Chapter 21

• What causes strain among the dairy workers in Chapter 21?

  Angel's preference for Tess
• How does Tess feel about her feelings for Angel?

  She feels torn between love and fear
• What does Angel's comment about Tess reveal about his feelings?

  It shows his growing interest in her
• What societal expectation does Tess resist according to Angel's comment?

  Performative social roles for women
• What does Tess feel ashamed of in the key quote analysis?

  Her gloom of the night
• How does Hardy critique societal norms through Tess's self-recrimination?

  He emphasizes her victimization by societal norms
• What does the rivalry among the milkmaids illustrate about rural women in Victorian England?

  • Limited agency and economic options
  • Marriage as a means of securing stability
• What is often the only means of securing stability for rural women in Victorian England?

  Marriage