I feel that throughout "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" Thomas Hardy creates a sense that there is a `malevolent' fate guiding each of the characters, often for the worse, to an inevitable end. However, this is intermingled with the actions of the characters and the to the point that for them to avoid such fate they would have to remain inert, and be as good as dead. It has been said that characters "cannot choose their own fate but can choose their own path to disaster." I feel this illustrates the interlinking way in which Hardy uses fate an choice to create the poignant story of Tess, her family and her relationships illustrating, throughout, how his characters get a lot worse than they deserve. Perhaps with the omission of Mr Angel Clare.

From the beginning Hardy uses recurring themes to illustrate that Tess's death has been pre-determined, giving us...