Tess of the d’Urbervilles · Chapter
XXXV explained
Tess confesses her past to Angel on their wedding night.
What happens
Tess confesses her past to Angel on their wedding night. Angel is horrified and cannot reconcile the woman he thought he married with the woman who now stands before him. He rejects her plea for forgiveness, stating that she is not the same person he loved. Tess is devastated, and Angel leaves the room, sleeping separately on a couch. The chapter ends with Angel reflecting on the change in his perception of Tess and the portrait of a d'Urberville ancestor that seems to mirror her.
Themes in this chapter
Female Purity and Double Standards
Angel's rejection of Tess despite her forgiveness of him highlights the Victorian double standard regarding sexual purity.
Love and Marriage
The chapter explores the fragility of love when confronted with societal expectations, as Angel's idealized love shatters upon learning Tess's history.
The Past and Ancestry
The portrait of the d'Urberville ancestor that resembles Tess reinforces the theme of the past haunting the present.
Characters to notice
- Tess Durbeyfield
Confesses her past to Angel, pleads for forgiveness, and is devastated by his rejection.
- Angel Clare
Reacts with horror and disbelief to Tess's confession, cannot reconcile her past with his idealized image of her, and leaves to sleep separately.
Key passages
“You were one person; now you are another. My God—how can forgiveness meet such a grotesque—prestidigitation as that!”
Angel tells Tess that she has become a different person in his eyes, and forgiveness cannot undo the shocking transformation.
Angel's inability to see Tess as the same woman he married reflects his rigid idealization.
“I have not been able to think what we can do.”
Angel admits he is paralyzed by the revelation and does not know how to proceed.
Shows Angel's emotional paralysis and inability to reconcile his love with societal norms.