# XXXI explained — Tess of the d’Urbervilles

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

## What happens

Tess and Angel Clare enjoy a blissful autumn romance, wandering the meads together. Tess writes to her mother about whether to confess her past, but Joan Durbeyfield advises her to keep silent. Tess decides to follow her mother's counsel, and she experiences a period of ecstatic love, idealizing Angel as a perfect being. Meanwhile, the other dairy maids—Marian, Izz Huett, and Retty Priddle—express their lingering love for Angel but accept Tess as his choice, causing Tess to feel guilt and resolve to tell Angel her history despite her mother's command.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Marriage

Tess and Angel's romantic courtship and engagement highlight the idealization of love, while Tess's internal conflict about confessing her past underscores the societal pressures on marriage.

### Female Purity and Double Standards

Joan Durbeyfield's letter advises Tess to hide her 'bygone trouble,' reflecting the double standard that women must conceal past sexual experiences to be deemed worthy of marriage.

### Suffering and Resilience

Tess's emotional turmoil, guilt, and tears over her past and her decision to keep silent demonstrate her resilience in the face of societal and personal suffering.

## Character check-ins

### Tess Durbeyfield

Falls deeply in love with Angel Clare, idealizes him, and struggles with the decision to confess her past after her mother advises silence.

### Angel Clare

Courts Tess openly, shows a spiritual and chivalrous love, and plans to marry her despite her social status.

### Joan Durbeyfield

Writes a letter advising Tess to keep her past a secret, viewing it as a minor accident.

### Marian

One of the dairy maids who loved Angel; she accepts Tess as his choice and comforts her.

### Izz Huett

Another dairy maid who loved Angel; she expresses her feelings and cannot hate Tess.

### Retty Priddle

A dairy maid who loved Angel; she admits she wants to hate Tess but cannot.

## Key lines

> She dismissed the past—trod upon it and put it out, as one treads on a coal that is smouldering and dangerous.

Tess tried to forget her past, suppressing it like stepping on a smoldering ember to prevent it from reigniting.

_Illustrates Tess's attempt to bury her traumatic history with Alec as she embraces her love for Angel._

> O mother, mother! ... Silence seemed, on the face of it, best for her adored one's happiness: silence it should be.

Tess reluctantly decides to follow her mother's advice to keep her past a secret, believing it will protect Angel's happiness.

_Shows Tess's internal conflict and her choice to prioritize Angel's feelings over honesty._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/xxxi
- 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