Tess of the d’Urbervilles · Chapter
Phase the Second: Maiden No More explained
Tess, now living in seclusion after her traumatic encounter with Alec, struggles with the social and emotional consequences of her lost purity.
What happens
Tess, now living in seclusion after her traumatic encounter with Alec, struggles with the social and emotional consequences of her lost purity. She gives birth to a child who dies in infancy, and she endures the judgment of her community while seeking resilience through labor and isolation.
Themes in this chapter
Female Purity and Double Standards
Tess is branded as 'maiden no more' and suffers social ostracism for a transgression that was largely forced upon her, highlighting the era's hypocritical treatment of women.
Suffering and Resilience
Tess endures the loss of her child, public shame, and emotional isolation, yet continues to work and survive, demonstrating her inner strength.
Characters to notice
- Tess Durbeyfield
Tess is the central figure of this phase, grappling with the aftermath of Alec's seduction, the birth and death of her child, and the weight of societal shame.
- Alec d'Urberville
Alec is the catalyst for Tess's suffering, having seduced her in the previous phase; his actions define her current plight.
- Joan Durbeyfield
Joan is Tess's mother, who shows concern but also a pragmatic, sometimes insensitive, attitude toward Tess's situation.
- Jack Durbeyfield
Jack is Tess's father, whose drunkenness and preoccupation with family ancestry contribute to the family's instability.
- Liza-Lu
Liza-Lu is Tess's younger sister, who provides a contrast to Tess's experience and represents innocence.
Key passages
“She had been made to break an accepted social law, but no law known to the environment in which she fancied herself such an anomaly had been broken.”
Tess had violated a social rule, but in the natural world around her, no such rule existed.
Highlights the conflict between societal judgment and natural innocence.
“The baby's eyes were closed, and the little face was peaceful. Tess looked at it, and then at the sky, and then at the earth.”
Tess gazed at her dead child's calm face, then looked up at the heavens and down at the ground, as if seeking meaning.
Captures Tess's moment of grief and existential reflection after her baby's death.