Name 江洪
No.12011011072
Course 英国文学选读
Date 2013/11/3 The Importance of Setting to the Characterization of
Tess and Her Fate
It is said that tragedy is to destroy all the good things to the people’s face. Hardy’s environmental description provides a perfect interpretation for what Lu said. At that time, no matter how hardly Tess tried, all is end in tragedy. She is a poor lady who was persecuted by life and manipulated by social reality. Some say our fate is tied to the environment as much a part of us as we are of it. As a time art and spatial art, the novel’s environmental description is of great importance, which offers a big stage for character to act and gives a major push to develop plots. On top of this, the novel’s environmental description is closely related to heroine’s personality and her bitter experience.
“They were indisposed to stir abroad, and the day passed, and the night following, and the next, and next; till, almost without their being aware, five days had slipped by in absolute seclusion, not a sight or sound of a human being disturbing their peacefulness, such as it was. The changes of the weather were their only events, the birds of the New Fo rest their only company.” From the two sentences, it's not hard to see that Tess and Angel they temporary had a wonderful time. They realized that time flows away easily so that both of them cherished and enjoyed their hard-won time. Every time Angel mentioned to leave the house they live for the time being, Tess always strangely showed her unwillingness. “He peeped out also. It was quite true; within was affection, union, error forgiven; outside was the inexorable.”From this sentence, we can understand what causes Tess’s reluctance. Once they leaved the house, their peaceful and happy life would finally come to the end.
“Though the sky was dense with cloud, a diffused light from some fragment of a moon had hitherto helped them a little. But the moon had now sunk, the clouds
seemed to settle almost on their heads, and the night grew as dark as a cave.” The sentence describes a picture of the sky was decorated with dark clouds and hazy light from some fragment of a moon so that they could hardly find their way to happiness. It also gives a hint to readers that Tess’s future was almost filled with darkness and hopeless. “Owing to the action of the sun during the preceding day the stone was warm and dry, in comforting contrast to the rough and chill grass around, which had damped her skirts and shoes.” The sentence tells us that Tess was so exhausted after such a long journey. She lied on the oblong slab to sleep for a while. The stone was a part of the Pillar, which was used to offer up a sacrifice to the sun in ancient times. Obviously, Hardy made a special mention of the Pillar so as to imply that Tess is a totally innocent sufferer. However, the representatives of social habits force took advantage of her to make certain their interests .In their eyes, Tess is nothing but a woman of unchaste. From where the author stands, he considered Tess as an innocent sacrifice to spirit, because only chaste things is qualified for being an offering. For this reason, “the altar”is actually used by Hardy to courageously attack the social conventions.
In fact, every sight, every color and every place in this book has its inherent meanings. Hardy used various kinds of color to describe natural scenery. All in all, the back ground color of where Tess stayed is the reflection of Tess’s mentality and her destiny.
References
Thomas Hardy (1840~1928).Tess of the D’Urberwilles。