 Fate and chance in novel Tess

Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891), written by

Thomas Hardy is late Victorian novel that
engulfs the idea of fate and chance that
governs human life. Fate and chance become
an important element of Harry’s writing
because of the impact of Darwin’s theory and
Victorians felt that human life is governed by
fate and chances.

In the story, the fate and chance play an important role that
leads to the tragic fall of Tess. Tess’s innate flaw or hammartia
also resulted in the tragedy of her own life. Hardy has put
forth that Tess is an innocent woman and she is naive enough
to believe the Machiavellian characters who manipulated her
leading her to the tragedy. Her innate flaw also resulted in
making choices that could have changed the course of her life
but the circumstances and situation also made her to submit
herself to her flaws.

The role of fate is evident in the beginning of the novel. Tess’s

father thinks that he is the descendent of the mansion of
d’Urberville and he decides to send his daughter Tess to live in
the mansion. In reality, Mrs. d’Urberville husband Simon
Stokes change his name to d’Urberville after he retires. It
indicates the role of fate that governs the life of Durbeyfield
family where it seems the fortune of the family cannot be
attained as such due to fate.

The most important incident that governs the fate and life in
the novel is when Tess is physically assaulted by Alec. She
lives with the sexual assault and she gives birth to a child
named Sorrow that dies after he is born. This incident left a
remarkable impression to Tess’s life because it continues to
control her life. The role of chances also play side by side
arguably and one can also observe the tragic flaw in the
character of Tess’s character as well.

Tess meets Angel Clare while working at Talbothays, they

grow closer together and Tess decides to write a letter to
angel about her past with Alec and the incident. She slips the
letter under the door but it slides into the carpet and Angel
never gets to read the letter. When Angel tells her about his
past, Tess forgives him but Angel is unable to forgive Tess’s
past and he leaves her while boarding a ship to Brazil. The
scene clearly projects the role of fate where Tess’s life is at the
expense of her past with Alec and it governs her present
relationship with Angel. One can also note the role of chances
if Tess did not disclose his past to Angel then she would have
been married to Angel Clare but she did it because of her
honesty and purity. Her honesty and purity is the tragic flaw
of Tess and it results in the leaving of Angel Clare to Brazil.

However, the role of fate and chances can be seen again in the
later stage of the novel. When Alec meets Tess again, Tess
decides to stay from him. After hearing her mother’s illness
and the decease of her father, Alec returns to offer help to
Tess. Tess writes many letters to Angel to return. Here, the
role of fate is situated beautifully where the situation of Tess
makes her vulnerable and Alec manipulates her into marriage
declaring that Angel would never return back to her. It is her
purity and innocence again that made her to be susceptible to
accept the offer of marriage and considering the situation,
Angel returns very late. This made the situation for Tess to be
very vulnerable and she has no choice but to accept the
marriage.

Critically, one can see the role of chances presented if Angel

returns back fast then he would be with Tess immediately but
he fails to return fast. The other chance is if Tess learn from
her previous experience with Alec and wait for Angel to
return, then she would be with Angel as well. One can observe
that Tess’s innate flaw results in the wreckage of a chance
that she has to be with Angel. The tragedy of Tess at the end
of the novel is caused due to the two man including Alec and
Angel who forces her to kill Alec. When Angel returns back to
meet Tess, she feels betrayed and she stabs Alec to death
resulting in an execution. One cannot blame Alec alone itself
because if Angel accepted the past of Tess then it would have
been different in the beginning itself. If Tess also learn from
his previous incident with Alec , she would have been with
Angel happily and she would not have been in a situation to
kill Alec and in a prison waiting to be executed.