Angel

• "You who intend to be a minister of the Gospel!"


  - The importance of religion in Angel's life and his family's life is evident. To Angel's family, success is only achieved if their sons choose to serve the church and worship God, thus, to Angel's family - a parson and his wife - it is expected that Angel will become a "minister of the Gospel".

  - As Angel comes from a family of parsons, it would be plausible to argue that Angel is entrapped by religion and the expectations of his family. Therefore, like Tess, Angel becomes a victim of religion which is significant to the tragedy. His parents' religious expectations cause him to abandon Tess on the basis of her lack of purity. Her fate would have been different if Angel would not have been entrapped by the religious moral norms imposed on him by his parents.
• "I should prefer not to take orders!"

  - Like Tess, Angel feels trapped within religion and its moral laws which significantly control their lives. However, unlike Tess, Angel is not so successful in abandoning the influence of those orders and the influence the orders of the church have on him, which heightens the tragedy.

  - Arguably, in stating this, Angel tries to rebel against religion too. It is his call for conversion or leaving the church which would be extremely controversial for Victorian readers and especially, his family.
• "I love the church as one loves a parent."


  - Although Angel previously mentions that he does not want to become a minister of the Gospel and does not want to take orders from religion, Angel does make it clear that he has some sort of affection and love towards the church. However, we question why his love for the church remains if he does not want to work for the church or follow religious laws? Could this be because of the influence of religion in his family? Does he feel like it is his duty to tolerate religion to some extent and show loyalty to the church because of the family he comes from?

  - Angel is not fully able to escape the pressures of the church. He will always have some sort of connection to the church and therefore, also making it hard for him to abandon religious influence over his life. He was born within a religious family and therefore it is hard to escape.
• "The first two persons to get up at the dairy-house, they seemed to themselves the first persons up of all the world."

  
  

  "As if they were Adam and Eve"

  
  

  "She regarded him as Eve at her second waking might have regarded Adam."

  - "The first persons up of all the world" -> Religious reference to the Garden of Eden and the fall of Adam and Eve - the first two people in the world.

  - In comparing Tess and Angel to Adam and Eve, Hardy helps us readers anticipate the temporary happiness between the two which will be deteriorated by sinning and disobeying God. In this case, Angel and Tess' happiness within the relationship will be deteriorated by Tess' sin of committing adultery.

  - They are both presented as being Adam and Eve. As Tess is presented as being Eve-like, Hardy reflects the view that the Victorian or patriarchal readers have of Tess. Like Eve, she could be seen as the cause of her own downfall and Angel's downfall too.

  - Moreover, the reference to Adam and Eve is tragic. It reflects the typical structure of a tragedy. Their happiness will be followed by a large amount of suffering. In every tragedy, moments of happiness are temporary and moments of disappointment and anger are extensive. We know that they will not last long.

  - Is their comparison to Adam and Eve a bad omen?
• "Three Leahs to get one Rachel."


  - Angel whispers this to Tess as he carries her across the river.

  - A religious reference to the story of Genesis 29 in which Jacob had to work for 7 years to marry Rachel but ended up marrying her sister - Leah. He then works another 7 years to marry Rachel.

  - Considering the story which is being referenced in the quote, it could be argued that Angel makes his love known for Tess and his aspirations to marry her. However, the Biblical story of Jacob and Rachel also suggest a love that is based on sacrifices and devotion to each other. Could the reference to this Biblical story be done deliberately? Is Hardy trying to foreshadow the sacrifices to which Angel will go through to find Tess after he leaves her? Is Hardy trying to foreshadow Tess' sacrifice as a pure woman and becoming a murderess just to be reunited with Angel?

  - Their love could not be stronger than this. True, and genuine love.
• Angel said to his father: "it might have resulted far better for mankind if Greece had been the source of the religion of modern civilisation and not Palestine;"


  - Angel's view on religion is very controversial. Considering he comes from a religious family with a parson father, his stance on religion would have been unexpected. However, in holding this stance and making his view of religion known to his father, Angel displays a sign of bravery and desire to challenge religion, its corruption, its inflexibility and harshness. His bravery is also a sign of his removal from the church and his determination to be his own person, away from religious influence. This would make him praiseworthy in the eyes of contemporary readers but would cause anger for Victorian conservative readers.

  - Moreover, in openly challenging religion, Angel offers the readers and Tess a glimmer of hope. The readers may be convinced to believe that Tess has escaped the prejudice of religion and now is surrounded by a lover who will not enforce religious moral laws onto her.

  - Link to Hellenism and the belief in Greek Gods.

  - Angel is a complex character he loves, but also, challenges religion.
• "A truly Christian woman"


  - Angel visits his family to tell them that he wants to marry someone. He asks his family what type of woman would be ideal for a farmer like him. They respond: "a truly Christian woman".

