Death of a Salesman and Tess of DʼUrbervilles
- ‘Tragedies can be shocking as much for their
challenge to accepted ideas, as for any
violence they contain.ʼ [25 Marks]
Death of a Salesman and Tess of DʼUrbervilles
‘Tragedies can be shocking as much for their challenge to accepted ideas, as for any violence
they contain.ʼ
[25 Marks]
Tess being viewed by Hardy as an innocent woman – even if society does not see her the
same way.
Death of a salesman challenging capitalism – vilification of Howard the boss and Lindaʼs
small men speech.
Tess being a tragedy of the industrial revolutions effects on the pastoral – tragedy is
bound with “social progress”.
Death of a salesman stating that misery comes from denial of dreams.
Throughout centuries, authors have used literature as a vehicle to challenge accepted ideas in
contrast to the society which may not yet accept them. This can be seen in Death of a
Salesman and Tess of DʼUrbervilles where both narratives can position society as being the
tragic heroes ‘hamartiaʼ. The way in which society diminishes them, neglects them, and even
lies to them can be seen as being challenged by the authors, which to audiences would be seen
as shocking. In this essay I will therefore discuss to what extent tragedies can be just as
shocking for their challenges for accepted ideas, while also for the violence they may contain.
Hardyʼs subtitle of the novel ‘A Pure Womanʼ immediately created conflict in the literary world. It
was stated that at a Duchessʼ banquet the guests were almost fighting across the table
debating whether Tess was a ‘wronged innocentʼ who was unjustly punished, or a ‘amoral
seductressʼ who deserved her fate. It was therefore Hardyʼs challenge to the Victorian
patriarchy which viewed women as either [angel/whore] which would have been shocking to 19th
century readers being seen as a challenge to accepted ideas. Angel who enters the novel for
the second time in ‘The Rallyʼ represents a redemption for the fallen woman echoing the
narrators words from the Chase; “where was Tessʼs guardian angel?”. However, as Angelʼs
character is more explored it becomes clear that he is not as forgiving or open-minded as he
pretends to be. He, alongside his family, present the hypocritical nature of the Victorian middle-
upper class. Although Angel attempts to establish concepts of egalitarian love in the Edenic
bliss of Talbothays, it is after both characters confessions of their similar sexual pasts which
reveals the serpent in the garden to be Angelʼs moral absolutism. He reinstates all traditional
class and gender boundaries even directly stating to Tess the hyperbaton that she was “more
- ‘Tragedies can be shocking as much for their
challenge to accepted ideas, as for any
violence they contain.ʼ [25 Marks]
Death of a Salesman and Tess of DʼUrbervilles
‘Tragedies can be shocking as much for their challenge to accepted ideas, as for any violence
they contain.ʼ
[25 Marks]
Tess being viewed by Hardy as an innocent woman – even if society does not see her the
same way.
Death of a salesman challenging capitalism – vilification of Howard the boss and Lindaʼs
small men speech.
Tess being a tragedy of the industrial revolutions effects on the pastoral – tragedy is
bound with “social progress”.
Death of a salesman stating that misery comes from denial of dreams.
Throughout centuries, authors have used literature as a vehicle to challenge accepted ideas in
contrast to the society which may not yet accept them. This can be seen in Death of a
Salesman and Tess of DʼUrbervilles where both narratives can position society as being the
tragic heroes ‘hamartiaʼ. The way in which society diminishes them, neglects them, and even
lies to them can be seen as being challenged by the authors, which to audiences would be seen
as shocking. In this essay I will therefore discuss to what extent tragedies can be just as
shocking for their challenges for accepted ideas, while also for the violence they may contain.
Hardyʼs subtitle of the novel ‘A Pure Womanʼ immediately created conflict in the literary world. It
was stated that at a Duchessʼ banquet the guests were almost fighting across the table
debating whether Tess was a ‘wronged innocentʼ who was unjustly punished, or a ‘amoral
seductressʼ who deserved her fate. It was therefore Hardyʼs challenge to the Victorian
patriarchy which viewed women as either [angel/whore] which would have been shocking to 19th
century readers being seen as a challenge to accepted ideas. Angel who enters the novel for
the second time in ‘The Rallyʼ represents a redemption for the fallen woman echoing the
narrators words from the Chase; “where was Tessʼs guardian angel?”. However, as Angelʼs
character is more explored it becomes clear that he is not as forgiving or open-minded as he
pretends to be. He, alongside his family, present the hypocritical nature of the Victorian middle-
upper class. Although Angel attempts to establish concepts of egalitarian love in the Edenic
bliss of Talbothays, it is after both characters confessions of their similar sexual pasts which
reveals the serpent in the garden to be Angelʼs moral absolutism. He reinstates all traditional
class and gender boundaries even directly stating to Tess the hyperbaton that she was “more
