Tess and Pelagia

English > Analysis
Literature > Comparative Literature

Tess and Pelagia

An exploration of the extent to which the central female characters in Louis De Bernieres' "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" and Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" are presented as victims of fate.

4,875 words () | 7 sources | MLA | 2005 United Kingdom

Paper Summary:

This paper presents a balanced argument exploring both sides of the view that the female characters in Louis De Bernieres' "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" and Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" fall victim to both society and circumstance. It focuses on the themes of predestination and victimisation and also makes comparisons between the two characters in view of their different countries, cultures and times.

From the Paper:

"To a greater extent, Tess and Pelagia are victims of society's negative attitude to women. This is seen through the issue of sexual exploitation. Because they are young and attractive girls whose beauty is elevated above all other characters, the authors introduce the issue of femininity and the perception of the female in society. A feminist interpretation suggests that Tess and Pelagia are both subjected to the 'male gaze' and are therefore perceived as objects, which in turn emphasises the dominance of men in society and the oppression of women's rights. This is an extremely plausible view as Tess and Pelagia are wronged and even violated by the men in their lives, Mandras, Corelli, Angel and Alec. De Bernieres shows this through the situation in which Pelagia is almost raped by Mandras her former fiancee. He describes her "without father, without possessions, without food, without love, without hope, without country" [p.445] when the communists take over and again she seems to have fallen victim to forces beyond her control as well as male pride. "