The
hypocrisies surrounding virginity are tiresomely common to some of us,
especially to women like me who come from cultures that place inordinate
amounts of significance on being “good”, that even adjectives such as
“good”, “moral”, “pure” and “virtuous” are mindlessly linked to
something that’s laughably insignificant in the rich landscape of human
life. Tess of D’urbervilles is a classic story that heart-wrenchingly
picks apart the prejudices and cruelties that an honest and sincere, and
may I add, wholeheartedly pristine woman goes through on account of
losing her virginity due to unfortunate circumstances in a Victorian,
patriarchal society. As is still the case now in certain societies,
Virginity is only precious for women, that too women of a certain
section of society. Men have no such standards or expectations of
course, no matter their social class. Ostracized by her community, Tess
is constantly searching for acceptance, even forgiveness, to bury her
past and lead a better future. Wronged by one man, she nurtures hope for
another. But, even the idealists among men, the most educated,
progressive and cultured of them all can be hypocritical in their
personal lives. Abandoned again by the man she trusts and loves the
most, Tess wanders in a society that offers little consideration, even
protection, to women like Tess who have no “men” to safeguard their
dignity. Everybody knows this is a story that is doomed for tragedy.
However, the brilliant and beautiful writing and the wise discussions on
morality make this a worthy read.
This
is a story that is still relevant in so many parts of the world, and
that’s saddening. How cruel these societies can be in labelling victims
and pushing them further into tragic situations. Tess represents every
young girl in a poor family that’s struggling to put food on the table
and support her large family. She represents the strong-spirited,
beautiful girl who gets heedlessly exploited by men with power and money
and then repeatedly abandoned and shunned by hypocritical idiots who
don’t understand the basics of compassion or morality.
We
all know many such stories, and are painfully aware of many more
stories waiting to be born. And I’m not going to offer any new insights
on the subject. People need to crack open their minds and begin
questioning the convoluted dictates stemming out of an outdated
patchwork of religion, tradition, and culture. There is a scene in the
book where Tess feels her pregnant belly and is genuinely amazed and
happy at the prospect of new life. She then quickly catches herself and
wonders why she does not feel guilt or sorrow at that moment, why she
has to remind herself to feel guilty, why deep down her natural
instincts don’t find anything morally wrong with her state, and how she
can’t understand why everything in her life has to derail and be doomed.
It was a powerful scene to me, still vivid after so many weeks, and the
writing elevated Tess’s genuine wonderment and innocence. It touched
me.
Thomas
Hardy’s writing needs no mention from someone like me. His writing
carries grace, eloquence, beauty, and such perspicacity to articulate
the angst of an innocent and troubled woman’s mind. He describes his
characters and their psyche with so much depth of insight, verbalizing
their every subtle feeling and emotion. I also love how he interweaves
the roles played by religion, conscience, and morality into the story
and the characters without letting the discussion of the themes dominate
the characters. I can write essays on each of the characters and what
they represent, but since this is not a literature assignment, I will
just say that everything about the book is just deeply beautiful. There
are so many layers and symbols to every character and setting.
I
love books that beautifully narrate poignant stories of social
injustices, especially from the viewpoints of morality and religion.
This book is one such a classic and it has my high recommendation.
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