How is Tess wronged? To what extent does she evoke your sympathy? Is her execution a triumph or defeat of justice?

In Hardy’s novel ‘Tess of the d'Urbervilles’, Tess, a pure-woman is made to suffer terribly. From the beginning to the end she suffers innumerable miseries. No doubt she has fallen but she should not be blamed for it. She falls a victim to the evil designs of Alice.

Tess goes to Trantridge realizing her responsibility and works as a farm-keeper. Alec comes to take her from her home to Trantridge.

On the way he kisses her against her will. After someday he pitilessly seduces her. After four months she returns home. In due course she gives birth to a baby. This is her only sin but she cannot be blamed for it. She falls a helpless victim to her circumstances. What can a helpless woman do against the evil designs of a reckless youth?

Tess again started to earn her livelihood. In Var vale, at Talbothays she obtained a job as a dairy maid. Here she fell in love with Angel. When Angel could no longer resist himself, he proposed to Tess but she did not accept his proposal. She always put him off with the excuse that she was not fit for him. Her past would always linger before her eyes. She wants to disclose to Angel about her dark past. At the wedding night inspired the story of Angel that he was once involved with a woman senior to him in age, she confessed her faults. Hearing this, Angel, though she loved her, deserted her and moves to Brazil. The little amount given by Angel was soon finished and Tess was again exposed to starvation.

Suddenly her father died. By nature Alec is devious, hypocritical and malicious. He wants to possess her. Hearing about the death of her father, Alec came with his mourning face. Alec had been helping her family and repeating his indecent proposal. She writes to Angel again and again to return soon or something terrible would happen but gets no reply. Her sincerity and devotedness to Angel is clear from what she writes to him- “I would be content and glad to live with you as your servant, if I may not as your wife; so that I could only be near you and get glimpses of you and think of you as mine”.

Though Tess refused his proposal she did not have any other choice but to go with Alec. She fell into Alec’s trap. Tess reluctantly went with Alec. She fell into his grip. On the other hand when Angel understood that he has done injustice with his wife, he returned to his home to seek happiness in arms of his wife. He started his search for his deserted wife. After meeting Angel, Tess wept and began to approach Alec for once more deceiving her. 

In order to escape from his grip, she kills Alec. The next moment Tess was in the arms of Angel. They were walking clung to each other. Tess fell asleep from exhaustion. In the morning Tess was captured by law enforced. Tess was sentenced to death. Finally she was executed.

Our sympathy for Tess is in full measure. Whenever beget the life of Tess, our heart starts shedding tears. In her whole life she does not get glimpses of happiness for a single moment. Whole life she goes through hard trials, abject tribulations, intense difficulties, terrible ordeals, agonizing experiences, bitter sufferings. She lives with traumatizing experiences. At first when the only earning source, prince, the horse died, starvation becomes their playmate. She then meets Alec, a devil in human form. He starts playing ducks and drakes with her life for his own pleasure. He snatches her chastity by force. After this devastation, Angel comes in her life like an Angel. The most cruel treatment is meted out to her by Angel. Hearing her dark past he leaves Tess. Hearing about the death of her father Alec again appears with his indelicate  proposal. She is again in his grip. Only in order to escape from the living hell designed by Alec she stabs him to death. At the very moment when she feels that happiness has come to her life at last, the invisible hands of fate draws her to her tragic end. She is captured by law enforced and in the long run, she is executed. The woman fails to get any consolation in her life. No one but death shows mercy to her.

Tess is a pure woman, she is innocent, goodness personified, has an angelic nature, suffused with heavenly grace, she is an epitome of niceness and gifted with every virtue of the finest womanhood. The execution of Tess is not a triumph of justice. Alec is an evil man. Tess’s life is devastated because of him. And again he comes to scatter the ashes of her life in the open air. Tess becomes vulnerable to the wily designs of Alec. She wants to escape from him. She does not have any other choice but to kill him. And she does so. Every woman would do so in her circumstances. So her execution is a defeat of justice.

Hardy’s pure woman, Tess is a pure woman indeed. It is said that ‘Tess of the d'Urberbilles’ is a love letter from Hardy to Tess, who will not fall in love with an angelic woman like Tess. Even though she has been executed injustice has been done to Tess. We all know that she is a symbol of innocence.