# LII explained — Tess of the d’Urbervilles

> Chapter companion for Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy.

## What happens

The Durbeyfield family moves from Marlott to Kingsbere, the ancestral home of the d'Urbervilles, only to find no lodging available. They are forced to camp in the churchyard, where Tess encounters Alec d'Urberville again. The chapter highlights the family's poverty and the decay of their noble lineage.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Class and Inequality

The Durbeyfields' poverty and homelessness starkly contrast with the decayed grandeur of their ancestral home, highlighting the fall from nobility to destitution.

### The Past and Ancestry

The family's move to Kingsbere and their camping in the d'Urberville Aisle emphasize the weight of ancestry and the ruins of their noble lineage.

### Fate and Inevitability

Tess's encounter with Alec in the churchyard and the family's failed search for shelter suggest a relentless, tragic fate.

## Character check-ins

### Tess Durbeyfield

Tess helps her mother move the family to Kingsbere, feeling listless and overwhelmed by their situation. She later encounters Alec d'Urberville in the church.

### Joan Durbeyfield

Joan leads the family's move, determined to camp in the d'Urberville Aisle, and expresses bitterness about Tess's marriage.

### Alec d'Urberville

Alec finds the Durbeyfields in Kingsbere, confronts Tess in the church, and offers to help them find shelter.

### Liza-Lu

Liza-Lu accompanies her mother and brother to search for lodging in Kingsbere.

### Abraham Durbeyfield

Abraham is one of the younger children traveling with the family to Kingsbere.

### Marian

Marian meets Tess during the move, tells her that Alec had been asking about her at Flintcomb-Ash.

## Key lines

> Isn't your family vault your own freehold?

Isn't the family tomb your own property?

_Joan suggests they camp in the d'Urberville vault as a last resort._

> O, Tess, what's the use of your playing at marrying gentlemen, if it leaves us like this!

What good is your pretending to marry a gentleman if it ends with us in this situation?

_Joan bitterly criticizes Tess's marriage to Angel Clare._

> A family gathering, is it not, with these old fellows under us here?

It's a family reunion, isn't it, with these ancestors beneath us?

_Alec mockingly refers to the d'Urberville tombs as they stand in the church._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/lii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters