Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Summary and Analysis
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 her 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 handsomest 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 at the worst of times, and she was often to be found 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 get money from the beehives to take to the village.
Why did they have an accident? How did Tess feel afterwards?
– Because the mail-cart man had crashed into their wagon.
– Tess felt that Prince was lying bleeding on the ground and she was very upset afterwards, because his horse had killed him.
What suggestion did Tess’ mother make to her? Joan’s suggestion was that, because of her noble blood, a rich woman was probably a relation and Tess 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.
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 he began to fill her basket with roses.
What did Tess’ mother think about the letter from Mrs d’Urberville? Tess’ mother thought about the letter from Mrs d’Urberville, the form 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, when she didn’t want him to. She quickly took out a handkerchief and rubbed the place where he had kissed her. Then, he noticed Tess’ hat blew off.
What was Tess’ job on the d’Urberville estate? Tess’s job was to whistle to the birds of Mrs d’Urberville 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 all ended with Tess riding away with Alec, while several of the other women watched. He rode with the girl and meanwhile, Tess was seeing them.
What happened after Alec returned to Tess in the Chase? Tess was asleep in a tree. Alec lies down beside her and put his arms around her.
Did Alec love Tess? Explain your answer.
Yes, he loved her, because he was sorry for all the damage that he had done to her, and wanted to compensate her for whatever she needed. When he kissed her, he felt real emotion and told her that she was the prettiest girl in the district. For this reason, Alec demonstrated that he loved her.
Why did Tess leave the d’Urberville estate? Because Alec left her.
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 that his soul was with God to the last.
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.
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.
– 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 didn’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 really does love 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 to be a good Christian woman, so 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, because she couldn’t marry anyone. Tess still thinks about Alec d’Urberville and the night in the Chase. She is afraid that the same thing will happen again.
What happened when Tess decided to tell Angel the truth about herself?
She had lost the courage to tell Angel the truth.
What did Tess think might be a sign of bad luck?
A bad person or somebody near to his father.
What did Tess’ mother advise her in her letter? She must never tell her future husband about what happened in her past.
Because two men knew Tess had already had an affair, when they began to say she was lovely. She heard the men’s comment and wanted to write a letter to Angel before somebody 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 was in love with a different woman, because he thought Tess was a pure, simple girl and now she wasn’t for him.
What did Angel do during the night? Angel came to Tess’ bed, 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 he laid 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 to try to come to him.
– He allowed her to write to him.
Why did Tess decide to leave Marlott again? Because she was hurt by her father’s words, when her father said what the people would laugh at them again by the story of her marriage.
Why didn’t Izz go with Angel to Brazil? Because Izz couldn’t love him more than Tess does.
Where did Tess go in the winter? What kind of place was it?
– She went to work on a farm at Flintcombe-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 kind of place was bleak and bare.
Why didn’t Tess write to Angel? Because there were too many things she did not 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.
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 in the family there were 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 to the family that they 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 he’d 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 Flintcombe-Ash, but Tess wasn’t there; after that he went to the Durbeyfields’ old cottage in Marlott, but nothing. Finally in Shaston, Angel could talk with Joan.
Did Tess want to see Angel when he arrived in Sandbourne? Why? / Why not?
Tess didn’t want to see Angel, because it was too late now.
Why did Tess kill Alec? Because he heard her 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 some people would see them.
What happened early in the morning at Stonehenge? Angel saw policemen walking towards them around the stones, but Angel told them not to approach her until she woke up and they quietly stood while she slept.
Who were the two people walking away from Wintoncester? 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 like the book because it hasn’t been difficult to read and the vocabulary has been very useful and it helps too. I disliked the end because Angel didn’t end up with Tess. The book was boring in the first chapters but when Alec started to be bad the book was more enjoyable and exciting, so Alec d’Urberville has been the better character for me. I like Tess too, but she has given me pity because she was a woman and worked very hard, and Alec was unfair to her.
Angel has been a very good character. He gave the image of a perfect man, for example: Izz, Rita and Marian loved him; they hardly spoke in the book but they helped Angel to find Tess and were very patient with Tess, so for me too.
I disliked the parents of Tess because they didn’t understand Tess in her marriage. Finally the book is interesting but their stories don’t seem very authentic; it tells the poverty, the hard work and the real love unsuccessful between two persons finished for the revenge.
I think that I have learned from the book and with this reason, I recommend to read it.