Thomas Hardy(1840-1928) described his comtemporary social problems with reality in the book of Tess of d'Urbervilles in the view point of a writer. He took his readers into the recognition of the people struggling for a living in terrible working conditions and a number of social problems caused by the industrialism in Britain in the 19th century.
The liberalism of Britain in the 19th century intended to limit the power of the government as much as possible for the freedom of each individual person. The liberalism of Britain enabled the industrial capitalism class to overtake the superior political and social standings in a hierarchical society by laissez faire economic policies. As a result, the bourgeoisie made it possible to create social laws according to their own hierarchism. Along with the bourgeoisie hierarchism, the religion was also engaged in the spiritual moral ideology over the labours and the people in the low class as a tool of the industrial capitalism.
Also, the consequences of the social laws, sex ideology and moral principles of the male-dominated society especially imposed a great amount of restraint on the women in Britain. It was impossible for a woman to be recognized as an individuality in the patriarchal social order.
However, Hardy's female protagonist in Tess of d'Urbervilles who lived a miserable and dishonorable life in terms of the victorian social customary practices and standards grew to be strong-willed and self-independent in the tough situations extremely hostile to women. Tess appeared to be an autonomous model shedding all the typical and traditional stereotypes of a female through inner conflicts along with not only a conscience and a natural instinct, but also judgements and decisions with her own free will on the things deviated from the victorian social practices.
Hardy suggested that Tess with free will should be perceived as a human being with a individualistic identity. An individual like Tess, man or woman, should be the core for the construction of a harmonious and egalitarian society with mutual respect and understanding each other.
J. S. Mill in the 19th century advocated the claims for freedom of the women under suppression by the social morals, financial constraints, and legal obstacles in the patriarchal society. We can see his great influence on Hardy's thought and attitude to the women's freedom of Britan in various aspects in Tess of d'Urbervilles.
Therefore, based on the ground of the effects of the liberalism of Britain and the social and religious restraints on the women, this thesis aims to study into Hardy's demonstrations of the freedom and the liberalism of Mill for women perceived in Tess in Tess of d'Urbervilles and their representing meanings.