Feminist Analysis of the Tragedy of Tess and Emily

CXL

  First of all, under the historical and cultural background of the patriarchal society at that time, the two heroines were bound by traditional ideas, and the unequal social situation of men and women also made their tragedy more painful. Tess was clearly the victim of the injury, but she was despised and criticized by the people around her, and she was immersed in her own sin. While Emily is regarded as the symbol for she carries the glory and dream of the old South. Therefore, this society does not allow her to do anything without noble status and dignity, and this thought is deeply rooted in Emily's mind.
  Secondly, Tess's poor and vain family undoubtedly increased her burden and forced her to give in. And Emily's father, the strict executor of the old order, sowed the seeds for Emily's tragic life. At the same time, their lovers push them to the abyss. Alec is the first to put Tess in pain, and the heartless abandonment of her beloved Clare is a fatal blow to Tess. On the other side, Homer’s betrayal to Emily completely extinguished Emily's hope, which led her to make the most paranoid behavior.
  Finally, the two heroines have their own responsibilities. Tess is too pure, too cowardly, too careful on the views of others, and in her heart she thinks she is evil, thus can't bravely pursue her own happiness. While Emily is too lofty to carry out the so-called aristocratic rules to the end, unable to completely change the shackles of the old ideas, limited to the old world.