. Nature is like a character that walks with Tess in her happy and sad times. Nature reflects her emotions, her pain, her hope, and even her fate. Sometimes nature protects her, and sometimes it warns us about what is going to happen. In this novel, nature plays a powerful role throughout Tess’s life.

Tess is the Daughter of Nature: In the novel, Hardy often connects Tess with nature. She is a country girl, simple and pure. Just like nature, Tess is beautiful, strong, and pure. When society blames her, it is nature that gives her comfort. Tess feels close to the birds, animals, and the sky. At Talbothays Dairy, Angel calls her the “daughter of Nature.”

“What a fresh… daughter of Nature that milkmaid is!”

Angel thinks that Tess is pure and beautiful like nature. Hardy makes us feel that Tess belongs more to the natural world than to the human world.

Nature as a Friend in Her Happy Days: When Tess goes to Talbothays Dairy, she feels happy and hopeful again. The place is full of life. The fresh air, the green fields, and the flowing river make Tess feel peaceful. Hardy writes:

“The new air was clear… The river itself, which nourished the grass and cows…”

This place brings love into Tess’s life. She meets Angel Clare here. The beauty of nature matches Tess’s happiness and hope. The green world and the singing birds show that Tess is blooming again like a flower. Nature here acts like her friend.

Nature Shows Her Suffering: Later, when Tess is heartbroken and poor, she works at Flintcomb-Ash. There, the land is dry and rough. There is no greenery, no beauty. Hardy describes:

“Here the landscape was whitey-brown…”

This shows the hard and colorless life Tess now has. She works in snow, cold wind, and frozen ground. Nature here becomes harsh and cruel. It reflects Tess’s mental and physical pain.

Nature as a Warning of Fate: Sometimes Hardy uses nature to give a warning about Tess’s fate. Before something bad happens, the weather changes. For example, when Tess decides to visit Angel’s family, it rains heavily. The cold and wet weather tells us that things will not go well. Another strong moment is when Tess and Angel stop at Stonehenge. Tess sleeps on a large stone that looks like an altar. She asks Angel:

“Did they sacrifice to God here?”

This moment shows that Tess’s death is very near. Hardy uses this natural setting to show that Tess’s story is coming to a tragic end.

Nature vs. Machines: Hardy also uses nature to show the battle between old rural life and new modern life. Tess belongs to the old natural world. She is peaceful and close to the earth. But modern machines, like the steam-thresher at Flintcomb-Ash, bring a kind of destruction. The threshing machine is loud and soulless. Hardy describes it as a monster that needs to be fed all the time. The machine shows how the modern world is killing the natural world. In contrast, Talbothays Dairy is a place where people use hand tools and animal power. Tess is much happier there. Through this, Hardy shows his love for old rural life.

In fine, nature is not silent in Hardy’s “Tess of the d’Urbervilles.” It speaks, it feels, and it even decides. Nature gives Tess happiness, but also shows her tragedy. It is like a mirror to her life. From the fresh beauty of Talbothays to the cruel fields of Flintcomb-Ash, nature walks with Tess every step.