In Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy portrays Tess as a pure woman. Tess lives her life being limited by a patriarchal society. She attempts to uphold purity and proper Christian beliefs, but fails. Tess has a motherly instinct, living her life not for herself but for the people she loves. Tess is a pure woman, living her life with all of the ups and downs that accompany womanhood.

Women are known to surrender to emotion. Throughout the book Tess is associated with the color red, a symbol of impurity and passion that she is not able to resist. The first instance of this in the book is at the "May Day" festival. It is tradition to wear white garments of purity at this event. Tess, however, is not simply wearing a white dress, but stands out with a "red ribbon in her hair." This is not only...