Tess: A Pure Woman? There are many different ways that the “purity” of Tess can be examined. These range from scrutinising her actions, the way that Hardy characterises her to the way that he contrasts her to the other characters in the novel. In the Victorian context in which Hardy was writing, it is rare for such a “common” and rural character to be shown as pure. Hardy seems to acknowledge this and self-consciously pits …showed first 75 words of 1809 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1809 total…consistent throughout the novel with his assertion in the epigraph that Tess is a pure woman. The way Tess is characterised along with the way Hardy has her react to the tragic event at the end of Phase The First shows that Tess is a pure woman. The imagery used by Hardy compounds his characterisation of Tess as does his portrayal of Tess as a part of Hardy’s image of a sinless natural world.