What situation led Tess to murder Alec
Tess of the d'Urbervilles is a notable literary work by Thomas Hardy. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
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What situation led Tess to murder Alec? [NU: 2016, 20] ★★★
In Hardy’s (1840-1928) novel “Tess of the d’Urbervilles” (1891), Alec is the man who ruins Tess’s life. At the end of the novel, Tess murders Alec. She kills him not because she is cruel, but because she is broken and desperate. Many painful events led her to take this step.
Alec’s Return: Alec is the villain in the novel. At the beginning of the story, he rapes Tess and ruins her whole life. When Angel learns Tess’s past after their marriage, he treats her unfairly. He leaves her and goes to Brazil. However, Alec returns again in Tess’s life to make her suffer more. Tess becomes very poor, and her family is homeless. Alec takes advantage of this situation. He offers her money and support, but wants to make her his mistress. To save her starving family, Tess agrees to live with Alec. But this is against her heart. She still loves her husband, Angel. But she sacrifices her happiness for her family.
Angel Returns Too Late: After a long time, Angel comes back to Tess. He realizes he was wrong to leave her. When he finds Tess, she is already living with Alec. Tess becomes very sad. She says to Angel:
“I waited and waited for you… but you did not come.”
Tess feels very angry that Alec has destroyed her last chance to be happy, to return to Angel.
Tess Kills Alec: Tess finally kills Alec because of her sadness and love for Angel. She stabs him in the heart. She does this so she can be free to return to Angel.
In conclusion, Tess murders Alec because she feels hopeless and helpless. Alec is the main reason for all her pain. Tess kills him not for revenge. But because she wants to be free and return to love, even if only for a short time.