Summary
Joan Durbeyfield hatches a plan to exploit their newfound noble heritage. At Rolliver's illegal tavern, she schemes to send Tess to claim kinship with a wealthy d'Urberville lady at Trantridge, hoping this connection will lead to a advantageous marriage for her daughter. When John Durbeyfield drinks too much to make the crucial beehive delivery to market the next morning, seventeen-year-old Tess volunteers to take his place, bringing young Abraham along for company. During their pre-dawn journey, Tess falls asleep at the reins. Their unlighted wagon collides with the speeding mail cart, and the shaft pierces their horse Prince through the chest, killing him instantly. The family's only source of income dies in a pool of blood on the road. This disaster represents more than the loss of a horse—it's the destruction of the Durbeyfield family's economic foundation. Hardy shows how the parents' irresponsible dreaming about social advancement creates the conditions that force their daughter into impossible situations. Tess's guilt over Prince's death, though the accident wasn't entirely her fault, reveals her tendency to shoulder blame that belongs to others. The chapter establishes a pattern that will define Tess's life: she repeatedly pays the price for her family's failures and society's indifference to working-class survival. Prince's death also makes Tess vulnerable to her mother's scheme, as the family's desperate financial situation will soon force her toward the d'Urberville connection—and the tragic consequences that follow.
Coming Up in Chapter 5
With Prince dead and the family facing starvation, Joan Durbeyfield's scheme to send Tess to the wealthy d'Urbervilles becomes not just an opportunity, but a necessity. Tess must now confront the mysterious relatives who may be their salvation—or her doom.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
Rolliver’s inn, the single alehouse at this end of the long and broken village, could only boast of an off-licence; hence, as nobody could legally drink on the premises, the amount of overt accommodation for consumers was strictly limited to a little board about six inches wide and two yards long, fixed to the garden palings by pieces of wire, so as to form a ledge. On this board thirsty strangers deposited their cups as they stood in the road and drank, and threw the dregs on the dusty ground to the pattern of Polynesia, and wished they could have a restful seat inside. Thus the strangers. But there were also local customers who felt the same wish; and where there’s a will there’s a way. In a large bedroom upstairs, the window of which was thickly curtained with a great woollen shawl lately discarded by the landlady, Mrs Rolliver, were gathered on this evening nearly a dozen persons, all seeking beatitude; all old inhabitants of the nearer end of Marlott, and frequenters of this retreat. Not only did the distance to the The Pure Drop, the fully-licensed tavern at the further part of the dispersed village, render its accommodation practically unavailable for dwellers at this end; but the far more serious question, the quality of the liquor, confirmed the prevalent opinion that it was better to drink with Rolliver in a corner of the housetop than with the other landlord in a wide house. A gaunt four-post bedstead which stood in the room afforded sitting-space for several persons gathered round three of its sides; a couple more men had elevated themselves on a chest of drawers; another rested on the oak-carved “cwoffer”; two on the wash-stand; another on the stool; and thus all were, somehow, seated at their ease. The stage of mental comfort to which they had arrived at this hour was one wherein their souls expanded beyond their skins, and spread their personalities warmly through the room. In this process the chamber and its furniture grew more and more dignified and luxurious; the shawl hanging at the window took upon itself the richness of tapestry; the brass handles of the chest of drawers were as golden knockers; and the carved bedposts seemed to have some kinship with the magnificent pillars of Solomon’s temple. Mrs Durbeyfield, having quickly walked hitherward after parting from Tess, opened the front door, crossed the downstairs room, which was in deep gloom, and then unfastened the stair-door like one whose fingers knew the tricks of the latches well. Her ascent of the crooked staircase was a slower process, and her face, as it rose into the light above the last stair, encountered the gaze of all the party assembled in the bedroom. “—Being a few private friends I’ve asked in to keep up club-walking at my own expense,” the landlady exclaimed at the sound of footsteps, as glibly as a child repeating the Catechism, while she peered over the stairs. “Oh, ’tis you,...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Borrowed Dreams
When adults chase fantasies instead of handling reality, children inherit both the work and the blame for inevitable disasters.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when you're being blamed for problems created by someone else's poor choices.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone asks you to fix a crisis they created, then makes you feel guilty when things go wrong - that's displaced responsibility in action.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
off-licence
A permit allowing alcohol sales for consumption elsewhere, not on the premises. Rolliver's inn couldn't legally serve drinks to be consumed inside, so customers had to stand outside or find creative workarounds.
Modern Usage:
Like buying beer at a gas station - you can purchase it there but can't drink it on site.
beatitude
A state of supreme happiness or blessedness, often with religious connotations. Hardy uses this ironically to describe the locals seeking escape through alcohol in an illegal upstairs room.
Modern Usage:
When people talk about finding their 'happy place' or seeking bliss through substances or activities.
beehive delivery
The Durbeyfields' main source of income involved transporting beehives to market. This was seasonal work that required careful timing and reliability to maintain their livelihood.
Modern Usage:
Any gig work or side hustle that a family depends on to make ends meet.
mail cart
Fast-moving postal delivery vehicles that traveled at night to transport mail between towns. They had right of way and moved at dangerous speeds on dark roads.
Modern Usage:
Like delivery trucks or emergency vehicles that have priority on roads and can be hazardous to other drivers.
economic foundation
The basic source of income that supports a family's survival. For the Durbeyfields, Prince the horse represented their entire ability to earn money through transportation work.
