Tess Of The D Urbervilles Color Analysis

In the novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, a young woman goes through horrific events that are foreshadowed by the author in his use of color symbolism. Hardy portrays Tess Durbeyfield as a pure and Christian woman who is innocent and moral. Throughout the novel, Hardy connects Tess with the color red, a symbol of blood, destruction, danger and impurity. In the many events that occur, red is used to foreshadow future misfortunes, which will ultimately befall Tess Durbeyfield.
In the beginning of the novel the author first correlates red with demise in the May Day Dance. All the women at the event wear white dresses while Tess wears a white dress with a red ribbon, which distinguishes her from the other Christian women. Hardy writes, “She wore a red ribbon in her hair and was the only one of the white company who could boast of such a pronounced adornment” (Hardy 25). The white dresses of the women symbolize the purity of the group. The red ribbon is Tess's hair foreshadows her loss of purity for the remainder of the novel. The combination suggests that even though Tess is innocent at that moment, events will occur that will tint her white purity to a harsh red. Hardy also writes, “The
Hardy uses the color red to foreshadow danger, blood, impurity and destruction in Tess's life. In many instances, Hardy foreshadows challenges to come when he adds a hint of red to physical objects as well as events and places. He foretells Tess's demise from the first chapter when he first illustrates that Tess is wearing a red ribbon in the contrast of the sea of white dresses and continues to use this symbol through the novel. He imposes the color red on her relationship with Alec, beginning a chain of events, which lead to the flag of execution being raised over the prison as Tess finally