Thomas Hardys Tess Of The Durbervilles Essay Example For Students

Thomas Hardys Tess Of The Durbervilles Essay Thomas Hardys Tess Of The DurbervillesExtremitiesIn Thomas Hardys Tess of the Durbervilles, Tess worked in two extremely differentiating places. Both Talbothays and Flintcomb Ash represented a time in her life whether it be favorable or horrid. Both of these spots contributed a deep meaning to the novel. The happiest days of Tesss life were spent on a dairy farm called Talbothays. It was there that she met Angel Claire, with whom she had desperately fallen in love with and married. Talbothays was used as a symbol of grandeur in Tesss life. It was there where she found meaning in her life for the first time in the novel and became content with herself. However, it all came to an abrupt end when she married Angel and told him of her affair with her cousin Alex. Angel was devastated and left her to fend for herself. This is when her life got much harder. Through a friend, she got a job working for Flintcomb Ash. It was a physically exhausting job, in which she had utter hatred for. While there she ran into her cousin Alex. This only worsened her terrible state of mind. From then on she longed for the days with Angel at Talbothays. Talbothays and Flintcomb Ash differ extremely in their descriptions. Talbothays was a Utopia in Tesss life. It was depicted with luscious greenery and rolling hills. Itwas located in the Vale of Froom, which was known for its rich and fertile soil. Therenothing could bother tess. Flintcomb Ash was a barren wastelan characterized by misery andpain. It was a cruel place in which Tess spent the worst days of her life. There she found the meaning of true wretchedness, but at the same time began to appreciate her days at Talbothays. The descriptions Hardy used to depict the two places were central to the meaning of the work. The descriptive writing lets tthe reader not only see both places, but feel them as well. This allows the reader to find apathy for Tesss situation and take pity on her. The contrast made between talbothays and Flintcomb Ash was used to symbolize the enormous conflict Tesss life dealt with. Through this type of writing the readerbegins to see that no matter how bad a person might think they have it, someone else has always got it worse. BibliographyBloom, Harold. T.S. Eliot. Pennsylvania:Chelsea House Publishers,1999. 60-68. Curley/Kramer, eds. Modern American Literature:Vol. 1. New York:Frederick UngarPublishing Company, 1969. 340-341. Perkins, George, ed. Benets Reader Encyclopedia of American Literature. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991.300-301.