The Just World Phenomenon in 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' Faith Neece College

Many religious traditions teach that the world is fallen or corrupt, affected at every turn by man’s sin. However, psychological research shows that people tend to believe that the world is a just place, where people get what they deserve. According to researchers Melvin J. Lerner and Dale T. Miller, the just world phenomenon can be described as the assumption that the results of a person’s actions are inclined to be morally fair (1030). Good actions will thus be rewarded and evil actions will be punished. These arguments arise from a need to believe that our environment is safe and orderly. This phenomenon helps to explain why people have the tendency to blame victims of violent actions. Whether or not we operate out of this assumption affects how we interpret situations, both in our every day lives and in literature. The just world phenomenon is prominent throughout Thomas Hardy’s novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles. It can be seen in characters’ minds and the narrator’s fatalistic interpretation of the events in the text. However, Tess as a whole is an ironic refutation of the just world mindset. Through his “defense” of a “pure woman,” Hardy shows readers how unjust the world really is.

We must first understand our need to...