Phase 6 and 7

The tragedy that was this novel finally cones to an end with Tess' death. Angel may live on to be happy, but Tess couldn't bear the burden of so much guilt, strife, and wrongdoing. With the murder of Alec after seeming forced into taking his help with her family, she sees death as the only possible solution.

The tragedy of Tess is one of such comparisons. It shows Tess' downfall, which was similar to that of Alec. After seeing that the ruse that he had changed was not working, he became even more desperate to be with Tess. This desperation ultimately led to his undoing. While Angel took his sweet time getting back to his wife, Alec saw that as his opportunity. Tess ended up being at such a place like Stonehenge, the ritualistic properties at work there truly show how the gods had no pity on Tess. And that her end came just like many before her had been; in view of the gods and fate itself.

The Woman Pays

Tess tells Alec of her confession and he immediately is distraught and sees her in an entirely different light. Their marriage struggled to endure, especially after Angel leaves for Brazil. After this disheartening time of her life that spirals her life further out of control, you begin to lose sympathy for Tess. Entirely blaming herself for everything eventually does get old. And it's been that way since phase one.

The woman clearly does pay in Angel's absence. Tess is distraught financially and emotionally. She has no idea what her future will bring, and seeing Alec just pushes her internal strife to ahead. Her inner desire to die seems to be becoming more and more a reality the more bad things that befall her.

The Consequence

Tess finally agrees to marry Angel, even in light of the past that still haunts her. She cannot bring herself to tell Angel of her event with Alec, or where her lineage is derived from. As the chapter progresses, it builds up at her more and more. He is delighted she is of nobility, as this will make her more appealing to his parents, but that she lost her virginity is something she cannot disclose.

Again this shows the inner struggle between Tess' love of Angel, and her shameful past. The fact that Angel's family is unaccepting of her only makes it worse. Whether or not she has characteristics of nobility, that she comes from a poor family and how she may be seen what tainted Angel to live on the farm in the first place, will continue to be an external struggle.

The Rally

While this time period is considered to be advancing in innovation, common sense is still clearly lacking. To believe that butter will not turn out as good if two people fall in love. While Angel may not be as well off as Alec appeared to be, Tess has much more regard towards him.
Even in this time it was shameful not to follow a family tradition of being a clergyman. Angel has more intentions than just that. And going to a farm seems to be what he needs. And there he finds Tess for who he wants to marry.
Being unable to move on from her past, she shys him away from the idea. At least for the time being. This can talk be related back to the beginning of the story when she solely blames herself for what happened. She still must blame herself for what Alec did, and is just unable to move on.

Phase 2: Maiden no More

How Tess must deal with all that has transpired is the central idea of this section. How she goes against societal norms on so many levels is a stark contrast for girls of her age during that time. While most of those in her village and family find it odd she did not marry Alec to increase her social standing, she values love over material stature. This allows us to still view her as a victim. From our standpoint at least. But from not marrying him and having a baby unchristened, and it later dying, those around her view it as her fault. But the context in which these acts have transpired upon her are not fully understood by simple onlookers. She cannot be with one she does not love, and that is unheard of for the time.

#1 The Maiden

 Why have Tess's parents put their children in such a bad situation to live in? Why would they bring so many offspring into the world they clearly cannot support? These questions are just some problems that plague the opening section of this book. After the death of Prince, Tess blames herself more than anyone. And her father would not give up his body for a tiny amount of money.

How this translates to real life is that the pride of those who are less fortunate are generally harder to break than those of a higher class. Those with almost nothing, pride is one thing they cling to, whereas those with more, hold pride to a lesser extent. But putting his own personal pride ahead of the wellbeing of his family, shows how his priorities are so messed up, and it affects Tess in ways it doesn't the other children. She feels she must pick up his slack.