Individual Versus Immanent Will in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of D’urbervilles

Abstract

Thomas Hardy is one of the most renowned Victorian novelists who has contributed a great deal to the development of English fiction. He has faithfully reflected the Victorian temper with the pessimism of the age along with a strong streak of moral vision in his fictional works. His novel, Tess of D’Urbervilles is a powerful and electrifying exemplification of the conflict between immanent will and individuals where the individuals find themselves beaten at the hands of malignant chance and fate that destroy human happiness. There is a continuous struggle between man and omnipotent and indifferent fate which describes beautifully Hardy’s interpretation of human situation in this universe.