（毕业论文 页数：14  字数：4137）The cause of Tess’ Tragedy

I. Introduction
Thomas Hardy (1840---1928), novelist and poet, is one of the representatives of English critical realism at the turn of the 19th century. He was born in Dorset, a southern country of England, which he called Wessex in his books. His principal works are the Wessex Novels, the novels describing the characters and environment of his native countryside. Everywhere in his novels human beings appear to be crushed by a superior force, a pitiless fate, and the indifference of his fellow creatures. They are not masters of their fates, always at the mercy of their own passions. Suffering is the rule of society. No matter how man may struggle, no matter what noble aspirations he may have, he will ultimately be overcome. The most important of these classically constructed tragic novels are: The Far from the Madding Crowd, the Return of the Native, the Mayor of Casterbridge, the Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure.
The Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Hardy's most famous book, tells us the tragic life story of a beautiful country girl, Tess Durbeyfield. Tess is the daughter of a poor villager. In her youth she is seduced by Alec D'Urbervilles, the son of a rich merchant who has bought his title into the class of gentry. Tess gives birth to an illegitimate child, thus scandalizing the narrow--minded people around her. So she leaves home and works at a distant farm as a dairymaid. She meets Angel Clare, a clergyman's son. The young people fall in love and are engaged to each other. On their wedding night, Tess confesses to Angel the affair of Alec. Angel casts her off. Soon he leaves for Brazil. Misfortune and hardship come upon poor Tess and her family. Her father dies and the whole family are threatened with starvation. Now Alec D'Urbervilles has become a preacher, still rich and still influential. Tess has made some pathetic appeals to her husband abroad but in vain, and Alec presses his attentions upon her. She is driven to accept his protection and lives with him. Clare, returning from Brazil and repentant of his harshness to Tess, finds her in such a situation. Maddened by this second wrong that has been done her by Alec, she murders him in a fit of despair. After hiding with Clare in a forest for a short time, Tess falls into the claws of law. She is arrested, tried and hanged. It is no doubt that Tess is one of the purest, kindest and loveliest women we can find in the novels. She is a daughter who is always caring her family more than herself; She is also a good wife who loves her husband more than herself. However, the life of this pure woman is tragic.

II. The Author's Pessimism Thought

A. Seeing the deterioration of the patriarchal mode of life

Hardy doesn't maintain glossing over reality optimistically ,but maintain representing the true colour of the society faithfully, then diagnoses the disease and changes it. He truthfully depicts the impoverishment and decay of small farmers who became hired fieldhands and roamed the country in search of seasonal jobs. These labourers were mercilessly exploited by the rich landowners. The author was pained to see the deterioration of the patriarchal mode of life in rural England. This was one of the reasons accounting for the growing pessimistic vein which runs throughout his novels. On many occasions, he expounds his "Meliorism"1 and regards this kind of thought as guidelines in his own creations. In his opinion, there should be three conditions to improve this miserable world. First, the mankind should see realistic ugliness that is the starting point of improving the reality. Second, because the Creator ignores the mankind's sufferings, humans have to struggle by themselves to improve the world. Third, in order to improve the world, the mankind must get enlightenment and guidance from a belief. So, Hardy's pessimism has positive meaning.

目录

I. Introduction
II. The Author's Pessimism Thought
III. Tess's Living Environment
IV. Full display of Tess’s character
V. Conclusion