Explore the role of nature Essay

In the scratch three opening sections of Tess of the DUrbervilles, reputation plays many a substantial role. It acts as a storytelling device, helping the plot of the story to move and sustain it acts as a mirror for Tess feelings and the feelings of others it adds atmosphere to the plot itself. Most importantly, it plays a major role in Tess wellbeing, but this role is often scotch by the actions of man and the actions of mans Church the two ar often in conflict, and these sections often explore this. We first see Tess pickings part in an activity, clubwalking, with many of her friends and adjoin neighbours.All the people taking part are women, and it is a very simple activity it is exactly them and the surrounding disposition. This suggests that they share a harmony with their surroundings, and besides that it is very f conduct(prenominal) and pure, much standardised Tess at the beginning of the novel. As Tess emerges from this, we associate temper with her almost im mediately. Angel also appears from this setting, with his two brothers, and he seems much attached with temperament than he does with their faith. His brothers seem uptight and stuffy dancing with a troop of country hoydens being an indicant of this whilst he seems more raffish and willing to interact.In this way, Tess and Angel are instantly connected for the reader, and nature appears to shelter and nurture them. However, Angel chooses another girl to dance with, marring the friendship and implying that there is more to the situation perhaps they are not so perfect. It implys that where nature creates a situation, man can often disrupt it, by dint of their actions and religion. It and so acts as a device for dramatic irony and foreshadows march on events in the book. The death of the family horse, one of the more important contributors to Tess decision to give-up the ghost for the dUrbervilles, is coifd by both nature and man.Tess falls asleep during her trail t wit, and nature fails to keep her awake. It could be argued that it was enticing her to go to sleep, and thus was a main conspirator against her. However, a man kills her horse (the morning mailcart had control into her slow and unlighted equipage). The death of her horse is a conclave of the two, and it seems as though nature is work oning(a) with man to contribute to her ruin, although it whitethorn also be looked on as nature trying to protect her and, again, man disrupting it the two forces work against each other.Tess family had already raised the supposition of her going to work for an old family (although Tess was against this when her younger brother questioned her on it she disclose surface never mind that now ) but this new cipher makes Tess think that she is responsible and must therefore help her family in their m of need. She has no choice in the matter nature and fate, it seems has decided it for her she had hoped to drive a teacher at the school, but the fates seemed to decide otherwise. It suggests that nature has work out its own path for Tess. Due to the death of the horse, and at the judgement of her family, Tess leaves for Trantridge. She plans to gain work from the DUrbervilles that live there. As readers, we are sensible that they are not real DUrbervilles like Tess and her family the father in the family, Simon Stoke, bought the name once he had made his money from being a merchant, in order to appear more grand to the rest of ordination they are not natural DUrbervilles, and Tess has been tricked.This is an example of man intrusive with nature nature did not give them that name and they are therefore imposters. Trantridge itself, the house where the Stoke-DUrbevilles like, seems out of place with the surrounding nature it is exposit as of recent erection of the full red colour that formed much(prenominal)(prenominal) a contrast with the evergreens . It is far more modern and different from its surrounding and the refore appears almost sinister Nature did not intend for it to be there.Tess is assigned to work on the fancy farm belonging to the DUrbervilles. This small poultry farm seems unnecessary and frivolous, and is not needed in natures scheme it is merely the whim of man, much as Tess is for Alec in the novel. In this way, nature and its parts act as a mimic for the story. When Alec DUrberville first meets Tess, he immediately begins to seduce her. He feeds her strawberries one of natures most seductive fruits, due to its rich red colour and is riveted by the form that nature has given her.In this way, nature unwittingly works against Tess by making her appear more of a woman than she already was, it has caused Alec to be immensely attracted to her. However, during the cart ride from her family home to his, when he has attempted to kiss her and she has dismounted under the pretences of saving her hat, he tries to use nature against her by hemming her in with his cart against the fen ce. She, however, uses nature to keep on her and talks to him from the top of the hedge into which she had scrambled nature assists her here.Just out front Tess rape, the descriptions of wood are dark and unforgiving, with webs of vapour forming veils against the trees. Nature shows its darker side, and indicates what is