Tess of the D'Urbervilles Q&A

Tess is led to murder Alec after Angel returns to England and seeks her out to reconcile with her. Tess tells him that it is too late for them since Alec has been a husband to her, unlike Angel. Readers are not privy to the exact circumstances that lead Tess to murder, but the innkeeper's viewpoint describes an argument between Alec and Tess after she meets with Angel. She can be heard accusing him of making her believe that Angel would never return to her. 

Angel goes to Brazil, but he faces several difficulties in setting up his farm. He suffers from disease and begins to suffer severe financial losses. These challenges along with Tess’s humble letter of entreaty force Angel to return to England and seek her out. His exposure to a culture other than his own leads him to recognize that Tess was not at fault for the circumstances that befell her. Additionally, his parents are extremely supportive of Tess after they learn of her misfortune and press him to seek her out. 

Tess’s parents learn that they have an ancient connection to the aristocratic lineage of the D’Urbervilles. Tess’s mother knows of a rich woman with the same name that lives in the vicinity, and she concocts the plan of sending Tess to the lady so she to arrange a wealthy match for her. Tess is reluctant to follow through with this plan when it is first presented to her. However, she soon comes to recognize it as a means of lifting her family out of poverty especially after she feels responsible for causing the death of the only family horse. 

The narrator often points out the exact circumstances that led Tess to her execution. The most dominant factor that is ascribed to Tess’s fate is her naturally beautiful appearance which attracts the attention of men like Alec, and Angel. Furthermore, the narrator demonstrates that Tess’s fate would have been very different if Angel had interacted with her on the day John Durbeyfield learned of his aristocratic lineage. Several other such circumstances lead Tess down the path of destruction while her moral character remains untainted.