Chapter 7

Synopsis of chapter 7

On the day appointed to go to the d'Urbervilles' home, ‘The Slopes', Tess dresses in her working clothes. Joan, however, insists she dresses in her Sunday finery, so Tess puts on the white dress she wore at the club-walking. Tess looks much more mature than she really is. It is clear that there is tension between her and her mother: her mother is confident of a good match; however, Tess is unwilling to contemplate this.

Tess and her parents set out to wait for the cart at the end of the valley, saying farewell as the cart appeared. They watch as Alec arrives in a smart Gig gig and persuades Tess to mount with him. Later that night, Joan expresses some doubts as to her eagerness in going ahead with her ‘project' without finding out about Alec's character, but complacently remarks Tess is sure to marry him one way or the other.

Commentary on chapter 7

‘I'll take a thousand pounds': John Durbeyfield's lessening of the amount he will take to sell his title is a comic allusion to Abraham's bargaining with God to save Sodom in Genesis18:23-33.

passively trusting to the favour of accident: probably anticipating Joan's words, ‘And if he don't marry her afore he will after', meaning that he will either marry her before he gets her pregnant, or at least afterwards. In the days before birth control, pregnancy was more likely to result from any sexual contact, however ‘accidental'. Joan's sentiments may have been controversial to Hardy's middle-class readership, but were an honest reflection of the fatalism that was typical of much rural living. See Determinism and free will

bedecking: dressing-up. The cottagers make a full-length mirror out of the window by putting black material one side. Hardy may have in mind Victorian paintings, called genre paintings, which depict such rural scenes. Hardy's imagination tends to be very picturesque, even cinematographic at times.

Places

Hardy stresses margins and borders in this chapter, relating them to Tess:

She is on the borders of girlhood and womanhood - the idea of a gradual adolescence is a modern concept, not appropriate to working-class rural society where young people were expected to shoulder adult responsibility earlier than is now acceptable in modern society
The meeting place is also on the borders of the valley and the upland area into which she is travelling
Tess is symbolically on the borders of innocence and experience.

Vocabulary

acclivity: slope upwards

breeches: trousers

buck: fashionable young man

dand: dandy

dog-cart, gig: light speedy vehicles designed for one or two passengers, the equivalent of an open-top sports car to-day.

drab: a reference to the material more than to the colour, a dull brown heavy cotton or wool.

tractability: obedience

trump card: strongest asset

Investigating chapter 7

List the references in this chapter to margins and borders
- Which are symbolic?
Pick out words and phrases that have to do with passivity
- Does Hardy seem to suggest this is a dangerous attitude?
A great deal is made about the clothes Tess and Alec are wearing
- What do you think Hardy is trying to establish?
What do you think are Tess's ‘bitter sentiments' that she does not utter?
From whose perspective do we see much of the chapter?
- What is the effect of Hardy shifting the perspective?
What would you say are the ultimate failures of Tess's parents towards her?

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. ²He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth ³and said, O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. ⁴Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, ⁵while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on - since you have come to your servant. So they said, Do as you have said. ⁶And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes. ⁷And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. ⁸Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate. ⁹They said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, She is in the tent. ¹⁰The Lord said, I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. ¹²So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure? ¹³The Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh and say, Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old? ¹⁴Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son. ¹⁵But Sarah denied it, saying, I did not laugh, for she was afraid. He said, No, but you did laugh. ¹⁶Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. ¹⁷The Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, ¹⁸seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? ¹⁹For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him. ²⁰Then the Lord said, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, ²¹I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know. ²²So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. ²³Then Abraham drew near and said, Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? ²⁵Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just? ²⁶And the Lord said, If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake. ²⁷Abraham answered and said, Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. ²⁸Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five? And he said, I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there. ²⁹Again he spoke to him and said, Suppose forty are found there. He answered, For the sake of forty I will not do it. ³⁰Then he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there. He answered, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. ³¹He said, Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there. He answered, For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it. ³²Then he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there. He answered, For the sake of ten I will not destroy it. ³³And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

¹And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; ²And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, ³And said, My LORD, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: ⁴Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: ⁵And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. ⁶And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. ⁷And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. ⁸And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. ⁹And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. ¹⁰And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. ¹²Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? ¹³And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? ¹⁴Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. ¹⁵Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. ¹⁶And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. ¹⁷And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; ¹⁸Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? ¹⁹For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. ²⁰And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; ²¹I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. ²²And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. ²³And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? ²⁵That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? ²⁶And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. ²⁷And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes: ²⁸Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. ²⁹And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. ³⁰And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. ³¹And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. ³²And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. ³³And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

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Tess of the d'Urbervilles Contents