, and money” were strongly in her father?s mind, just because of the discovery that a parson said to him. Without their horse?s carrying load, life became rather difficult. Tess blamed herself completely, and she wondered what she could help her parents. Then Tess obeyed her mother?s idea, to work at the d?Urberville?s home, and met her cousin, Alec d?Urbervilles. This then was the beginning. Tess had to meet the wrong man, and one who was so strongly attracted to her. Yet to the right man, she was only a half-forgotten impression from an evening?s dancing party in a country field. This mistake was to have tragic results. Alec used his clever brain to help Tess?s parents, and this made Tess feel grateful to him. Because of her slackening vigilance, Alec?s intention came true ---Tess would be maiden no more. As the people of her village said, “It was to be.” And from now on, Tess?s life was to be completely different. Tess left Alec?s home, returned her village. But all had changed, Tess wouldn?t be happy, people in village wouldn?t see her as before. After her baby?s death, she had to leave her home, went to a far place. Perhaps at that time we should thank Alec, thank baby?s death, or Tess wouldn?t leave her home and met Angel Clare, her right man in the dairy. Tess was a so lovely girl that Angel was soon crazy for her. At last, they conquered many difficulties and got married. But Tess?s experience was still her mortal wound, Angel couldn?t accept the truth and left her. The story came to its turning point again. When Angel realized his mistake and went back to look for Tess, all was too late, the poor girl again dropped into Alec?s trap. With the intertwine of love and hatred, Tess had to end herself with a tragic results. God played with Tess so much. When her right man appeared, God yet didn?t give her happiness. Tess?s parents loved her, but it was just an instinctive love; Alec said love to her, but it was a evil love; Angel said love to her as well, but it was a immature and selfish love. He wanted Tess to forgive him, but he couldn?t forgive Tess. Tess didn?t make any mistakes, but at last, she born all punishments and sufferings. At first, God had let the two persons miss each other. A tragedy was doomed. But perhaps no love, no hatred, no dignity, death was the best way for Tess to extricate herself. We have nothing to do but watching world changing, destroying Tess, then continuing changing. The tragedy recurs every day in fact. I can?t help asking, have we missed our happiness?
I realize that there is still much to be found and thought about in it. Great as Hardy is, he definitely wanted to tell readers more than a tragic story purely. Tess was the eldest daughter of her family and she had no choice but to bear the responsibility of rallying her family and repaying the debts. She was beautiful, innocent and pure without big ambition or desire for things that didn?t belong to her. Nobody ever doubted that she deserved happiness and peace. But things seldom go on as we expected. Tess was deprived of virginity and she was no longer ?pure? as she used to be. What?s worse, she got pregnant as a result. Tess gave birth to the baby and decided to raise the baby all by herself. At that time, she showed her admirable qualities—being tough and decisive. We all hope that she can start a brand new life and cut off all contact with the past after her baby?s death. However, for the second and third time, God cheated and mocked her. Sometimes I wonder why a nice woman couldn?t end up with a nice man. Is it just like the saying that beautiful women suffer unhappy fates? Tess always missed her Mr. right and her Mr.wrong
always disturbed her life and wouldn?t let her go. All the three person misunderstand what?s love. Alec thought love to be deprival and occupation; Angel thought love to be purity and ideal; Tess thought love to be toleration and waiting. They stuck in their illusion of love of which they never managed to get out. Alec and Tess was dead. As for Angel, he might as well be dead. Who is to blame for this tragedy? Alec, Tess or Angel? Or ridiculous fate? I believe it was Tess herself. Certainly, that bad age and those hypocritical men were executioners that push Tess into the abyss of destruction. But Tess should have led a better life if she don?t treat herself as a satellite of men. How stupid is she to spend her life waiting for a man who betrayed her and escaped away when she was dying for help! When there is no help offered by men, women should fight on their own instead of waiting for men?s mercy and forgiveness since there is nothing needed to be forgiven.
Women?s tragedy will never come to an end until they treat themselves as totally independent,
which means they can lead a normal life with or without men.
jiNJIE
The novel tells a story about a pretty and good girl called Tess, who lived in a village in Marlott. To her sadness, when she was seventeen, she was no longer a pure and untouched girl. She gave birth to a baby, which didn't live long. So Tess changed from a pure gir l to a grown —up. Because she was the eldest of the 7 children in the family, she found a job to support the whole family in a dairy.There she knew Angel and married him. But unluckily.when Angel knew her sad story, he left her and went to Brazil.Tess led a hard an d lonely life after that. Later when she knew Angel had retumed home and found out that she was living with the man who had given the damage to her before,Tess couldn't accept the fact and killed the man who was living with her.Then she escaped and spent together with Angel three days and nights. The police found them on the morning of the fourth day. A few days later, Tess was executed.
In old China there was a culture, which didn?t think of women as human beings. If you asked one if he was the oldest in his family, he would probably answer “the oldest one” even if he had some elder sisters. If you asked why then he would say, “Ha, they are not included!”
People gave birth to many girls in order to have only one boy to keep the family name going. They thought girls had no use for the family. They would be married and go to live with their husbands? home and be their wives some day sooner or later. So they were extremely hard on girls.
Girls should be hard working, faithful, loyal, intelligent, and virtuous and the most important thing was she must be a maiden! If her husband was the first man who touched her then she was a good girl, a good wife no matter how she thought. If she wasn?t, then she would gain a very bad reputation and nobody would dare to go near her. What about men? People did not care whether he was an experienced man or not, nor did they care about his character. They thought man equals power and power equals rights…
