Chloe Lim

21/04/16

Phase 4 Commentary:
Comment on what is revealed throughout this phase
about Angels love for Tess, compared with hers for him
and how his attitude towards her during their courtship
affects your response to him.
ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES
AO1- Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
(28%)
AO2- Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts. (24%)
AO3- Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the
contexts in which literary texts are written and received. (24%)
AO4- Explore connections across literary texts. (12%)
AO5- Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations. (12%)
Firstly, Phase the Fourth in Tess is used to demonstrate the time of Tesss
life leading away from her period of happiness at the dairy farm; she finds herself
here in a burning dilemma of whether or not to marry Angel due to her past.
Meanwhile, Angel confronts his parents about his decision and life starts to feel
very real, with both lovers recognising the seriousness of their situation and the
finality of their possible choices. Prior to this phase, Angels love for Tess and vice
versa was lived as if they were both in a fantastical dream, with many themes of
ethereal beauty and presences, and moments of unrealistic solitariness where it
seemed like just the two of them dwelled the earth. In this phase, both the
characters and the reader come to realise that life for the protagonist and her
lover would not be so whimsical here, as the summer is nearly over and a
solution for the outcome of their relationship is looming. The end of this phase is
a cliff-hanger, as Hardy describes how Tess finally tells Angel about Alec
dUrberville without displaying Angels reaction to it. Phase the Fourth is used as
a turning point for the outcome of the plot and another step towards Tesss tragic
end.
This phase is the beginning of what follows Angels first proclamation of
his true and deep love for Tess after he approaches her in the dairy farm.
Chapter 25 shows Angel travelling to his parents house to both visit and inform
them of the news of his decision. Beforehand, Hardy shares Angels thoughts
with us, concerning both his love for Tess and processing his current situation.
We learn Angel respects Tess as the woman or even the person she is. Clare
states in his thoughts Tess was no insignificant creature to toy with and dismiss;
but a woman living her precious life. This portrays Angels attitude to love;
careful yet determined. Maybe this is Hardy exploiting the irony of this situation,
as this moment demonstrates how Angel is fully aware about the fact that Tess is
not to be brushed off and treated as an object, yet a contradiction to how later in
the novel Angel does exactly this.
Hardy tells us that Clare was a man with a conscience, which contributes
to this idea of how he thinks outside the box; he is an outsider to the rest of his

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21/04/16

family. Angel does not belong with the church or at a university, but believes
himself to live as a farmer in the future, away from the society and conventions
he never agreed with and recognising the faults within them. Despite Angels
beliefs and attitudes to society, this chapter clearly shows how his love or lust for
Tess makes him blind to what he knows is right. Angels pride when concerning
his relationship with Tess influences his attitude towards her during their
courtship and this makes the reader dislike him.
Consequently, we can see this after he returns from his parents house
and Hardy describes to the reader Angels perception of his lover. This
description is that of a sensual one, which shows how especially at this point in
the novel, Angel is besotted with the idea of her beauty, allowing us to see how
this clouds his judgement and his decisions. Hardy writes he saw the red interior
of her mouth as if it had been a snakes, which immediately can be seen as an
addition to the fact that Angel is pulled towards her; in Genesis, the snake
tempts the human to eat the forbidden fruit, showing how this comparison of
Tess being a snake and tempting Angel is a significant part to their relationship
and of how Angel consciously or absently views her, as a temptress. Angels
attitude towards Tess here can be seen as what he desires in her. Hardy makes
another reference to Genesis a few paragraphs after this saying she regarded
him as Eve at her second waking might have regarded Adam, which also adds
to this idea of their feeling of isolation from all other people when in each others
presence. The reader here may view Angel as an obsessive character, as it
displays yet another example of how he is slave-like against Tesss unaware
seduction.
The subtle use of the recurring colour red in Chapter 27 can be seen when
Hardy describes Tesss face twice as flushed, the floor as red-brick and the
temperature of Tesss body as warm. This colour or sensation of heat is
absolutely significant when regarding Angels love for Tess; it burns with passion
and clearly makes Angel more aware of her body, highlighting also the sexual
longing in their relationship, especially from Angels point of view. When Tesss
eyes are described using the words ever-varying pupils and radiating fibrils of
blue, black, grey and violet, it echoes the previous stage of their relationship
where the couple were alone yet together, depicting the intimacy of their love.
Hardy uses this method of close up description to display the deepness of
Angels realisation of the details about Tess, particularly with relation to her
appearance. Here, the reader sees Angel as lustful and possibly even predatory,
as he watches her every move, even when she cannot see him and does not
know he is there. This could perhaps influence the reader to dislike or doubt
Angel due to his acceptance of what he knows is wrong; giving in to his
temptations and maybe even loving Tess for the wrong reasons.
Moreover, going back to when Angel is with his parents, he seems to
recognise that his decisions could have been made exactly due to the latter. His
parents are set for him to marry Mercy Chant, who above all has the most
important quality; the virtues and teachings of a good Christian woman. Perhaps
here, Angel sees his relationship with Tess as quite distant and maybe even
wonders if it could ever work. However, when Angel speaks about Tess, he does
it with a certain dignity and honour, showing the reader a contrast to what was
mentioned before. It could be due to Angels own stubbornness that he defends
the idea of Tess so gallantly, but he would have agreed to at least think about his

