Questioning
the actions of Tess and the impact of Alec upon her conscience state puts into
questions whether Tess was a pure heroine who is then a victim of crime that
she is no way complied with or whether she in some ways was attracted to Alec,
the mysterious and unconventional stranger.
In a letter that Hardy wrote he said: “that
the heroine was essentially pure”. However it is also noted from this article
that in his autobiography it is stated that he enjoyed the debates of the
“late- Victorian” and the provocation that came from men of whom loved to see
women as “black and white” terms- either an angel or a harlot.
After
re-reading the passage in which Tess becomes impregnated the ambiguity of
Hardy’s description of the sexual act could suggest that this was so that there
was the shock element of Alec’s act upon this harmless and innocent girl
without provoking too much distress. The first phase shows Tess as an innocent
farm girl who simply complies with the word of her mother and father whilst
looking after her brothers and sisters. Therefore the ambiguity could to try
and preserve some of her existing character whilst also shredding away her
purity. I also think that the Victorian black and white perspective helped
Hardy with the jarring element of rape because Tess is characterised as an
innocent “goddess” who commits the act of which a “harlot” would.
A
Pure Woman
Contrasting
colours or red and white are used in the novel. Tess is seen to be wearing a
pure white dress with a vibrant red bow in her hair. The connotations of both
colours are obvious but the combination of the two introduces Tess’s dual
character. Tess is seen to be a pure woman- in Victorian times this was a compliant
and discrete housewife who would not step beyond the hidden line that society
had drawn for them. However I think that Hardy shows Tess to be a woman who
wished to go beyond this line and reaches for more than the life that society
has given her. Hardy is seen to have said that he was “in love with Tess” ;
this could be due to her remarkable character that he has given her; which is
hard to find otherwise in the his (the Victorian) society due to the oppression
that women are subjected to.
Changes to the
Strawberry Scene
The article
goes on to mention the notable changes that Hardy made to the infamous strawberry
scene mentioning that this made Alec seem more “villainous”. By doing this
Hardy has increased the vulnerability and seduction that hides Alec’s true
intentions making him appear even more manipulative.
During his
lifetime Hardy was forced to edit and remove parts of Tess because it was seen
too controversial for Victorian readers. 
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