Tess of the d’Urbervilles · Chapter
XLIX explained
Angel Clare, now in Brazil, is consumed by remorse over his harsh treatment of Tess, recalling Izz Huett's words and Tess's devotion.
What happens
Angel Clare, now in Brazil, is consumed by remorse over his harsh treatment of Tess, recalling Izz Huett's words and Tess's devotion. He reconsiders her d'Urberville ancestry and feels love rekindled. Meanwhile, Tess's letter to him is forwarded via his parents, who discuss their son's marriage with regret. In England, Tess, still at Flintcomb-Ash, practices old ballads in hopes of pleasing Angel. Her sister Liza-Lu arrives with news that their mother is dying, prompting Tess to leave immediately for home.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Marriage
Angel's remorse and rekindled love for Tess contrast with the harshness of their separation, highlighting the complexities of marital bonds.
The Past and Ancestry
Angel reconsiders the imaginative value of Tess's d'Urberville lineage, seeing it as a source of dignity rather than a spent force.
Suffering and Resilience
Tess endures emotional pain while practicing ballads and facing her mother's illness, demonstrating resilience in the face of hardship.
Characters to notice
- Angel Clare
In Brazil, Angel is filled with remorse for his harshness toward Tess, reconsiders her d'Urberville ancestry, and feels love rekindled.
- Tess Durbeyfield
Tess writes a letter to Angel, practices old ballads hoping to please him, and decides to return home after learning her mother is dying.
- Izz Huett
Angel recalls Izz's words about Tess's devotion, which contribute to his remorse.
- Liza-Lu
Liza-Lu arrives at Tess's lodging, exhausted, to inform Tess that their mother is dying.
- Old Mr. Clare
Old Mr. Clare reads Tess's letter and decides to forward it to Angel, reflecting on his son's marriage.
- Mrs. Clare
Mrs. Clare expresses regret over Angel's education and marriage, and worries about his safety.
Key passages
“Thus from being her critic he grew to be her advocate.”
Angel shifted from judging Tess to defending her in his own mind.
Reflects Angel's change of heart and growing remorse.
“It would have melted the heart of a stone to hear her singing these ditties whenever she worked apart from the rest of the girls in this cold dry time; the tears running down her cheeks all the while at the thought that perhaps he would not, after all, come to hear her.”
Tess's tearful singing of old ballads while working alone would have moved even the hardest heart, as she feared Angel might never return to hear her.
Highlights Tess's emotional state and longing for Angel.
“Mother is took very bad, and the doctor says she's dying, and as father is not very well neither, and says 'tis wrong for a man of such a high family as his to slave and drave at common labouring work, we don't know what to do.”
Liza-Lu reports that their mother is gravely ill and their father refuses to work due to his pride in his ancestry.
Brings news of family crisis that prompts Tess to return home.