Tess of the d’Urbervilles · Chapter
XXI explained
The chapter opens with a crisis at the dairy when the butter refuses to come in the churn.
What happens
The chapter opens with a crisis at the dairy when the butter refuses to come in the churn. Dairyman Crick and the others discuss local conjurors and superstitions, and Mrs. Crick suggests that someone in the house being in love might be the cause. Crick then tells a story about Jack Dollop, a former milker who seduced a young woman and was forced by her mother to make amends by being turned in the churn. The story deeply distresses Tess, who sees in it a painful parallel to her own experience with Alec. Later that night, Tess overhears Marian, Izz Huett, and Retty Priddle confessing their love for Angel Clare and acknowledging that he prefers Tess. Tess wrestles with the moral dilemma of whether she should allow herself to enjoy Angel's attention, knowing she can never marry him due to her past.
Themes in this chapter
Female Purity and Double Standards
Tess's reaction to the dairyman's story about Jack Dollop highlights the double standard that condemns women for sexual transgressions while men often escape without consequence. Tess sees her own experience mirrored in the tale.
Love and Marriage
The milkmaids' confessions of love for Angel Clare and their discussion of marriage prospects underscore the theme of unequal attachments and the practical considerations of marriage in a rural, class-conscious society.
Suffering and Resilience
Tess endures the emotional pain of hearing the dairyman's story and the conversation about Angel, yet she continues to work and maintain her composure, demonstrating her resilience.
Characters to notice
- Tess Durbeyfield
Tess is deeply affected by the dairyman's story about Jack Dollop, which reminds her of her own seduction by Alec. She later overhears the other milkmaids discussing their love for Angel Clare and struggles with her conscience about whether to encourage his attention.
- Angel Clare
Angel is the object of affection for Tess and the other milkmaids. He is present during the butter-churning crisis and is later watched from the window by Marian, Izz, and Retty.
- Marian
Marian is one of the milkmaids who openly admits her love for Angel Clare. She is the eldest and most outspoken of the three, and she observes that Angel prefers Tess.
- Izz Huett
Izz is a pale, dark-haired milkmaid who confesses to kissing the shadow of Angel's mouth on the wall. She is in love with Angel but acknowledges that Tess is his favorite.
- Retty Priddle
Retty is the youngest and auburn-haired milkmaid. She cries herself to sleep after the conversation about Angel, and she is the last bud of the Paridelles, a family important in county annals.
- Dairyman Crick
Dairyman Crick is frustrated by the butter not coming and tells the story of Jack Dollop to explain the phenomenon. He shows concern for Tess when she feels faint.
Key passages
“But the grave question was, ought she to do this? There was, to be sure, hardly a ghost of a chance for either of them, in a serious sense; but there was, or had been, a chance of one or the other inspiring him with a passing fancy for her, and enjoying the pleasure of his attentions while he stayed here.”
Tess wondered if she should allow herself to enjoy Angel's attention, knowing that none of the milkmaids had a serious chance with him, but that one might still attract his temporary interest.
Tess's internal conflict about whether to pursue a relationship with Angel despite her past.
“The evening sun was now ugly to her, like a great inflamed wound in the sky. Only a solitary cracked-voice reed-sparrow greeted her from the bushes by the river, in a sad, machine-made tone, resembling that of a past friend whose friendship she had outworn.”
The beauty of the evening seemed grotesque to Tess, and the bird's song sounded mechanical and mournful, like a friendship that had faded.
Tess's depression after the dairyman's story colors her perception of the natural world.
