After reading Phase the Fifth, now what are your thoughts on Angel? Is he being reasonable toward Tess? Explain. What motivates Angel's behavior? Is there any hope for him further in the novel?
After reading Phase the Fifth, I feel that Angel is completely unreasonable in the way he acts toward Tess. First, he has no right to be angry with her about her impurity, because the rape was beyond her control. He also has no right to be angry with her for waiting to confess her past to him for so long, because Angel does not confess to his impurity until that same night. I feel that Angel's behavior is motivated by disgust and by the realization that he does not love Tess the way he thought he had. Also, I think that Angel is upset because of the amount of work he put in to gain his parents' approval of their marriage. Angel stressed to his parents the purity and goodness of Tess, and as soon as he feels that he is finally gaining their approval, he finds that she is not the pure woman he thought she was. Angel probably feels embarassed for how wrong he was, and for not listening to his parents when they told him they were opposed to the marriage. I do not think that there is hope for Angel in the future, because if he truly loved Tess, he would find it in his heart to forgive her for her past, as she forgives him for his.
I think Angel is a very conflicted character in phase the fifth. Here he is, married to a girl who he is deeply infatuated with, and he know knows that she is impure and guilty by the day's standard. It may seem outrageous that Angel, this romanticized seemingly godlike deity, would blame Tess for losing her sacred chastity when it was in fact stolen from her. It only proves that no one can be the sole defender of chivalry forever. It would be incorrect to say I'm defending his position. Angel is wrong in every aspect of his hypocrisy, however I understand why he believes and acts as such. His family aptly supplies a large amount of disapproval for his decisions. He has not only had to tell his family that he would not pursue a career in religion and that he was running off with a milk maid, but now he has run off with a milk maid, who, by the standard of the day, was an impure skank. This is why Angel's apparent progressiveness ends at Tess' impurity. I think that he sees through the the vail of his shadowed rage, but what pressure has been applied by his family, and how society dictates what is prim and proper in his situation, he remains in that vail. This can be supported by certain subliminal actions and midnight ravaging apparent nightmares that have been observed. I however do not see his machete ripping open that vail so set by society. Its what I call the Victorian Woman's Suffering theory. Basically, if the book is about a woman in the eighteenth to nineteenth century and it is considered high in literary merit, the woman shall not and will not be happy in the course of the book. therefore I think Angel will finally break through and forgive Tess, and then die, maybe in a similar manner that befell prince, (that would make the book cyclical in some deranged manner), or is incapable of such and some other tragedy befalls Tess and everyone dies.
After reading the fifth phase, my outlook on Angel is completly altered from when he is first introduced. It is made clear that Tess has not lived too happy of a life, she was raped, left with a baby, and the baby died. Finally Tess has someone good come into her life, Angel, and now that cant even go right for her. After finding out that Tess is impure, Angels Character immediatly changes. Angel changes from being someone I thought was kind, forgiving, and seemed to love Tess no matter what, to a selfish and unreasonable character. Tess's rape was not her fault, however Angel turns everything on her claiming she has betrayed him and has been untrue. Meanwhile, Tess does not bring up his love affair and essentially takes the blame. You would think that Angel, after finding out his beloved Tess had been raped in a tragic experience earlier in her life he would comfort her, instead he only thinks of himself. His actions are powered by his feelings of foolishness. Angel feels foolish for thinking that Tess was so pure and innocent and he would have never loved her if he knew that she was impure. Also, he feels like he has been betrayed by Tess because she did not tell him, although this happened so long ago. Angel has no right to be mad at Tess because her rape was beyond her controll. There is slight hope that Angel can change later in the novel, but Tess's guilt and Angel's Taste of Betrayal hinders their future.
After reading phase five in Tess, my opinion for Angel has totally changed. When Angel was first introduced, Angel seemed like a sweet, genuine guy, the total opposite of what Alec was. Angel actually cared, loved and treated Tess like a lady. All my respect for Angel changed when i finished reading phase five. Angel claims that Tess is not the girl he once married, and shames her as his wife. I think that Angel is being completely unreasonable, in the fact that Tess was raped. No one asks for rape. If Tess had the choice, I am sure should would have remained pure, but she did not get to make that choice. ANgel has that belief that Tess is not worthy of him because she is not pure and considers her a hussy. I believe that Angel's parents motivate his behavior. Angel is everything his parents did not sought out for him to be. If Angel reveals that his wife is not pure, he will just look as if he is another failure in their eyes. Angel has already failed twice in being what his parents dream him to be, as a minister, and also to take the hand in marraige with Mercy. The impurity of the wife he has chosen will make him seem like the failure, in the eyes of his parents. I feel there is little hope for Angel at this point. Angel has already disowned Tess. If Angel truly was the man I thought him to be in the begining, he would have foregiven Tess in the past, and move on into the future.
