Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles is the tragic tale of a woman who suffers many hardships and injustices, only to meet an untimely end. Indeed, Tess is a victim of external forces throughout the novel, but she is not the only character that is forced to move by outside circumstances. In fact, Hardy infuses the entire novel with a sense of inescapable destiny, as his characters are often driven to act for reasons that they themselves have not chosen. It is the line between choice and compulsion that Hardy is most interested in, and Tess, along with several other characters in the novel, represents this struggle. Thus, in Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Hardy explores the concept of fate verses free will, as he demonstrates the way in which fate plays a role in every event that takes place.
The central character of Hardy's novel, Tess Durbeyfield is an intelligent and sensitive young woman. She is considered to be the most beautiful of all the women in the village of Marlott, as Hardy describes:
She was a fine and handsome girl -- not handsomer than some others, possibly -- but her mobile peony mouth and large innocent eyes added eloquence to colour and shape. She wore a red ribbon in her hair and was the only one of the white company who could boast of such a pronounced adornment. (Hardy 9)
Indeed, Tess is immediately singled out as being unique, and the reader sees that she is often the center of attention. Later in the novel, she becomes the object of two men's affections, both Alec d'Urberville and Angel Clare, as Hardy reinforces the image of Tess as a desirable young woman. It is this quality in Tess that seems to make her vulnerable to the external forces (Langbaum 43).
Certainly Tess is the best example of fate's control within the novel, as so many of the events in her life are forced upon her. She is raised in an environment that fosters a belief in a kind of predetermination, ...