Theory question 207
Other Set Texts: Non-African ProseLiterature 3, Section B: Thomas Hardy: Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Comment on the significance of Alec Durberville's death.
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Model answer
When Angel returns, Tess, in despair at having gone back to Alec, stabs him at Sandbourne.
Significance: releases Tess from the man who ruined her life; a kind of justice for his wrongs.
Shows her desperation and the depth of her love for Angel.
Gives Tess and Angel a few days of happiness together.
Leads to her arrest at Stonehenge and execution, completing the tragedy.
Hardy's comment ('the President of the Immortals ... had ended his sport with Tess') shows fate's role.
Explanation
Explain the event and its importance.