After reading the fifth Phase, I am shocked by Angel. As, A. Baker said, he totally changed. He was a nice, sweet guy that truley loved Tess and held her to the highest standards. Now, his real personality shines and we see that he is being double standard with Tess's past. She had no control over her past, but Angel did have a choice in his past. By not forgiving her and loving her anymore, he is not being fair to Tess. I do not think he is reasonable nor does he have any justification to honestly not forgive her. Again, she had no control and did not choose to be violated. His not accepting her anymore also reveals that he may just love the idea of Tess and not Tess the actual person. If he did actually love her, I think he would accept, forgive and still love her. I think Angel's family and society motivate him to act the way he does towards Tess. His parents want a pure and virtous wife for him. Since he did not follow the profession they wanted, he wants to at least impress them with his wife. Society also looks down on Tess's rape during the time period, but Angel's forty-eight hour "love" does not seem to phase society. If he stayed with her and society knew what happened, it would give him and both families a bad name and reputation. I hope and believe that Angel will come back for Tess. He think he will accept her and put her past behind him and have a happy family. This is the only hope for Angel that I have. A.Ashworth
When we were first introduced to Angel, Hardy purposefully made him seem to be absolutely perfect-he was handsome and kind and good to Tess, which stood out after all of her previous struggles. As a reader, I fell into this romanticized character. This makes his cruelty toward Tess in Phase 5 more dramatic, because he is going from the quintessence of good to unbelievably spiteful. In today's society, Angel's behavior would be completely unacceptable. He would be considered heartless and insensitive for being angry at Tess for something that was beyond her control. However, in the Victorian period, Angel's reaction is much more acceptable. Although it may be morally unjust, he sees Tess as impure (regardless of who is at fault), which makes her unappealing. However, I would have to say that his overall reaction toward her is unreasonable mainly because of his own affair with the woman in london; he is being hypocritical of the morals he is supposedly upholding by leaving her. I believe most of Angel's behavior is motivated by anger. He is angry that Tess is not the pure maiden he had perceived her to be, and angry at himself for not allowing Tess to tell him sooner about her rape. He is also angry at Alec for being the man to have taken advantage of her; not only because he made Tess impure but also because he hurt her so badly. He is still in love with Tess, but all of the resentment is culminating toward her. I believe there is hope for Angel in the rest of the novel. I believe that being away from Tess will make him miss her and realize that he made a mistake in leaving, based on his reaction to Izz when they are in the carriage.
In a way I can understand everyone's hatred toward Angel's decision, but I think I saw it coming beforehand, and was therefore less mad about it. Throughout the first four phases of the book Tess is continuously beaten down and has many setbacks. I didn't expect Angel to be any different. His god-like persona was only going to lead Tess to fall harder than she had before. This is especially shown as the relationship between them builds, because Tess loves Angel unconditionally. I think Angel wan't really looking for tess at all. I think Tess ended up loving him too much. Angel was too unconventional. Everything he did was against the norms of society and he would have found something else wrong with Tess as just another excuse to change the things he had. Everything in his past was always about changing his life, why would we expect him to settle down with Tess? In a way he is being reasonable with Tess because I don't think he wanted her anyway, and her impurity was just a way to leave.
After reading the fifth phase, I feel that Angel is extremely hypocritical. He will not forgive Tess for the same thing that he did. Tess had no control over what happened to her, but Angel did. I find it odd that Tess can still accept Angel after he tells her his past, yet Angel has such a hard time that he feels he must go to Brazil. What made this worse was when he would not take Tess with him, but he offers to take Izzy. I don't think it's fair that Angel won't accept Tess' past and forgive her. He is being extremely unreasonable with Tess. When Tess eventually told him, he was shocked and angry. He saw her as pure, and when he learned the truth, he was outraged. Finding out the truth, and how wrong he was about her, is what motivates Angel. I don't think there is any hope for him later in the novel. He has shown that he will not accept Tess the way he used to, and he never will.
I beleive Angel is a man obseesed by intellectual pursuits ans stuck in his own vision of a perfect life. He seems to be very cynical towards society and overthinks each situation. He thinks for the sake of analyzation and comes up with his own ideals. I believe he is being very unreasoanble towards Tess. Her past was out of her control. She did not want everything to play out the way it did, and he should recognize it. He also forgets that he too had an affair, and this one was actually on his own accord and by his own will. However, because of his image of a perfect wife and his uncompromising beleifs, he turns away from Tess at the discovery of one, unintentional fault. I believe there is no hope of a future between Tess and Angel. Angel is too enraveled in his intellectual pursuits and Tess is too down trodden after seeing Angel scorn her. She will no longer be herself around Angel and Angel's rock solid idealistic visions will prevent his future love for Tess.
My opinion of Angel has changed a lot at this point in the book. I was not expecting his reaction when he found out about Tess's past. I assumed that he would be somewhat upset, obviously, since he just found out something that made what he previously thought about his wife untrue. However, seeing as he was involved in a similar situation, I expected him to be more understanding. I find what Angel did in his past to be harder to accept than what happened to Tess, since it was not her fault that she was raped. Angel made a conscious decision to have an affair with someone, so I find it hard to believe that he could be so hypocritical by being that upset with Tess. Also, it bothers me that later he says how he wishes that she had told him sooner, but when she tried before they were married, he told her not to spoil the moment and that they could share their faults later. Anyways, I feel like maybe he reacted this way because he had made up Tess in his mind to be this perfect wife, and he is upset to discover the truth. I think that he will eventually come back to her and he won't let her impurity destroy their relationship... but maybe I'm just being optimistic.
After reading Phase the Fifth, my thoughts on Angel have not changed. As readers we must understand the context of the story and the time period it took place in. As we see Angel’s reaction we must remember that he is a man of his time. Though he himself is not pure, in society there was no social pressure or consequences for men to remain pure; however men of this era were raised on the belief that all women should be pure. Because of this, Angel reacts in an extreme manner when he discovers the truth. Adding to his shock is the fact that Tess waited until after they were married to tell him of her past. Not only did he wed an impure women, he also feels that he has been tricked into a marriage that he cannot get out of. At this time his inner turmoil must be great. How will he explain his possible separation or Tess’s past to his extremely religious family? How will he be viewed by society? The fact that Tess has been raped, and did not willingly lose her purity appeals to us as readers because we feel sympathy for her, but this does not make Angel’s reaction unreasonable all things considered. As for the future, I think Angel and Tess will end up together because their love is true. S. Lawrie
I agree with the fact that we must take the time period into account when considering Angel's reaction. Women were under the pressure to be pure; men, however, had no such pressure on them. Although I believe Angel overreacted to a rape, I believe he was almost justified in his immediate reaction. Later on in the phase, the reader is able to see that Angel did react quickly in judging Tess. Angel realizes that Tess did try to explain herself before they were married and he never gave her a chance. And in this way he almost redeems himself in the eyes of some readers. Although some of his actions earn the disapproval of most readers, in the context of the story his reaction makes sense. The question now is, will he be able to keep that approval of the readers?
