Victimization in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles

In this thesis I will prove how Tess becomes an unconscious victim of male idealism and her own nature, and together with the other characters (the whole Durbeyfield family, Alec and Angel) how they become victims of society and unavoidable circumstances. The listed motifs are constantly connected to each other; they influence one another, their existence leads to that of the other. Consequently, it is difficult to take them apart and distinguish their bounds. My thesis is based on a detailed research. I will show and analyse how the mentioned factors influence the characters' lives and finally destroy them. I will search for interconnections between them and show their individual and joint effects. In case of each motif I will first present adequate conditions, scenes, information, situation or facts based on the novel, then I will analyse these and look for links with other motifs. After that comes my research according to the sources. Next I will interpret and evaluate them. After these I will analyse overall effects and finally draw conclusions. I will present each motif according to the heroine's course of life which results in similar structures in case of the chapters. Finally, I will prove how these motifs result in the defencelessness of the characters and the heroine's final tragedy. By the end of the thesis, the theme of victimization develops and leads to the characters' destruction.