Phase the Fourth
Chapters 25 & 26
Far from moving the story along, these two chapters only tighten the knots within which both Angel and Tess are bound. By turning away from the ecclesiastic life that dominates all aspects of his family’s life, Angel has sought to free himself of strictures surrounding both his beliefs and his life choices. But it soon becomes clear that he cannot entirely escape without alienating his parents and siblings. Nor can Tess escape the “consequences” of her past misfortune. And Alec D’Urberville’s name and sordid reputation have re-surfaced and found their way round to the Clare family; the knowledge of his presence must continue to haunt Tess. Hardy, in his true fashion, has seen to it that there can be no escape from their “fate”.
In his treatment of Mr. Clare, it seems to me that even though Hardy was being bluntly critical of the unbending, myopic views of the clergy in his day, he was at the same time cutting them a bit of slack: Angel’s parents are unable to grasp the importance of a farmer choosing a wife who is willing and able to be a full and active partner in the enterprise; they believe that a wife’s religious beliefs are all that is necessary to sustain her. But they are not being deliberately obtuse; they have simply never lived outside of the confines of the ecclesiastic life, the realities of a farmer’s life are completely unknown to them. In a way, the Clares are also victims of their own fate. It’s impossible for them to change their attitudes and therefore the future path of their family is predetermined.
Chapter 27
Each time Tess and Angel converse, they are at cross purposes; being
unaware of Tess's personal tragedy, Angel is unable to interpret her
reaction to his advances. She appears to be such a wholesome,
uncomplicated child of nature and yet she turns away his protestations
of love and sorrowfully refuses his offer of marriage. She is not the
sort of girl to be coy. I've encountered this sort of miscommunication
elsewhere in Hardy's work, it's one of his favorite dramatic devices (no
spoilers here).
The simile of the red interior of her mouth as if it had been a snake's
is so jarring that it can only have been intentional on Hardy's part.
The snake allusion cannot signify evil or deception on Tess's part, she
is such a blameless person. I suspect it simply represents Tess's fate,
her downfall. And that Angel, having momentarily noticed it, has been
sent a message that he cannot yet see the meaning of. He too will suffer
the consequences.
Chapter 28
Hardy uses all his literary skill to maximize dramatic
tension in Chapter 28. Whatever Tess decides to tell Angel on Sunday, there are
going to be serious consequences. Angel has idealized Tess to such an extreme
degree that when he is finally confronted with the truth, he is bound to suffer
a severe shock. His illusions shattered, his hopes in disarray, how will he
cope? And what will his reaction do to Tess, who is already in a deeply
disturbed state of mind?
Big trouble ahead.
Chapter 29
The sorry game continues, with Angel’s pursuit of Tess, who keeps putting him off.
I
find myself losing patience with Tess: She cannot bear the thought of
the pain she would inflict upon Angel by marrying him, only to have him
discover her secret afterwards. At the same time, she cannot bring
herself to give him up altogether. This is an impossible position for
her to sustain and it’s quite unfair to Angel, who has been honest and
straightforward in his courtship; and is prepared to face the misgivings
of his family about such a match.
But of course, this is Hardy: Tess finds herself up against fate, in this case the fate of having fallen in love
with Angel. Were that not the case, she could easily bring the matter
to a quick conclusion; instead, she is stuck on the horns of a dilemma.
Chapter 30
Tess fears that Angel's refusal to dance with her when they first met could be an ill omen; perhaps so, but the real
ill omen was the mention of Alec and of Tess's remote connection to the
ancient D'Urberville clan. The very name hovers about Tess at every
turn, a dark cloud that will not leave Tess in peace to get on with her
life.
Hardy's fatalism permeates every scene in some way: Tess's
last-minute decision to accompany Angel while inadequately dressed and
the unexpected onset of rain conspire to bring her into close physical
contact with Angel, further weakening her will to refuse him. Her
objective or romantic love for Alec is compounded by the sexual
attraction that both feel for each other.
One cannot help believing that Tess will eventually pay a steep price for her weakness in being unable to tell Angel the truth.
Chapter 31
There's a sense of unreality to this chapter, Tess being so buoyant, so
mesmerized by the wonderful qualities she perceives in Angel, so
delighted with the beautiful autumn days, while at the same time almost
breathless with a sense of foreboding, prone to burst into tears at any
moment. Deep down, she must know that all of this is too good to last.
I'm reminded of an old phrase "whistling past the graveyard" hoping
perhaps to placate the ghosts.
Meanwhile, Hardy treats us to some
of his most entrancing descriptions of the surroundings as Angel and
Tess walk beside the brooks and meadows and along the river at sunset.
Chapter 32
The hiatus that Angel and Tess have been experiencing is coming to an end. After so many delays and excuses, once Tess has finally agreed to a wedding date, everything seems to speed up. Tess is startled when reminded that the banns have not been called; she frets about a suitable dress; she and Angel attempt to work out how best to arrange for his parents to meet Tess.
The ground upon which they have been standing for so long seems to be shifting. The dairy will soon be less in need of Tess; Angel is scheduled to spend some time at a flour mill and he’s planning to look for a suitable farm he may be able to acquire. The entire mood of the novel is shifting. We sense a turning point.
And there’s fate popping up again: the mill and lodgings where Angel plans to reside was once owned by the D’Urberville family.
Chapter 33
The power of fate in this entire narrative is so overwhelming that no one reading this chapter would expect Tess's letter to actually arrive in Angel's hand; something must prevent it from accomplishing its intended mission. The reference to Friar Lawrence leaves no doubt in our minds: we know that it has somehow gone astray.
And everything that Tess does somehow ends at cross purposes: her suggestion that Angel give each of the milkmaids a parting kiss has the opposite effect from what she had intended. Even the appearance of the coach is disturbing and Angel belatedly realizes that it calls to mind an ill-fated coach once owned by (who else?) the D'Urbervilles! Everything that touches upon Tess on her wedding day is off kilter; the cock's crowing puts a final damper on any joy that might have developed.
What a discouraging wedding day!
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