With the conclusion of Phase the Fifth, the original image of a peaceful, carefree Angel Clare has been shattered. Originally, Hardy portrayed Angel as independent agricultural entrepreneur who went against society’s norms, but when Tess reveals she is not the pure virgin as he once saw her as; his character undergoes a complete change. Angel transforms into an unforgiving, hypocritical human being, who refuses to let Tess back into his life. His behavior is completely irrational due to the fact that he has committed a similar act during his time spent in France. The motivation behind his actions lie in the fact that he felt he was lead on. Throughout the novel Angel feels that Tess led him to believe that she was pure, and feels betrayed that Tess did not tell him earlier. Even though he recalls that she did at one point try to tell him, Angel still feels that Tess should have delivered the news sooner. Much like Tess, Angel’s life is headed into a downward spiral. Without Tess in his life, Angel will fall apart and be miserable with his current life. Once Angel accepts Tess’ past and forgives her there is hope for a better life for him later in the novel.
At the end of Phase the Fifth, my perspective of Angel has been completely changed. At first, Angel seemed like a sweet hardworking man that Tess could trust. The further their relationship went the more Angel began to change. I do not think that Angel is being reasonable toward Tess. Once both Tess and Angel reveal their secrets nothing between them will ever be the same. Tess forgives Angel instantly thinking and hoping that he will do the same. However, Angel does not forgive Tess and instead tells her he does not love her. Tess should be the one to no longer love Angel, because what he did, was much worse. Society's expectations as well and Angle's family's expectations are what motivate him to be so cruel to Tess. Even so, Angel was strong enough to go against what his parents and have a career in agriculture i don't see why he cannot look past expectations and still love Tess. I think that once Angel realizes he does not need to meet everyone's expectations and just to make himself happy, as well as accepting Tess' past, there is hope for him.
Most peers have stated that Angel is acting in a ridiculous manner and that thier view of him has changed, I agree as well. After reading phase the fifth, I feel as though Angel has been completley consumed by his desire for a perfect wife. He is not able to accept Tess and her unfortunate past. When Tess first encountered Angel, he was portrayed as a sweet, genuiwine man who had an extreme admiration for Tess, and Tess could not help but to admire him back. However, Tess' guilt stopped her from pursuing the love they both quietly knew was there. I believe that Angels' conscience motivates him to act in this unreasonable behavior, and he is consistent on his thoughts against Tess. If Angel truly loved Tess like he claims, then he should be able to overcome reality. Thus, I see no hope for Angel in the future.
As most everyone has noted, Phase the Fifth brings about a drastic change in the way the reader views Angel. His reputation as the trustworthy sweetheart he once was, quickly dissipates through his reaction to Tess's past. He shows no sympathy to Tess whatsoever, forgetting everything he once felt for her. Ironically, Angel expects to be forgiven immediately (as he was) for his endeavors with the woman from London. While he claims he will learn to forgive Tess, his actions prove otherwise. By leaving Tess to travel to Brazil, his own immature nature is surfaced, tarnishing his once flawless reputation. Through his conversations with Tess and his mother, we can infer that Angel is looking solely for perfection. These unattainable expectations create a tone of hopelessness for his and Tess's future together, insinuating that there will be no such thing.
When I finished phase the fifth, I couldn't help feeling dissapointed with Angel. Everyone, including myself, was in a sense rooting for Tess to finally find someone who cared and was good to her. I thought that was going to be Angel, and I feel much worse for Tess than I do for Angel (because the news was sprung on him). In fact, I really dont feel bad for Angel at all. Tess tried multiple times to tell him about her past before their marriage. Not only that, how is Angel allowed to go to London for 2 days and have an affair with a stranger, yet Tess who was raped, meaning involuntary, cannot be forgiven. Angel even says she isnt the same person anymore. This book portrays a very negative image of men in the time period. The first character is Tess' alcoholic father, followed by the rapist Alec, followed by the shallow Angel. It is possible that Hardy will turn Angel back towards "the good side", however; I think Tess should let it rest and move on with her life. It isnt fair the way he reacted.
Angel’s actions in Phase the Fifth did disgust me but did not surprise me. As for why it disgusted me, and why he was not justified not only was Tess's loss of purity not her fault, he lost his virginity by choice. Also, he asked another milk maiden Izz to come with him to Brazil for a year which would have undoubtedly led to an affair, which I'm sure he knew very well. The fact that he thought he was justified to do that because of Tess’s past revealed a large lack of sense, and along with his actions before, revealed Angel’s hypocrisy. However, with the ideals and traditions of the time, and the fact that he tried so hard to convince his parents that he was making the right choices made him feel like Tess’s past was the worst thing that could happen to him, though this still does not justify him. I think that there is little hope for Angel changing his ways as well as the Tess moving on with her life. Part of my reasoning for this is because his reaction to it was so extreme that he actually left the country to get away from his situation for a while, but also I’ve read a few Victorian novels and judging by the themes of those books, and the general mood of this one, little awaits Tess except more misery.
