Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Study Guide & SEO Optimized Summary
Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Study Guide
Chapter Summaries & Key Questions
Early Life and Family
What did the parson tell John Durbeyfield?
The parson told him that he belonged to the oldest branch of the ancient and noble family of d’Urberville and that his family once owned all the land in the district.
What happened when the three brothers passed the field where the girls were dancing?
The youngest and most handsome of the brothers joined the dance with the girls, but Tess, one of the girls, stood a little apart from the others because she was still embarrassed about her father.
What kind of woman was Tess’ mother?
Joan was a woman who had once been quite pretty. She loved singing and gossiping. She was quite positive about life, even in the worst of times, and enjoyed sitting in the pub beside her husband.
Where did Tess and her brother go very early in the morning?
Tess and her brother went to the village to sell honey from their beehives.
Why did they have an accident? How did Tess feel afterward?
- Because the mail-cart man crashed into their wagon.
- Tess felt devastated after finding Prince, their horse, lying bleeding on the ground. She felt responsible for his death.
What suggestion did Tess’ mother make to her?
Joan suggested that Tess, due to her noble blood, should visit a wealthy woman who was probably a relation and might persuade her to help them.
Why couldn’t Tess see Mrs. d’Urberville when she went to the house?
Because Mrs. d’Urberville was old and blind.
Meeting Alec d’Urberville
Why was Tess nervous while she was talking to Alec d’Urberville?
Because Alec, in the greenhouses, put a large red strawberry in her mouth and began to fill her basket with roses. His actions made her uncomfortable.
What did Tess’ mother think about the letter from Mrs. d’Urberville?
Tess’ mother thought the letter from Mrs. d’Urberville was a way to recognize Tess as part of the family.
What did Alec do to Tess on the way to Trantridge?
Alec kissed Tess on the cheek against her will. She quickly took out a handkerchief and rubbed the place where he had kissed her. Then, he pointed out that Tess’ hat had blown off.
What was Tess’ job on the d’Urberville estate?
Tess’s job was to whistle to Mrs. d’Urberville’s birds every day.
Why did one of the girls start a quarrel with Tess? How did it end?
- Because the girl was jealous of the attention that Alec was giving to Tess.
- It ended with Tess seeing Alec ride away with the girl who had quarreled with her, along with several other women.
What happened after Alec returned to Tess in the Chase?
Tess was asleep under a tree. Alec lay down beside her and put his arms around her.
Did Alec love Tess? Explain your answer.
This is a complex question. While Alec claimed to love Tess and expressed remorse for his actions, his behavior was often manipulative and self-serving. He used his position of power to take advantage of her vulnerability. Whether his feelings were genuine love or simply infatuation and possessiveness is debatable.
Why did Tess leave the d’Urberville estate?
Tess left the d’Urberville estate because she was pregnant with Alec’s child and felt she could no longer stay there.
Life After Trantridge
Why did Tess return to work after the baby was born?
Because she needed to earn money for her family.
What did Tess do when she realized she couldn’t save the baby’s life? Why?
- Tess baptized her baby. She put her hand into the water and drew a large cross on the baby.
- Because Tess saw in her imagination the child in hell being tortured by the devil, so she wanted his soul to be with God.
What did Tess decide to do after the winter?
Tess decided to look for work away from Marlott, and she took a job as a dairymaid.
Meeting Angel Clare
Who did Tess meet at the Talbothays Dairy? Why was he working there?
- Tess met Angel Clare, the son of a parson, who was the young man who had stopped to dance with the girls in the field in Marlott.
- He was working there because he was learning to be a farmer.
Did Tess think she would make a good wife for Angel? Why/Why not?
- She didn’t think so.
- Because Tess thought the girls who shared the room with her would make a better wife than her, and they didn’t have the same unhappy past as she had.
Why did Angel carry Marian, Izz, and Retty across the road?
Because the church bell was already ringing, the road had been flooded by rain, and Angel saw them and went to help them so they wouldn’t arrive late.
What did Angel tell Tess one hot afternoon?
Angel told her to forgive him because he didn’t ask her first, but he truly loved her.
Did Angel’s family accept the possibility of Tess being his wife? Why/Why not?
Yes, they accepted the possibility because, for them, a good wife was a good Christian woman, and Tess was that.
Did Tess agree to marry Angel when he came back to the dairy? Why/Why not?
Tess didn’t agree to marry Angel at first because she felt she couldn’t marry anyone. Tess was still thinking about Alec d’Urberville and the night in the Chase. She was afraid the same thing would happen again.
Marriage and Confession
What happened when Tess decided to tell Angel the truth about herself?
She lost the courage to tell Angel the truth.
What did Tess think might be a sign of bad luck?
A bad omen or somebody near her father.