about to happen. What happens to Tess, however, is a vital part of Nature perhaps nature assumes it is helping her in this way. It could be argued that nature here is working against Tess to set the next events in motion, or that nature is giving her a form of gift devolve on and pregnancy is widely regarded as natures highest privelege.Human religion and attitudes, however, view it as a sin. The Church is in conflict with natures ideas here that these acts are a vital part of lifetime and therefore later outcasts Tess the slogans painted on the fences around Marlott such as the beginning of thou shalt not commit adultery emphasise this in our minds. Alecs a ttitude towards Tess after, when she leaves, suggest that he feels that it was Tess fault, for being so resplendent and irresistible to him in reality, that is the fault of nature.Once she has left Alecs house, Tess feels she has notice the true meaning of nature to her the serpent hisses where the sweet bird sings. This phallic imagery shares a link to Troys sword in Far From the Madding Crowd, another popular book by Thomas tough for them both, nature leads them to men, men lead to their heartaches. To Tess, nature has exposed its dark underbelly and she feels robbed of natural beauty what has happened to her, however, is a natural act, but in the eyeball of man and the church, it is an unforgivable sin.This is empahasised in She had been made to break an accepted friendly law, but no law known to the environmet in which she fancied herself such an anomaly. When we meet Tess again, after a period of time has passed, we see her working in the local handle. The women worki ng are described as assimilated with the fields nature wishes to protect them. However, when Tess works, she bleeds from the stubble on the corn nature appears to be punishing her, or she punishes herself by working herself too hard. It is then revealed that Tess has a newborn baby, which is widely regarded as the greatest gift Nature offers.For Tess, and for man, however, this separates her from them she has sinned in their eyes she still cannot resist pull of motherhood though, and her feelings for her baby are mixed and confused. Once she has decided she loves her child, nature takes it back when it dies from illness. The Church adds hapless for Tess when they refuse to bury it on concecrated ground nature and the Church work together to upset Tess. Nature, at least, takes it from its suffering that it would apply faced from earth the baby would never have been properly accepted.When Tess goes to work in Richard haystacks dairy, we see the idyllic side of nature once more. Here, nature mirrors Tess feelings and attitude there is a change in the quality of air from heavy to light, and we feel that the nature in the Valley of heavy(p) Dairies is far lighter and carefree for Tess it will become her salvation for a time being, as nobody knows of her past here. She feels a connection with nature, and we have a sense that Tess is natures child she belongs to it far more than she does to mans Church.Nature saves her from herself, and the hard work with nature grants her peace. It also serves as an escape from Church, and has granted her this opportunity either as an apology or to set her up for more heartache. At the dairy, she is reunited with Angel Clare, a figure we havent seen since the opening chapters of the book. His description as a figure go up out of the past and a mobility of mouth with an minutely unfluctuating close of the lower lip gives us an idea of his nature nature has given him a look with compliments his personality.His mouth giv es an indication that, although he is open to ideas, he can be unexpectedly firm in his ideals, a slightly chilling prediction of the events to come. Tess mouth, by contrast, is described firstly as a mobile peony mouth like her, it is full and beautiful, and also everchanging. Nature presents Tess to Angel as a wise(p) and virginal daughter of Nature -although her past contradicts this ideal, Angel regards her image as perfect in every way. Nature could be seen as tricking him or trying to make amends and improve Tess life.However, with the latter, the Church seems to oppose these ideas, and this is the cause of her heartache mans inability to work with nature. In the coquette of Angel Clare and Tess, nature tries to help them come together, with romantic settings such as a violet and pink dawn. There is the incident with the cover tasting like garlic, forcing Angel and Tess to work together on the mead, and the cover not churning properly (which, according to the dairyman, ha ppens only when love is touch on it, although the story he tells is far more similar to that of Tess and Alec than that of Tess and Angel.)There is, too, the rising rain before church that seems to force them to come together, and although Angel has to defend Three Leahs to get one Rachel, he feels as though the outpouring was worth it for a moment with Tess. However, when they finally embrace while Tess is milking, the dismay reacts unfavourably perhaps nature has realised what the consequences of its actions may be and is therefore trying to stop the romance. In this way, nature still tries to look out for Tess it is very much a mother figure to her.