The most accurate way to describe my feelings toward Angel upon the completion of Phase the Fifth was disappointment. He seemed to be different from the rest of the men of the time, yet throughout this phase proved that instead of differing from them he was cut from the same cloth. While it seemed that he may be the only decent man in Tess's life, he proved here that sadly this was not the case. Although his crimes were not as reckless as that of Tess's drunken father or as out right sadistic as Alec's actions, they were just as cruel for he built Tess up and then tore her down. The phase also showed the hypocrisy of Angel, for not only was his rejection of Tess despicable, especially considering his own admission of premarital sex, but also for the fact that he considered himself to be a free thinker, only to show that his personal views are mostly in line with society. It is my belief that Angel will see the err of his ways and return to Tess, beginning for the forgiveness he refused to give to her, only for it to be too late. As for the reason why his pleas will fall upon deaf ears is unknown, though I feel the recently returned Alec will have something to do with it.
As I read through Phase the Fifth, I felt as though the streak of bad luck and bad situations where fate and society had seeming all turned against Tess was finally winding down and her marriage with Angel would start a happy new chapter(or phase as Hardy puts it) in her life. However, Hardy once again hit me with another curve ball. After they are wed, Tess and Angel both confess their most shameful secrets. Tess immediately forgives Angel for his impurity because of how much she loves him. Thinking logically, one would assume Angel would be inclined to do the same. Angels impurity is a result of his own actions, while Tess' is out of her own control. Unfortunately for Tess(again), Angel does not see it this way, and leaves her for Brazil so as not to shame his own family. Angel has lost my respect for the rest of the novel, barring some fairytale ending that even Disney couldn't see coming, I don't see Angel redeeming himself to Tess and the Reader anytime soon.
I definitely think that Angel is being extremely hypocritical at this point. Not only can he not forgive her, but he can't forgive her when he had committed a crime much worse than hers. He was obviously only in love with the thought of having a pure and virtuous wife, and not really Tess. This is completely different than what i thought he was going to be like when he was first introduced. As far as there being any hope for him, I really cannot see it. He says that he would have forgiven her if she had told him sooner, but i don't really believe that is true. It shows that he is trying to forgive her, but he cannot get past the fact that she "isn't who he thought she was". i thin kthat unfortunately, this will be the end of Angel's real love for Tess in the novel.
After reading this phase, my opinion of Angel has changed completely. Along with being hypocritical, as Emily has stated, he refuses to see his own actions as a sin it seems. Unlike Tess, who shows actual remorse and guilt for something that is not her fault, he feels totally justified in his own actions. For one, it was not tess's fault, and he should not be angry at her for something she cannot control. There really seems to be no hope for him, along with being angry with Tess, he runs away from his problems by leaving to brazil after hearing about her past. He seems to be likely to run from every problem he faces, even within his never-ending search for a carrer that does not involve the church like his family.
I told you guys that Angel was a Jerk and by his eagerness to marry Tess without delving deep into her past, to know if there were any secrets in tess's past in addition to his reaction to her dark secret and then his lamenting of Tess not telling him about the rape proves he is a deeply flawed character he is the baby of his family and does not know how to work for somethong since his parents just handed him everthing he wanted.
My first impression of Angel was that he was kind-hearted and a genuinely sweet young man. After completing Phase The Fifth, my perception of him has completely changed, and I do not feel as though he is the person i once believed him to be. After Tess reveals to Angel her tainted past, he almost seems to take on a whole new personality. He is very upset that the person he thought he fell in love with, is not at all who she alleged to be. Angel, who once seemed to worship the ground that Tess walked on, is now reacting in unsightly ways by calling her ill, and not even wanting to be in the same room as her. Angel is in no way being reasonable to Tess; she can not help that she was raped. Angel fails to realize that Tess was forced to do things she did not consent to, therefore she should not be blamed for what Alec D'Uberville did to her. Angel's concern is not only how this will affect his relationship with Tess, but how his parents, friends, and community will react to the fact that his own wife is not a pure maiden. Those all contribute to Angel's reaction to Tess' story. I want to honestly believe that their is hope for Angel in the future, and that he will mature and accept Tess for who she is, knowing that she had no control over the situation. I believe that Angel is in love with Tess and there is no way he is going to let something such as this conquer the love he has for her.
Honestly, the thing i dont understand is how Angel could simply just...not forgive Tess after he himself is impure. And, from what it seems in the book, he went out with some random woman and, seemingly, did whatever he did willingly. Tess was raped. She didn't want this, and Angel is an all-around jerk for not forgiving her. I had my doubts about him from the beginning, he was so in love with Tess's purity and, I believe, refused to listen as to the reason why she didn't want to marry him. Perhaps if he had actually listened to everything that she had to say, instead of simply regarding her as this beautiful pure milkmaid, he wouldnt have been so inclined as to marry her. However, I also believe that he will show up again in the book. His obsessive love for her will shine through and at some point, and he will forgive her. He even said something along the lines of "if you had told me sooner i would have forgiven you." Who knows, with how depressing this book has been so far, she could be dead before he comes back and realizes that he still loves her.
Education: Bachelor of Science in Education with English and Speech certification; Masters of Liberal Studies with English and History as majors and Art as a minor.
Experience: I teach 12th grade English at Aurora High School including the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programme courses. I have been a teacher for 23 years.
personal: I am married and have two sons, ages 12 and 13. I love to read and enjoy many genres. My family also enjoys camping, biking and outdoor activities.
