The Representation of Women in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Abstract

This paper is an examination and exploration of Thomas Hardy’s representation of women in his novel, Tess of the d’Urbervilles. It provides a brief evaluation of the era in which Hardy was writing, placing emphasis on the psycho-sexual intricacies of the late Victorian era and their impact upon the characterization of women. The paper also shows Hardy’s attitudes toward women and how these attitudes affected his representation of women characters. The picture of vigorous womanhood and a victim of forces beyond control is clearly portrayed in Tess, the heroine. Women are presented as sensual creatures and weak. Hardy portrays women affected by the pressure exerted on them by their environment and heredity. Due to their humanity, suffering is inevitable and guilt is a common compassion.