Sunday, March 1, 2015
Purity Disguised
So often those who are depicted as the most pure are the ones with the most heartache. Tess of the D'Urbervilles lived her whole life as an innocent, country girl until the day she was raped and ruined. Even though her heart did indeed stay pure and holy, the world labeled her as the scum of the Earth. She suffered through the death of a child and her husband abandoning her. Tess even drove her hatred straight into the heart of Alec D'Urberville. Having pure intentions seems to be the equivalent of being good and abiding by the law in this culture. However, Tess' act of ending Alec's life made her the most pure of all. Tom Hardy, the author of the book, utilizes many biblical references to Jesus and his death on the cross to purify sin. In a way, Tess is her own savior. She cleansed her self through the murder of the man that soiled her. As the Bible says it, "An eye for an eye."
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Quite insightful. The serpent that hung low from the branches of the tree of temptation now lies on the dust of the ground, head crushed by the heel he bit. In a way, it's as if the culture of Tess's world was sin itself, because it was The Fall that led Adam and Eve to mortal lives, and therefore a fate to die one day. Thus, Tess's culture eventually ended her life as well.
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