After reading Phase the Fifth, I feel that Angel is completely unreasonable in the way he acts toward Tess. First, he has no right to be angry with her about her impurity, because the rape was beyond her control. He also has no right to be angry with her for waiting to confess her past to him for so long, because Angel does not confess to his impurity until that same night. I feel that Angel's behavior is motivated by disgust and by the realization that he does not love Tess the way he thought he had. Also, I think that Angel is upset because of the amount of work he put in to gain his parents' approval of their marriage. Angel stressed to his parents the purity and goodness of Tess, and as soon as he feels that he is finally gaining their approval, he finds that she is not the pure woman he thought she was. Angel probably feels embarassed for how wrong he was, and for not listening to his parents when they told him they were opposed to the marriage. I do not think that there is hope for Angel in the future, because if he truly loved Tess, he would find it in his heart to forgive her for her past, as she forgives him for his.
ReplyDeleteH.Masch
I think Angel is a very conflicted character in phase the fifth. Here he is, married to a girl who he is deeply infatuated with, and he know knows that she is impure and guilty by the day's standard. It may seem outrageous that Angel, this romanticized seemingly godlike deity, would blame Tess for losing her sacred chastity when it was in fact stolen from her. It only proves that no one can be the sole defender of chivalry forever. It would be incorrect to say I'm defending his position. Angel is wrong in every aspect of his hypocrisy, however I understand why he believes and acts as such. His family aptly supplies a large amount of disapproval for his decisions. He has not only had to tell his family that he would not pursue a career in religion and that he was running off with a milk maid, but now he has run off with a milk maid, who, by the standard of the day, was an impure skank. This is why Angel's apparent progressiveness ends at Tess' impurity. I think that he sees through the the vail of his shadowed rage, but what pressure has been applied by his family, and how society dictates what is prim and proper in his situation, he remains in that vail. This can be supported by certain subliminal actions and midnight ravaging apparent nightmares that have been observed. I however do not see his machete ripping open that vail so set by society. Its what I call the Victorian Woman's Suffering theory. Basically, if the book is about a woman in the eighteenth to nineteenth century and it is considered high in literary merit, the woman shall not and will not be happy in the course of the book. therefore I think Angel will finally break through and forgive Tess, and then die, maybe in a similar manner that befell prince, (that would make the book cyclical in some deranged manner), or is incapable of such and some other tragedy befalls Tess and everyone dies.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the fifth phase, my outlook on Angel is completly altered from when he is first introduced. It is made clear that Tess has not lived too happy of a life, she was raped, left with a baby, and the baby died. Finally Tess has someone good come into her life, Angel, and now that cant even go right for her. After finding out that Tess is impure, Angels Character immediatly changes. Angel changes from being someone I thought was kind, forgiving, and seemed to love Tess no matter what, to a selfish and unreasonable character. Tess's rape was not her fault, however Angel turns everything on her claiming she has betrayed him and has been untrue. Meanwhile, Tess does not bring up his love affair and essentially takes the blame. You would think that Angel, after finding out his beloved Tess had been raped in a tragic experience earlier in her life he would comfort her, instead he only thinks of himself. His actions are powered by his feelings of foolishness. Angel feels foolish for thinking that Tess was so pure and innocent and he would have never loved her if he knew that she was impure. Also, he feels like he has been betrayed by Tess because she did not tell him, although this happened so long ago. Angel has no right to be mad at Tess because her rape was beyond her controll. There is slight hope that Angel can change later in the novel, but Tess's guilt and Angel's Taste of Betrayal hinders their future.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading phase five in Tess, my opinion for Angel has totally changed. When Angel was first introduced, Angel seemed like a sweet, genuine guy, the total opposite of what Alec was. Angel actually cared, loved and treated Tess like a lady. All my respect for Angel changed when i finished reading phase five. Angel claims that Tess is not the girl he once married, and shames her as his wife. I think that Angel is being completely unreasonable, in the fact that Tess was raped. No one asks for rape. If Tess had the choice, I am sure should would have remained pure, but she did not get to make that choice. ANgel has that belief that Tess is not worthy of him because she is not pure and considers her a hussy. I believe that Angel's parents motivate his behavior. Angel is everything his parents did not sought out for him to be. If Angel reveals that his wife is not pure, he will just look as if he is another failure in their eyes. Angel has already failed twice in being what his parents dream him to be, as a minister, and also to take the hand in marraige with Mercy. The impurity of the wife he has chosen will make him seem like the failure, in the eyes of his parents. I feel there is little hope for Angel at this point. Angel has already disowned Tess. If Angel truly was the man I thought him to be in the begining, he would have foregiven Tess in the past, and move on into the future.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the fifth Phase, I am shocked by Angel. As, A. Baker said, he totally changed. He was a nice, sweet guy that truley loved Tess and held her to the highest standards. Now, his real personality shines and we see that he is being double standard with Tess's past. She had no control over her past, but Angel did have a choice in his past. By not forgiving her and loving her anymore, he is not being fair to Tess. I do not think he is reasonable nor does he have any justification to honestly not forgive her. Again, she had no control and did not choose to be violated. His not accepting her anymore also reveals that he may just love the idea of Tess and not Tess the actual person. If he did actually love her, I think he would accept, forgive and still love her. I think Angel's family and society motivate him to act the way he does towards Tess. His parents want a pure and virtous wife for him. Since he did not follow the profession they wanted, he wants to at least impress them with his wife. Society also looks down on Tess's rape during the time period, but Angel's forty-eight hour "love" does not seem to phase society. If he stayed with her and society knew what happened, it would give him and both families a bad name and reputation. I hope and believe that Angel will come back for Tess. He think he will accept her and put her past behind him and have a happy family. This is the only hope for Angel that I have.