Modern Usage:
When a family's main breadwinner loses their job, or when someone's car breaks down and they can't get to work.
social advancement
The attempt to move up in class or status, often through marriage or connections. Joan Durbeyfield dreams of using their supposed noble heritage to improve the family's position.
Modern Usage:
Like parents pushing kids toward prestigious colleges or careers to 'move up in the world.'
Characters in This Chapter
Joan Durbeyfield
scheming mother
She hatches the plan to send Tess to claim kinship with wealthy d'Urbervilles, prioritizing social climbing over practical concerns. Her schemes create the circumstances that lead to family disaster.
Modern Equivalent:
The parent who's always chasing get-rich-quick schemes instead of focusing on steady work
John Durbeyfield
unreliable father
His drinking at Rolliver's prevents him from making the crucial market delivery, forcing Tess to take over adult responsibilities. His irresponsibility directly contributes to the family's catastrophe.
Modern Equivalent:
The dad who calls in sick to work because he's hungover, leaving his teenager to cover for him
Tess
burdened daughter
She steps up to handle her father's responsibilities but falls asleep during the dangerous night journey. Though the accident isn't entirely her fault, she takes on the guilt and blame.
Modern Equivalent:
The oldest kid who becomes the family's backup adult when parents can't handle their responsibilities
Abraham
innocent companion
Tess's young brother accompanies her on the fatal journey. His presence shows how children get pulled into adult situations when families are struggling.
Modern Equivalent:
The little sibling who gets dragged along when older kids have to handle grown-up business
Prince
family lifeline
The horse represents the family's entire economic survival. His death in the collision destroys their ability to earn income and forces them into desperate circumstances.
Modern Equivalent:
The family car that gets totaled when you have no insurance and can't afford to replace it
Key Quotes & Analysis
"where there's a will there's a way"
Context: Describing how locals find ways to drink illegally inside Rolliver's inn despite the licensing restrictions
Hardy shows how people will always find workarounds for unfair rules, but also hints at how this attitude leads to the risky schemes that destroy the family. The same determination that gets people into illegal drinking rooms also drives Joan's dangerous social climbing plans.
In Today's Words:
People always find a way to do what they want, even when they shouldn't
"it was better to drink with Rolliver in a corner of the housetop than with the other landlord in a wide house"
Context: Explaining why locals prefer the illegal upstairs room to the legitimate tavern
This biblical reference shows how people choose quality and community over legality and comfort. It reveals the working class creating their own spaces when official society excludes them, but also foreshadows how these choices lead to consequences.
In Today's Words:
Sometimes the hole-in-the-wall place with good people beats the fancy establishment
"The shaft of the cart had entered the breast of the unhappy Prince like a sword, and from the wound his life's blood was spouting in a stream"
Context: Describing Prince's death after the collision with the mail cart
Hardy uses dramatic, almost biblical language to show this isn't just an animal's death - it's the destruction of the family's future. The imagery of blood and sword suggests sacrifice and violence, preparing us for the larger tragedy to come.
In Today's Words:
Their horse was killed instantly, and with it died their only way to make a living
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
The d'Urberville discovery becomes a dangerous fantasy that blinds the family to their actual economic needs
Development
Evolving from simple pride to active delusion that will drive the plot
In Your Life:
You might find yourself chasing status symbols while your real foundation crumbles
Responsibility
In This Chapter
Tess shoulders adult duties when her parents fail, then carries guilt for the tragic outcome
Development
Introduced here as Tess's defining characteristic
In Your Life:
You might be the family member who always steps up when others fail to follow through
Consequences
In This Chapter
Prince's death shows how small irresponsibilities can snowball into life-changing disasters
Development
Introduced here as the book's central mechanism
In Your Life:
You might see how avoiding small problems creates bigger ones down the road
Gender
In This Chapter
Tess becomes vulnerable to exploitation precisely because she's the responsible daughter
Development
Building on earlier hints about women's limited options
In Your Life:
You might notice how being 'the reliable one' can trap you in situations others created
Guilt
In This Chapter
Tess blames herself for an accident that resulted from her parents' poor choices
Development
Introduced here as Tess's psychological vulnerability
In Your Life:
You might carry guilt for problems that actually started with someone else's decisions
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What chain of events leads to Prince's death, and who bears responsibility for each link in that chain?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Joan focus on the d'Urberville connection instead of protecting their current income source?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern of 'responsible child covering for dreaming parents' in families today?
application • medium - 4
If you were Tess's friend, how would you help her handle the guilt she's carrying over Prince's death?
application • deep - 5
What does this disaster reveal about the difference between taking responsibility and accepting blame for things beyond your control?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map the Fantasy vs. Reality Gap
Draw two columns: 'What the Durbeyfields Believed' and 'What Was Actually True.' Fill in their fantasies versus their real situation. Then create the same chart for a family situation you know - either your own or someone else's. Look for patterns in how fantasy thinking creates real-world consequences.
Consider:
- •Notice how small fantasy decisions create big real problems
- •Identify who pays the price when adults chase dreams instead of handling reality
- •Look for the moment when someone could have stopped the cascade
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you had to clean up someone else's mess. How did you handle the guilt or resentment? What would you do differently now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 5: Meeting the Wrong d'Urberville
In the next chapter, you'll discover guilt can make us vulnerable to manipulation, and learn first impressions often deceive us about people's true nature. These insights reveal timeless patterns that resonate in our own lives and relationships.