I recently finished reading Tess of the d'Urbervilles and to me the ending was very unexpected. I found this book to be interesting at first, but as I read more of the book, it became more interesting and exciting. Throughout the novel, Tess demonstrates her loyalty and her love for those she cares about by doing things that will benefit them instead of herself. After Tess leaves Alec's house, sess decides to go back to receive money for her family in order to help them out of poverty. Since she made this decision, her life suddenly takes a turn that changes her fate. Alec falls deeply in love with Tess, but she refuses to marry him because he acts controlling and violent towards her when he doesn't get his way. Her innocence is later taken away and she escapes Alec and decides to go back home. She becomes ashamed of her past and is forced to start a new life in order to hide her past. She falls in love with a man that she once saw at a dance in her village earlier in the novel. However, her past continuously haunts her and eventually leads to her making a decision that will lead to her downfall.
-Jamie N.
I haven't read this book but from what you've told me it sounds like a really unique book that would be good to read. It seems like Tess puts others before herself in the beginning of the book is that the same at the end?
ReplyDelete-Aimee E
In my opinion, Tess does put others before herself throughout the novel and in the end she decides to do something for herself in order to get what she truly wants. However, it sadly leads to her downfall.
Delete-Jamie N.
I watched the movie to help tie up loose ends that I didn't completely grasp in the novel and it helped portray the story in a different aspect that what I had. Overall, I thought this book was rather tragic with the ending...how did it make you feel when you put the book down? Tess fought so hard to overcome the past and all of the mistakes, and in the very end, none of it seemed to have benefitted her.
ReplyDelete-A. Pruett
After reading the novel, I was very disappointed that Tess could not reach the level of happiness she deserved. It was sad that she put others in front of her and received nothing back to compensate for what she lost.
Delete-Jamie N.
I agree with Aimee. Were there any situations throughout the story that changed her character?
ReplyDelete-Jonathan S.
I think that after Tess met Alec she had to recreate herself and hide certain things in order to push her past away, but she remained caring and loyal throughout the entire book.
Delete-Jamie N.
I love it when a dull book suddenly picks up the pace and becomes exciting. I read Kazuo Ishguro's "When We Were Orphans" for my twenty-first century novel and its plot does something similar. Did you find "Tess of the d'Urbervilles"'s plot twists exciting?
ReplyDelete-Collin G.
Yes, I found it very exciting. The plot's twist was something I would have never expected from a character like Tess and it encouraged me to keep on reading the book until the end.
Delete-Jamie N.