ReplyDeleteA.Ashworth
When we were first introduced to Angel, Hardy purposefully made him seem to be absolutely perfect-he was handsome and kind and good to Tess, which stood out after all of her previous struggles. As a reader, I fell into this romanticized character. This makes his cruelty toward Tess in Phase 5 more dramatic, because he is going from the quintessence of good to unbelievably spiteful. In today's society, Angel's behavior would be completely unacceptable. He would be considered heartless and insensitive for being angry at Tess for something that was beyond her control. However, in the Victorian period, Angel's reaction is much more acceptable. Although it may be morally unjust, he sees Tess as impure (regardless of who is at fault), which makes her unappealing. However, I would have to say that his overall reaction toward her is unreasonable mainly because of his own affair with the woman in london; he is being hypocritical of the morals he is supposedly upholding by leaving her. I believe most of Angel's behavior is motivated by anger. He is angry that Tess is not the pure maiden he had perceived her to be, and angry at himself for not allowing Tess to tell him sooner about her rape. He is also angry at Alec for being the man to have taken advantage of her; not only because he made Tess impure but also because he hurt her so badly. He is still in love with Tess, but all of the resentment is culminating toward her. I believe there is hope for Angel in the rest of the novel. I believe that being away from Tess will make him miss her and realize that he made a mistake in leaving, based on his reaction to Izz when they are in the carriage.
ReplyDeleteIn a way I can understand everyone's hatred toward Angel's decision, but I think I saw it coming beforehand, and was therefore less mad about it. Throughout the first four phases of the book Tess is continuously beaten down and has many setbacks. I didn't expect Angel to be any different. His god-like persona was only going to lead Tess to fall harder than she had before. This is especially shown as the relationship between them builds, because Tess loves Angel unconditionally. I think Angel wan't really looking for tess at all. I think Tess ended up loving him too much. Angel was too unconventional. Everything he did was against the norms of society and he would have found something else wrong with Tess as just another excuse to change the things he had. Everything in his past was always about changing his life, why would we expect him to settle down with Tess? In a way he is being reasonable with Tess because I don't think he wanted her anyway, and her impurity was just a way to leave.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the fifth phase, I feel that Angel is extremely hypocritical. He will not forgive Tess for the same thing that he did. Tess had no control over what happened to her, but Angel did. I find it odd that Tess can still accept Angel after he tells her his past, yet Angel has such a hard time that he feels he must go to Brazil. What made this worse was when he would not take Tess with him, but he offers to take Izzy. I don't think it's fair that Angel won't accept Tess' past and forgive her. He is being extremely unreasonable with Tess. When Tess eventually told him, he was shocked and angry. He saw her as pure, and when he learned the truth, he was outraged. Finding out the truth, and how wrong he was about her, is what motivates Angel. I don't think there is any hope for him later in the novel. He has shown that he will not accept Tess the way he used to, and he never will.
ReplyDeleteW Domeck
ReplyDeleteI beleive Angel is a man obseesed by intellectual pursuits ans stuck in his own vision of a perfect life. He seems to be very cynical towards society and overthinks each situation. He thinks for the sake of analyzation and comes up with his own ideals. I believe he is being very unreasoanble towards Tess. Her past was out of her control. She did not want everything to play out the way it did, and he should recognize it. He also forgets that he too had an affair, and this one was actually on his own accord and by his own will. However, because of his image of a perfect wife and his uncompromising beleifs, he turns away from Tess at the discovery of one, unintentional fault. I believe there is no hope of a future between Tess and Angel. Angel is too enraveled in his intellectual pursuits and Tess is too down trodden after seeing Angel scorn her. She will no longer be herself around Angel and Angel's rock solid idealistic visions will prevent his future love for Tess.
My opinion of Angel has changed a lot at this point in the book. I was not expecting his reaction when he found out about Tess's past. I assumed that he would be somewhat upset, obviously, since he just found out something that made what he previously thought about his wife untrue. However, seeing as he was involved in a similar situation, I expected him to be more understanding. I find what Angel did in his past to be harder to accept than what happened to Tess, since it was not her fault that she was raped. Angel made a conscious decision to have an affair with someone, so I find it hard to believe that he could be so hypocritical by being that upset with Tess. Also, it bothers me that later he says how he wishes that she had told him sooner, but when she tried before they were married, he told her not to spoil the moment and that they could share their faults later. Anyways, I feel like maybe he reacted this way because he had made up Tess in his mind to be this perfect wife, and he is upset to discover the truth. I think that he will eventually come back to her and he won't let her impurity destroy their relationship... but maybe I'm just being optimistic.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Phase the Fifth, my thoughts on Angel have not changed. As readers we must understand the context of the story and the time period it took place in. As we see Angel’s reaction we must remember that he is a man of his time. Though he himself is not pure, in society there was no social pressure or consequences for men to remain pure; however men of this era were raised on the belief that all women should be pure. Because of this, Angel reacts in an extreme manner when he discovers the truth. Adding to his shock is the fact that Tess waited until after they were married to tell him of her past. Not only did he wed an impure women, he also feels that he has been tricked into a marriage that he cannot get out of. At this time his inner turmoil must be great. How will he explain his possible separation or Tess’s past to his extremely religious family? How will he be viewed by society? The fact that Tess has been raped, and did not willingly lose her purity appeals to us as readers because we feel sympathy for her, but this does not make Angel’s reaction unreasonable all things considered. As for the future, I think Angel and Tess will end up together because their love is true.
