REVISE – Tess in The Chase

Read the statements and choose the correct alternative to complete the sentences.

1 The mention of Tess's ancestors implies that her misfortune is ________.
2 The narrator says that inheriting your ancestors' guilt is ________.
3 The phrase 'It was to be' indicates the community's ________.
4 In the end, the narrator ________.

Complete the summary of the passage with the words given.

Alec leads Tess into the woods with apparent ________, but his mention of the gifts he has given to her family makes her slightly ________ and unsure how to respond. She feels ________ towards him but knows she can't ________ his advances. After leaving her, he goes away and later returns in complete ________, searching until he finds her sleeping among the leaves.
The scene takes place in a silent, ________ natural world, and Tess appears completely ________ in it. In the end, the narrator suggests that people tend to explain suffering as 'fate', especially in ________ communities. However, this does not actually make the situation any more understandable or ________.

Match Alec's actions to their real motive. Write the correct letters (A-D) in the gaps.

1 Alec prepares a resting place for Tess and tells her to stay there. ________
2 Alec reveals that he has helped Tess's family. ________
3 Alec asks Tess what she feels towards him. ________
4 Alec returns in darkness, when Tess is sleeping. ________

A Alec takes advantage of her vulnerability.
B Alec increases Tess's obligation and gratitude towards him.
C Alec pressures Tess and tries to shape her feelings.
D Alec makes sure that Tess is obedient and isolated.

Read the text and decide if the statements are true or false. Then look at the prompts in brackets and write some extra reflections in your exercise book. You can use the final text as revision material for your test.

The valley where Tess was born is her whole world; she knows the shapes of the hills as well as she knows the faces of her own family. She is like the landscape itself and has a richness and freshness about her. (Refer to the box 'Tess' in 'All about Tess of the D'Urbervilles' in your textbook to reflect on the relationship between Tess and nature.) Yet, in the dark woods of The Chase, this connection to Nature does not protect her. As she lies sleeping on a bed of dead leaves, she is hidden in a vast blackness.
Alec d'Urberville ignores who she really is. Just as he is cruel to animals and disregards the natural world, he treats Tess as an object to be conquered rather than a person to be respected. To him, she is merely a 'white muslin figure' in the shadows. He is physically near her, yet he is completely blind to her soul. (Refer to STEP 1 and the boxes 'Alec and Angel' and 'Themes' in 'All about Tess of the D'Urbervilles' in your textbook. Discuss Alec's perception of Tess.)
Nature is simply indifferent. It goes on with its life, the fog rolls in and the ancient trees remain, offering no help. In Hardy's deterministic world, Tess is left entirely undefended by the natural laws that govern her life. (Refer to STEPS 3 and 4 and the box 'Determinism' in 'All about Thomas Hardy' in your textbook. Expand Hardy's worldview.) Only the reader, guided by Hardy's words, can truly see Tess and feel the tragedy of her situation.