Chapter 31

• Who are the main characters preparing for their wedding in Chapter 31?

  Tess and Angel
• What does Angel romanticize about Tess?

  Her innocence and beauty
• What does Tess struggle with regarding her secret?

  Whether to confess it to Angel
• What does Angel's comment about Tess reference?

  Biblical imagery of temptation
• What does Hardy critique through Angel's comment about Tess?

  The hypocrisy of Victorian values
• What does the quote “It would almost have won round an apostate” suggest about Tess?

  Her innocence and beauty are magnetic
• How does Hardy view Angel's perception of Tess?

  As reductive, ignoring her complexities
• How does Hardy use religious imagery in Chapter 31?

  • Highlights Victorian moral hypocrisy
  • Women seen as pure yet sinful
  • Traps women in impossible situations
• What does Hardy critique regarding women's roles in society?

  The burden of blame for moral transgressions