ReplyDeleteS. Lawrie
I agree with the fact that we must take the time period into account when considering Angel's reaction. Women were under the pressure to be pure; men, however, had no such pressure on them. Although I believe Angel overreacted to a rape, I believe he was almost justified in his immediate reaction. Later on in the phase, the reader is able to see that Angel did react quickly in judging Tess. Angel realizes that Tess did try to explain herself before they were married and he never gave her a chance. And in this way he almost redeems himself in the eyes of some readers. Although some of his actions earn the disapproval of most readers, in the context of the story his reaction makes sense. The question now is, will he be able to keep that approval of the readers?
ReplyDeleteWith the conclusion of Phase the Fifth, the original image of a peaceful, carefree Angel Clare has been shattered. Originally, Hardy portrayed Angel as independent agricultural entrepreneur who went against society’s norms, but when Tess reveals she is not the pure virgin as he once saw her as; his character undergoes a complete change. Angel transforms into an unforgiving, hypocritical human being, who refuses to let Tess back into his life. His behavior is completely irrational due to the fact that he has committed a similar act during his time spent in France. The motivation behind his actions lie in the fact that he felt he was lead on. Throughout the novel Angel feels that Tess led him to believe that she was pure, and feels betrayed that Tess did not tell him earlier. Even though he recalls that she did at one point try to tell him, Angel still feels that Tess should have delivered the news sooner. Much like Tess, Angel’s life is headed into a downward spiral. Without Tess in his life, Angel will fall apart and be miserable with his current life. Once Angel accepts Tess’ past and forgives her there is hope for a better life for him later in the novel.
ReplyDeleteaogonek6
ReplyDeleteAt the end of Phase the Fifth, my perspective of Angel has been completely changed. At first, Angel seemed like a sweet hardworking man that Tess could trust. The further their relationship went the more Angel began to change. I do not think that Angel is being reasonable toward Tess. Once both Tess and Angel reveal their secrets nothing between them will ever be the same. Tess forgives Angel instantly thinking and hoping that he will do the same. However, Angel does not forgive Tess and instead tells her he does not love her. Tess should be the one to no longer love Angel, because what he did, was much worse. Society's expectations as well and Angle's family's expectations are what motivate him to be so cruel to Tess. Even so, Angel was strong enough to go against what his parents and have a career in agriculture i don't see why he cannot look past expectations and still love Tess. I think that once Angel realizes he does not need to meet everyone's expectations and just to make himself happy, as well as accepting Tess' past, there is hope for him.
jstawicki4
ReplyDeleteMost peers have stated that Angel is acting in a ridiculous manner and that thier view of him has changed, I agree as well. After reading phase the fifth, I feel as though Angel has been completley consumed by his desire for a perfect wife. He is not able to accept Tess and her unfortunate past. When Tess first encountered Angel, he was portrayed as a sweet, genuiwine man who had an extreme admiration for Tess, and Tess could not help but to admire him back. However, Tess' guilt stopped her from pursuing the love they both quietly knew was there. I believe that Angels' conscience motivates him to act in this unreasonable behavior, and he is consistent on his thoughts against Tess. If Angel truly loved Tess like he claims, then he should be able to overcome reality. Thus, I see no hope for Angel in the future.
As most everyone has noted, Phase the Fifth brings about a drastic change in the way the reader views Angel. His reputation as the trustworthy sweetheart he once was, quickly dissipates through his reaction to Tess's past. He shows no sympathy to Tess whatsoever, forgetting everything he once felt for her. Ironically, Angel expects to be forgiven immediately (as he was) for his endeavors with the woman from London. While he claims he will learn to forgive Tess, his actions prove otherwise. By leaving Tess to travel to Brazil, his own immature nature is surfaced, tarnishing his once flawless reputation. Through his conversations with Tess and his mother, we can infer that Angel is looking solely for perfection. These unattainable expectations create a tone of hopelessness for his and Tess's future together, insinuating that there will be no such thing.
ReplyDeleteWhen I finished phase the fifth, I couldn't help feeling dissapointed with Angel. Everyone, including myself, was in a sense rooting for Tess to finally find someone who cared and was good to her. I thought that was going to be Angel, and I feel much worse for Tess than I do for Angel (because the news was sprung on him). In fact, I really dont feel bad for Angel at all. Tess tried multiple times to tell him about her past before their marriage. Not only that, how is Angel allowed to go to London for 2 days and have an affair with a stranger, yet Tess who was raped, meaning involuntary, cannot be forgiven. Angel even says she isnt the same person anymore. This book portrays a very negative image of men in the time period. The first character is Tess' alcoholic father, followed by the rapist Alec, followed by the shallow Angel. It is possible that Hardy will turn Angel back towards "the good side", however; I think Tess should let it rest and move on with her life. It isnt fair the way he reacted.
ReplyDeleteAngel’s actions in Phase the Fifth did disgust me but did not surprise me. As for why it disgusted me, and why he was not justified not only was Tess's loss of purity not her fault, he lost his virginity by choice. Also, he asked another milk maiden Izz to come with him to Brazil for a year which would have undoubtedly led to an affair, which I'm sure he knew very well. The fact that he thought he was justified to do that because of Tess’s past revealed a large lack of sense, and along with his actions before, revealed Angel’s hypocrisy. However, with the ideals and traditions of the time, and the fact that he tried so hard to convince his parents that he was making the right choices made him feel like Tess’s past was the worst thing that could happen to him, though this still does not justify him. I think that there is little hope for Angel changing his ways as well as the Tess moving on with her life. Part of my reasoning for this is because his reaction to it was so extreme that he actually left the country to get away from his situation for a while, but also I’ve read a few Victorian novels and judging by the themes of those books, and the general mood of this one, little awaits Tess except more misery.
