Chapter 2

• What is the setting of the story described in the summary?

  The small village of Marlott, in the Vale of Blakemore
• What ritual are the women performing in the village?

  The Mayday “club walk”, a pagan fertility ritual
• How is Tess described when she is introduced?

  As a beautiful “fresh-looking girl”
• What does Tess see her father doing in the carriage?

  Riding drunk and rambling about his family’s vault
• How do the others react to Tess's father in the carriage?

  They make fun of him
• How does Tess respond to the mockery of her father?

  She defends him
• What does the description of the valley convey about society?

  • It is in tune with nature
  • Exists in a pre-Industrial area
  • Reflects traditional pagan values
• What does the phrase “This fertile and sheltered tract of country” suggest about the valley?

  It conveys a part of society that is harmonious with nature
• How is Tess portrayed during the Mayday ritual?

  As a nature goddess
• What do the rural women symbolize in the context of the Mayday ritual?

  Pagan innocence and life givers to the earth
• What does the phrase “less in the retention of a custom” imply about the Mayday ritual?

  It suggests that the ritual is primarily practiced by women
• What does the phrase “the natural shyness of the softer sex” reveal about 19th-century views on women?

  It embodies the belief that women were physically and emotionally weaker than men
• What does the description “her mobile peony mouth” connect Tess to?

  The theme of nature
• How does the association of Tess's beauty reflect societal values?


  It implies that her looks are her primary value
• How does Tess's father's portrayal differ from hers?

  He does not receive the same superficial focus on looks
• What does the cyclical structure of the novel signify regarding Tess?

  It highlights her solidarity and isolation
• What theme is displayed when Angel dismisses Tess from his mind?

  The theme of Fate
• How might Tess's fate have changed if Angel had approached her at that moment?

  Her fate might have been altered and she could have been saved