After falling in love with another girl, Winterson left home at 16. All these details from her personal life are evident in the novel.
Hardy's victimised chief character is female also, therefore it could not be autobiographical in its strictest definition. However Hardy had a similar struggle with religion. Born into a very active Christian family, it was a logical step, that he should also become a clergyman. However in 1860, Hardy began to doubt the teachings of his religion due to scientific advancements of his contemporaries. This caused him to question traditional religious ideas. By the time he wrote Tess of the d'Urbervilles' Hardy had abandoned his faith and become an agnostic with the view; "I have been looking for God for fifty years, and think that if he existed I should have discovered him by now-. Therefore Tess of the d'Urbervilles' can be seen as a protestation against the church and organised religion. A critic, Peter Casagrande sees biographical tendencies as he states "Hardy's originality in Tess lies precisely in his refusal to adopt constraining norms, whether artistic or theological-. Throughout his life, Hardy rebuked the social and religious constraints of his family and society. He expresses this through Tess in this novel, therefore biographical parallels can be drawn.
Both Winterson and Hardy intend for the reader to sympathise with their heroines; Jeanette and Tess', not with the church or society. They are portrayed as victims of Christian morality. The authors present the heroines as innocent and nave, "to the pure, all things are pure-. This enables us to feel their helplessness and uncalculated actions. .
Winterson develops the character of Jeanette from the age of seven to early adulthood. As the reader we witness the changes and confusion she experiences, and understand her struggle; we see her as a child, passive and subservient to her mother's demands.
