Tess more sinned against than sinning

“Character is destiny” is a well known saying, but it cannot be applied to Hardy’s characters as in their case character is one thing and destiny another.

In the novel “Tess of D’Urbervilles” Tess is an instrument in the hands of fate. Fate plays through chance, love, nature and social hurdles. The same thing happens to Tess, though it can be said that she herself is responsible for the destruction, sufferings and her death. She might have been more sinned against than sinning, but she dies for whatever she has done. 

There are certain features in Tess personality which becomes the cause of her trouble. She has inherited some soft aspects of her mother along with enduring, patience and hardworking. She has docile nature which always causes her trouble. When she is molested by Alec, she did not show any refusal or resistance, although she was tired.

Again when she marries to Angel Clare, she was told by her mother to keep her pas secret and don’t reveal it to anyone. She told the secret and she was left by Angel.

The fact remains that Tess in more sinned against than sinning despite of the all charges brought against her. It was by chance that her father came to know that they are from noble stroke of D’Urbervilles. The only bread-winner, their horse met an accident and died. She is told to go and tell Mrs. D’Urbervilles that they are from D’Urbervilles family stroke. There she met Alec who seduced her and she lost her physical purity and virginity.

She came back and gave birth to a child who died soon. She started working in Toolbathays where she met Angel Clare and they both fell in love with each other. Now Tess was in conflict, she wanted to tell him about her past, but couldn’t find the courage. Before wedding she wrote a letter and put it under the door, but fate intervened, the letter slips under the carpet and remains unnoticed. She tells him everything, which changes Angel from being soft hearted to stony hearted and leaves for Brazil.

She again surrenders herself to Alec in order to support her family financially. When Angel realizes his mistake in Brazil, he comes back in search of her. At last he finds her and apologizes. She considers it the Alec’s fault and kills him for which she is hanged. 

To sum up, she is driven to that end. She suffers from the cruelties of society and asks for mercy to the world but all in vain. She was ruined by young man representing modern civilization and gross nature. Hardy calls her pure woman, as he believes purity is the innate purity of mind and soul not the physical one. The fate has predetermined her course of life. So, it can be said that her sins are insignificant compared to the sufferings she was subjected to.