  - Once again, the importance of religion to Angel's family is made evident. The criteria required of Angel's wife is religious devotion, and being in line with a fit Christian woman who follows religious scriptures and religious moral expectations. As a result, we are aware that Tess' marriage with Angel is unlikely to work. Although Tess was forced to sin and the sin was outside of her own will, Tess is not a "truly Christian woman" because she is not chaste. Therefore, we know the marriage will be unsuccessful.

  - The parent's marriage -> a bad omen. Tess lacks their one requirement.

  - Therefore, it is plausible to argue that Tess is a victim of religion in terms of the way she is treated by Angel's family. They cannot accept a simple dairymaid, they expect a religious and virtuous woman. They judge Tess based on this criteria.
• "She is an unimpeachable Christian."

  
  

  "She really does attend Church almost every Sunday morning, and is a good Christian girl."

  
  

  "She at least was in sound in her views."

  
  

  "Angel never would have made orthodoxy a condition of his choice."


  - Although Angel is not too keen on religious influence and religious morality giving him orders, Angel still obeys and is willing to accept his parents' requirements for his future wife. In this case, Angel is onboard with his parents' expectations that Tess should be a "truly Christian woman". Therefore, it could be argued that one of Angel's traits is being a people pleaser - appealing to his parent's expectations and to societal expectations as well, which forces him to abandon his own expectations of a wife, for the happiness of others.

  - This is a bad sign; Angel is required to sacrifice his expectations for his wife for his own parents' expectations. It is as if his parents are marrying his wife, not him. This is significant to the tragedy as Angel's lack of independence and his desire to appeal to others is what causes the deterioration in the marriage after Tess reveals the secret. Had Angel been independent, their marriage would not have been deteriorated and Tess would have never become a murderess. Therefore, it is plausible to argue that Tess is also a victim of Angel's naivety and desire to please others, as well as Angel's parents' religious expectations.

  - Note: Angel also over emphasises parts of Tess so she appeals to his parents. It is as if he knows she is not a good contender but is willing to mould her to his parents' ideals.
• "I am of course, a believer in good morals."

  
  

  "I admired spotlessness, and hated impurity."


  - Angel says this to Tess before admitting of his relationship with a woman in London.

  - Ironic; he claims to not follow orders from religion and the church, and that it would have been better if Greek Gods were the Gods of humanity, yet, he still holds some conservative views.

  - No matter how much Angel attempts to rid himself from the influence of religion, some influence of religion remains. Could this be because of the family he was brought up in, and therefore, it is very natural for Angel to have certain expectations? It could be argued that Angel's response to Tess' secret is inevitable. It is hard to escape the way one was socialised. Angel was socialised to believe in religion and purity.
• "And that she is pure and virtuous goes without question?"

  
  

  "Pure and virtuous of course she is."

  
  

  "She is spotless!"

  - Tess as a victim of religion and as a victim of Angel's parents' inflexible religious morality.

  - In lying to his parents about Tess' purity, it could be argued that Angel loves Tess and is not willing to give up on his marriage with her. The conditions set by his parents are not his own conditions and therefore, to him, she might still be pure and virtuous. However, his fear of disappointing his parents also necessitates him to place a facade on the real Tess. He cannot reveal her true nature because he has already disappointed his parents enough. Yet, him holding onto her purity is arguably a sign of genuine love but they cannot work as lovers because of his parents' expectations.
• "He was not prophet enough to tell himself, that essentially this young wife of his was as deserving of the praise of King Lemuel, as any other woman."

  - Angel's parents read the 31st of Proverbs to Angel. The 31st chapters of Proverbs focus on the ideal pure Christian woman.

  - Angel's reflection on the 31st chapters of Proverbs. In questioning the teachings of Proverbs and the archetype standard of purity set by the book, Hardy implies that Angel does not agree with the religious views of morality and virtue. Rather, Angel acted out of fear of disappointing his parents.

  - Upon reflection, Angel becomes more open towards Tess' sin and realises Tess is the ideal woman for him. She is not the ideal woman for him from his parents' view.
• "And yet these harshnesses are tenderness itself when compared with the universal harshness out of which they grow."

  - Reference to Angel's reaction to Tess and his reaction emerging out of the universal harshness (reference to moral laws which are normalised in the Victorian context).

  - Angel as a people pleaser; he does not agree with the universal harshnesses imposed, yet, to prevent his judgement, he adopts his own form of harshness to appeal to people.

  - A challenge to religion and society.
• Man with the red paint pot reappears.


  - His reappearance symbolises the importance and influence of moral laws to society; they cannot be escaped.

  - It symbolises moral boundaries and their transgression.