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21/04/16

parents proposition before returning and asking Tess to marry him which he did
not do.
He states later in his thoughts that it was for herself that he loved Tess;
her soul, her heart, her substance which contradicts the fact that Angel is so
self-consumed in his approach to their courtship and is now more mature in his
attitude towards their relationship and thinking about the future. Yet this also
conveys another of Angels inconsistencies as it is apparent from being away
from her, he makes himself believe he is in love with her soul, but when he is
with her, though he does not realise, he only loves her for her appearance. The
reader here could pity Angel, as he is constantly in an unknown to himself state
of turmoil concerning the reasons why he loves Tess, and maybe his love for her
can be seen as constantly helplessly fluctuating between these reasons. This
shows his faults for believing himself to be righteous and unyielding in his way of
life, but he is the opposite. Angel can be perceived here as too young, yet
believes himself to be old enough to make these decisions.
On the other hand, with regards to Tesss love for Angel in their courtship,
her love is totally self-sacrificing for him and very preoccupied due to her
dilemma that was caused in her past. In Chapter 25 when Tess and the other
girls are told by Dairyman Crick about Angels whereabouts and plan for the
future, their reactions are that of longing, especially in Tesss heart, yet she does
not surrender herself to this longing by later rushing into a marriage too soon
without thought. When Angel returns and asks her for her hand, she immediately
says no in her usual selfless fashion. Hardy describes her reaction to be quite
careworn, which shows her devotion to him not for his attractiveness like
perhaps the other girls and his ability to provide for her, but for his feelings. Her
own emotions are soaked in pain and bitterness when she feels she has to
say no.
Angel is concerned about Tesss feelings in a way that would not only
secure her happiness but his own too, yet Tess is concerned about his feelings in
a way that she would voluntarily make herself unhappy if he were to be
undamaged by her past too. For the reader, this idea makes their response to
Angels attitude towards Tess possibly more sympathetic for her, and more
frustrated with him. Angel is simply thinking about his future, while she is
thinking about his future too, while she is the one suffering in an unbalanced yet
fatally loving relationship. Tess gives Angel a definite reply of rejection in
response to his proposal and then asks him to leave her to think for a while
before asking her again shows also the unbalanced nature of their courtship. The
fact that Angel only waits until they have finished about an hours worth of work
to ask her again is a clear sign of his predatory essences and how he pressurises
her, allowing the reader to see how Angel really is subject to his own personal
temptress; Tess. This could cause the reader to dislike Angel at this point, and his
manner.
Furthermore, the whole of Chapter 28 is a confrontation from Angel to
Tess, continually asking her to marry him. At the end of this chapter, Tess finally
makes up her mind to accept him by saying I shall give way- I shall say yes- I
shall let myself marry him- I cannot help it!, which Hardy describes Tess saying
in a jealous way, because that is how she feels she is accepting the proposal.
Her total belief that she is doing wrong allows the reader to also feel her sorrow.
The idea that Angel loves her unconditionally can be questioned here, because if

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21/04/16

he loved her that much, he would have sensed that she felt true distress due to
his question and could have asked her to just tell him what was wrong. Angel is
too selfishly wrapped up in himself and his desires to see this however, leading
to the failure of their marriage that occurs finally in Chapter 33.
Additionally, as shown in Chapter 30, Angel even doubts Tesss love for
him, influencing the reader to dislike him again. He tells her Do you care for
me? I wish you to prove it in some way. This shows Angels evident issue of trust
in their courtship, even after she has accepted him to be her husband. Though
not in a violent way, Tess here seems to be oppressed by the man she loves, yet
she cannot see it due to this undying love. She is being tortured by what he says
and the way he questions her, making the reader empathise with her feelings of
desperation. This part of the novel particularly displays the contrast of Tesss
love for Angel and Angels for Tess.
To conclude, the moment of confessions at the very end of the phase in
Chapter 34 when they are married reflects this approach to trust Angel has in his
mind, but this time in his words and actions. He describes his confession as
honourable showing that he still cannot really see the damage he could have
done if Tess did not forgive him. He takes advantage of this further by keeping
this perfect pure image of Tess in his mind, right to the point of her own innocent
confession which was not proud and dramatic, but full of pain and suffering. His
hypocrisy here makes the reader dislike him for another weakness on his part
and overall both pity and admire Tess for her tragic state and bravery.