Week 7: Nature and Tess

Element of Nature and Tess:                                       

Nature has been the subject of poets, novelists and dramatists according to their minds. Wordsworth called nature a mother or friend. Shelly says that:

                        “if winter comes can spring be far behind”

Hardy was also deeply interested in nature but for him concept of nature is realistic rather than romantic. But concept of Wordsworth is declined in Hardy’s depiction of nature. Nature is not friendly here but cruel and fatal for Tess. Hardy got lesson of pessimism from nature. Nature does not have same holy plan for Tess in fact nature welcomes them in order to ruin Tess. In the novel nature have different shades or colors as we see at different places. Nature in Tess Hardy’s novel is living creature and cruel villain. For example when Tess first time accompanies Alec on horse there is darkness, quietness and coldness everywhere and it offer just destruction. It created a romantic atmosphere which awakes evil emotions of Alec. Tess is victim here and she was raped against her desire to do it so. Wordsworth says that:

                        “Birth is scheme of nature”  

Poor families have many children and that’s why Tess suffers for her family.

In Talbothays nature is romantic, friendly and pleasant. All elements of nature like fate, chance, and incident are all involved in her tragedy. For Hardy nature has always dark side not any positive side.