ReplyDeleteThe most accurate way to describe my feelings toward Angel upon the completion of Phase the Fifth was disappointment. He seemed to be different from the rest of the men of the time, yet throughout this phase proved that instead of differing from them he was cut from the same cloth. While it seemed that he may be the only decent man in Tess's life, he proved here that sadly this was not the case. Although his crimes were not as reckless as that of Tess's drunken father or as out right sadistic as Alec's actions, they were just as cruel for he built Tess up and then tore her down. The phase also showed the hypocrisy of Angel, for not only was his rejection of Tess despicable, especially considering his own admission of premarital sex, but also for the fact that he considered himself to be a free thinker, only to show that his personal views are mostly in line with society. It is my belief that Angel will see the err of his ways and return to Tess, beginning for the forgiveness he refused to give to her, only for it to be too late. As for the reason why his pleas will fall upon deaf ears is unknown, though I feel the recently returned Alec will have something to do with it.
ReplyDeleteAs I read through Phase the Fifth, I felt as though the streak of bad luck and bad situations where fate and society had seeming all turned against Tess was finally winding down and her marriage with Angel would start a happy new chapter(or phase as Hardy puts it) in her life. However, Hardy once again hit me with another curve ball. After they are wed, Tess and Angel both confess their most shameful secrets. Tess immediately forgives Angel for his impurity because of how much she loves him. Thinking logically, one would assume Angel would be inclined to do the same. Angels impurity is a result of his own actions, while Tess' is out of her own control. Unfortunately for Tess(again), Angel does not see it this way, and leaves her for Brazil so as not to shame his own family. Angel has lost my respect for the rest of the novel, barring some fairytale ending that even Disney couldn't see coming, I don't see Angel redeeming himself to Tess and the Reader anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that Angel is being extremely hypocritical at this point. Not only can he not forgive her, but he can't forgive her when he had committed a crime much worse than hers. He was obviously only in love with the thought of having a pure and virtuous wife, and not really Tess. This is completely different than what i thought he was going to be like when he was first introduced.
ReplyDeleteAs far as there being any hope for him, I really cannot see it. He says that he would have forgiven her if she had told him sooner, but i don't really believe that is true. It shows that he is trying to forgive her, but he cannot get past the fact that she "isn't who he thought she was". i thin kthat unfortunately, this will be the end of Angel's real love for Tess in the novel.
that was emily kaiser.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this phase, my opinion of Angel has changed completely. Along with being hypocritical, as Emily has stated, he refuses to see his own actions as a sin it seems. Unlike Tess, who shows actual remorse and guilt for something that is not her fault, he feels totally justified in his own actions. For one, it was not tess's fault, and he should not be angry at her for something she cannot control.
ReplyDeleteThere really seems to be no hope for him, along with being angry with Tess, he runs away from his problems by leaving to brazil after hearing about her past. He seems to be likely to run from every problem he faces, even within his never-ending search for a carrer that does not involve the church like his family.
I told you guys that Angel was a Jerk and by his eagerness to marry Tess without delving deep into her past, to know if there were any secrets in tess's past in addition to his reaction to her dark secret and then his lamenting of Tess not telling him about the rape proves he is a deeply flawed character he is the baby of his family and does not know how to work for somethong since his parents just handed him everthing he wanted.
ReplyDeleteit is my sister emily covert so this is SAM Covert
ReplyDeleteMy first impression of Angel was that he was kind-hearted and a genuinely sweet young man. After completing Phase The Fifth, my perception of him has completely changed, and I do not feel as though he is the person i once believed him to be. After Tess reveals to Angel her tainted past, he almost seems to take on a whole new personality. He is very upset that the person he thought he fell in love with, is not at all who she alleged to be. Angel, who once seemed to worship the ground that Tess walked on, is now reacting in unsightly ways by calling her ill, and not even wanting to be in the same room as her. Angel is in no way being reasonable to Tess; she can not help that she was raped. Angel fails to realize that Tess was forced to do things she did not consent to, therefore she should not be blamed for what Alec D'Uberville did to her. Angel's concern is not only how this will affect his relationship with Tess, but how his parents, friends, and community will react to the fact that his own wife is not a pure maiden. Those all contribute to Angel's reaction to Tess' story. I want to honestly believe that their is hope for Angel in the future, and that he will mature and accept Tess for who she is, knowing that she had no control over the situation. I believe that Angel is in love with Tess and there is no way he is going to let something such as this conquer the love he has for her.
ReplyDeleteM. Meyer
ReplyDeleteHonestly, the thing i dont understand is how Angel could simply just...not forgive Tess after he himself is impure. And, from what it seems in the book, he went out with some random woman and, seemingly, did whatever he did willingly. Tess was raped. She didn't want this, and Angel is an all-around jerk for not forgiving her. I had my doubts about him from the beginning, he was so in love with Tess's purity and, I believe, refused to listen as to the reason why she didn't want to marry him. Perhaps if he had actually listened to everything that she had to say, instead of simply regarding her as this beautiful pure milkmaid, he wouldnt have been so inclined as to marry her. However, I also believe that he will show up again in the book. His obsessive love for her will shine through and at some point, and he will forgive her. He even said something along the lines of "if you had told me sooner i would have forgiven you." Who knows, with how depressing this book has been so far, she could be dead before he comes back and realizes that he still loves her.
Testing the posting feature.
ReplyDelete