Compare how Hardy’s Tess and Winterson’s Jeanette are victim

One possible reason why Christian morality, and religious repression is a key theme is both novels, is that both are autobiographical to a certain extent. They are representative of the authors’ feelings and attitude

In ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’, it is clear that it is Hardy’s design that Tess should be depicted as a victim of her coercive society. The introduction of Tess in Chapter 2 demonstrates this immediately. We are presented with an instant picture of innocence to associate with Tess for the remainder of the novel. As a member of the May Day procession, Tess is adorned in white, symbolising to the reader, purity and virginity. Tess wears a red ribbon in her hair; by this symbol Hardy is suggesting that Tess is in some way marked out as different. Her physical characteristics also portray her naivety; “large innocent eyes”. Hardy suggests that this purity comes from lack of experience; Tess is a mere country maiden protected from the world beyond her isolated village, who was self admittedly a “child” when she left Marlott. By describing Tess's world as small and confined, Hardy is reinforcing the idea that Tess is a “pure woman”. Hardy uses Tess to highlight the harsh oppressive nature of religion in Victorian society. In the second phase ‘Maiden no more’, Hardy introduces Tess walking, burdened with a heavy basket and large bundle. This could be seen as a metaphysical symbol of oppression. It is clear that throughout the novel Hardy wants the reader to view Tess as the victim of rejection by the church

Winterson uses a “beguilingly straight-forward syntax” so that “you can read in spirals…the spiral is a fluid and allows infinite movement”. Winterson uses this because she does not see the point in reading in straight lines. This idea is translated into Jeanette’s thoughts about the world and her church in ‘Oranges are Not the Only Fruit’; “I had assumed that the world ran on very simple lines”. The complexity of Winterson’s novel comes with its fragmented narrative. This is the main difference in style between Hardy and Winterson’s novels. ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’ is told entirely in the third person. ‘Oranges are Not the Only Fruit’ is predominantly narrative, but there are also didactic sections, such as Deuteronomy, where the author speaks directly to the reader. This coincides with this section in the Bible; where all the sins are listed; “I didn’t know quite what fornicating was, but I had read about it in Deuteronomy, and I knew it was a sin”.

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