From Tess to Trishna: A story of Change
Thomas Hardy’s 1891 novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented is a fascinating glimpse into many facets of 19th Century English society; most notably the influence of religion over everyday life and the remnants of aristocratic society juxtaposed with the changing social attitudes in this time period that would soon result in such notable social shifts as women winning the suffrage. Change plays a large part in Hardy’s novel; from the shift of Tess’s character and morality from “pure” to “corrupted”, to the change observed in Alec d’Urberville when looking at Phase the First: The Maiden compared to Phase the Sixth: The Convert. Change also plays a large part in the 2011 film adaptation by Michael Winterbottom entitled Trishna.
There are many mentions of Tess being a “pure” woman throughout the novel; even the title refers to this idea that is then repeated many times throughout the text. One instance of this happening is when Tess reveals to Angel Clare, her then romantic companion, that she was raped and impregnated, only to then lose the baby after only a short period of time. Though Angel is believed to be a progressive (at least by 19th century standards) up until this point, he proceeds to show the depths of the religious zealotry that has been planted within him by his father. This demonstration plays out as an attack on Trish, with Angel accusing her of being “impure” and “not the woman [he] married”. By the end of the book, Hardy has fulfilled Angel’s claim; Tess kills her distant relative and (by the conclusion of the novel) partner Alec d’Urberville and is then sentenced to execution. Hardy uses this to bring the character of Tess to a close, and in doing so chooses to not allow Tess a chance to redeem herself morally. This portrayal of Tess paints her as truly the impure person she had been accused of being throughout the text and in fact quite a passive bystander in the unravelling of her life.
Although this was the traditional interpretation of Tess, Winterbottom decided to deviate from this path when making stylistic choices about the characterisation of his titular character in his film adaptation Trishna. At the climax of the film, we see the biggest difference between the film and the novel on which it was based; After the murder of her partner Jay, Tess is not sentenced to execution, rather, she walks out into the wilderness and stabs herself. Though both the text and the film result in the death of their respective protagonists, the methods in which they die plays a significant role in defining the character of both Tess and Trishna. Trishna’s suicide makes a tremendous point that was lacking in the novel; in killing herself, Trishna finally takes control of her life which, until this point, has been almost entirely dictated by the whims of others.
The choice to display the death on screen is also markedly different to the finale of Tess of the d’Urbervilles, where the death of the text’s main character is not directly stated, rather it is left to be observed from the perspective of the onlookers, and the raising of a black flag is the only indication the reader receives as to whether Tess died at all. Did Hardy make this stylistic choice in order to pander to Victorian sensitivities? Did he do this to demonstrate that Tess, even in death, had no true control over her life? Whatever the case may be, Hardy’s Tess lacks the conviction of Winterbottom’s Trishna, and by having Trishna kill herself rather than be executed, Winterbottom breathes life and purpose into a character with a reputation for being passive and complicit in both her life and her ultimate demise.
Change plays an important part in Tess of the d’Urbervilles, and this change was crucial in Winterbottom’s decision to set his film in modern India. In an interview with Lincoln Centre’s Film Society[1], Winterbottom discusses the challenge of finding a setting that parallels the intricate social, political and economic state of early Victorian England.
“it’s almost harder to capture what the novel is actually about than if you transpose it. That was the starting point for making Trishna: my seeing how the culture is actually changing, because the modern version of that is actually happening in India. This let us capture the actual spirit of what Hardy was writing about.”
One of the key components of Hardy’s novel is the real-world historic changes occurring in England at the time, namely the industrial revolution. This massive industrial and economic shift meant that England’s society (which was mainly rural and agrarian at the time) was shifting to an industrial and urbanised community, an act that brought both many advantages and many points of conflict; old wealthy families resisting the change and attempting to maintain aristocratic lifestyles despite an influx of new wealth due to the industrial success. These events were also paired with dramatic social change, as things such as women’s and worker rights began to emerge. One of the few places in the modern world where these characteristics are reflected is in India; a country currently experiencing economic success and increasing concerns about human rights, paired with a significant portion of the population moving from rural areas to urban environments and major cities. These circumstances made India, in Winterbottom’s eyes, a perfect setting for a modern retelling of the classic novel.
Change is not only a key aspect of Thomas Hardy’s 1891 novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented, but also Michael Winterbottom’s 2011 film adaptation Trishna starring Freida Pinto as the eponymous character. In the original novel, we see Tess as a passive character who neglects to take control of her life from beginning to end, whereas Winterbottom has made the directorial choice to both give his main character a more active role in the plot and ultimately take back control of her existence through an act of suicide. Hardy also chooses Modern India as the setting for his adaptation of Victorian England due to the massive economic and social change occurring in the country in the current day. These decisions ultimately result in an adaptation that takes a classic novel and shifts it into an easily digestible film that appeals to modern audiences whilst also doing justice to the intricacies of the original text.
[1] https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/interview-michael-winterbottom/
BIBLIOGRAPHY
French, P. (2012). Trishna — review. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/mar/11/trishna-michael-winterbottom-review
Is Tess in ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’ portrayed as being responsible for her own demise?. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.sussex.ac.uk/skillshub/critical_writing/pdf/English%20Lit%20-%20Tess%20of%20the%20d'Urbervilles.pdf
Robbins, J. (2012). Interview: Michael Winterbottom. Retrieved from https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/interview-michael-winterbottom/
Tess Of The D’Urbervilles — Comparing The Three Adaptations. (2011). Retrieved from http://muirmaidenscorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/tess-of-durbervilles-comparing-three.html
Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy — Reading Guide. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/286393/tess-of-the-durbervilles-by-thomas-hardy/9780141040332/readers-guide/