What did Tess’ mother advise her in her letter?
She must never tell her future husband about what happened in her past.
Why did Tess write a letter to Angel on their wedding night?
Because two men knew Tess had already had an affair, and they began to say cruel things about her. She overheard the men’s comments and wanted to write a letter to Angel before somebody else told him.
Did Angel read the letter? Why/Why not?
Angel didn’t read the letter because Tess had pushed it under the carpet by mistake, and he couldn’t see it.
What was Angel’s reaction to Tess’ story? Why?
He was disappointed and felt he was in love with a different woman because he thought Tess was a pure, simple girl, and now she wasn’t that to him.
What did Angel do during the night?
Angel came to the bed where Tess was sleeping, picked her up in his arms, carried her downstairs and out into the night. He was sleepwalking and thought Tess had died; so Angel carried her along a road and over a wooden bridge towards an old church. He laid her down on an old stone tomb in the churchyard and then lay down on the ground next to her.
When Tess and Angel separated, what did Angel forbid Tess to do? What did he allow her to do?
- Angel forbade Tess from trying to come to him.
- He allowed her to write to him.
Tess’ Struggles and Alec’s Return
Why did Tess decide to leave Marlott again?
Because she was hurt by her father’s words when her father said that people would laugh at them again because of the story of her marriage.
Why didn’t Izz go with Angel to Brazil?
Because Izz knew she couldn’t love him more than Tess did.
Where did Tess go in the winter? What kind of place was it?
- She went to work on a farm at Flintcomb-Ash.
- The ground was full of stones, and the work was hard. There wasn’t a tree or a green pasture anywhere in sight. The place was bleak and bare.
Why didn’t Tess write to Angel?
Because there were too many things she didn’t understand, and she first decided to visit Angel’s family.
How did Alec d’Urberville react when he saw Tess while he was preaching?
His voice began to shake, and he looked down in confusion.
Why did Tess get the most exhausting job the day that Alec arrived?
Because that day, Alec was talking with the farmer; this way, he would be able to better persuade her to go with him.
Why did Tess allow Alec to talk her home?
Because Alec had enough money and also wanted to help her family.
Desperate Measures and Tragic End
Who did Tess write a letter to? Why?
Tess wrote a letter to Angel because she needed his help. She was afraid; she still loved him and wanted Angel to come to her or let her come to him.
Why did Tess go back to Marlott?
Because Tess’ sister told her that their parents were both ill and they didn’t know what to do. Tess understood that her family was having problems, and she went to Marlott.
Why did Tess’ family have to leave the cottage where they lived?
Because her father had died, and the Durbeyfields’ landlord said the family had to leave the cottage.
What did Alec tell Tess when they met in the church?
Alec told Tess that he was going to help her and that he would convince her mother.
What did Angel do after he received the letter from Tess’ friends?
He went to look for her. Angel hurried to the farm at Flintcomb-Ash, but Tess wasn’t there; after, he went to the Durbeyfields’ old cottage in Marlott, but she wasn’t there either. Finally, in Shaston, Angel was able to speak with Joan.
Did Tess want to see Angel when he arrived in Sandbourne? Why/Why not?
Tess didn’t want to see Angel because she felt it was too late now.
Why did Tess kill Alec?
Because she heard him crying and he said cruel things about Angel. She couldn’t stand it and killed him.
Where did Tess and Angel stay for a few days? Why did they leave?
- They stayed in an empty house in a wood.
- Because they were afraid someone would see them.
What happened early in the morning at Stonehenge?
Angel saw policemen walking towards them around the stones, but Angel said they wouldn’t approach them until Tess woke up, and they stood quietly while they waited.
Final Thoughts and Personal Opinion
Who were the two people walking away from Winchester?
The two people were Angel and Tess’ sister, Liza-Lu.
How did they feel?
They stood with their heads lowered, and neither of them spoke. They were sad.
Personal Opinion: I liked the book because it wasn’t difficult to read, and the vocabulary was very useful and helpful. I disliked the end because Angel didn’t end up with Tess. The book was a bit boring in the first chapters, but when Alec started to be cruel, the book became more enjoyable and exciting, so Alec d’Urberville was the most interesting character for me. I liked Tess too, but I felt sorry for her because she was a woman who worked very hard, and Alec was unfair to her.
Angel seemed like a very good character at first. He gave the image of a perfect man; for example, Izz, Retty, and Marian loved him. They hardly spoke in the book, but they helped Angel find Tess and were very kind to Tess.
I disliked Tess’ parents because they didn’t understand Tess and her marriage. Overall, the book is interesting, but the story feels very realistic; it portrays poverty, hard work, and the tragic, unsuccessful love between two people that ends in revenge.
I think I learned a lot from the book, and for this reason, I recommend reading it.