In phase the fourth of Tess, a lot happens. We get to meet Angel Clare's family in some depth, Tess finally agrees to marry Angel, the wedding takes place and Tess takes that one important step we've all been waiting for and equally dreading. She reveals the truth about her history to Angel... after he marries her!
I must say I was shocked we Angel revealed his own secret which can as its own surprise if I'm honest, although I did feel that I shouldn't have been surprised by Angel's affair. Maybe I'm to hard on the lad, maybe I'm just extremely cynical about him. I'm finding that the more I read the book, the more I am being forced to like Angel. I say forced, because nothing about me wants to like, him. right from the start he's seemed too good to be true and I have been determined to hate him through and through and so far, Hardy is doing a fantastic job of making sure that doesn't happen. Drat those amazing authors!
In this phase we really do seem to get a better understanding of how far Angel has strayed from his roots in the vicarage. When he returns home, he is treated differently to his brothers and his parents will not talk to him about the future wedding other than to talk him out of it. Their difference of opinions and morals have really begun to properly separate this family. I guess the final decision to go ahead with the wedding was the straw that broke the camels back for Clare's parents. I had a feeling that Tess's parents would not attend the wedding but I was expecting someone from the Clare family to attend. When this didn't happen, it really made me realise just how much damage Tess is doing without actually doing anything herself. Just by being her, she has managed to separate Angel from his family, despite her best efforts to convince him otherwise.
Towards the end of the phase, after the wedding, Hardy does use incredibly obvious foreshadowing, maybe too much, with the crowing of the afternoon cockerel. This in itself is a perfectly good device to foreshadow a rather nasty, up and coming event, however the reaction of everyone else in the scene, really shouts out to us that something will definitely happen. Hardy infers a lot throughout this phase but this moment has to be the absolute clearest, especially as it is followed up with the notification of the death and near-death of two of Angel and Tess's prior colleagues.
I think the best way to sum up Phase the Fourth, it to call it the Phase of Revelation. Hardy reveals a lot of important facts and information in this part of the book, and equally not just to the reader. Hardy makes the characters reveal things to each other. Strengthening some relationships and stretching others. Judging by the number of secrets and promises that have been made and broken in this phase, I think we can safely say that we are in for a bumpy ride with Phase the Fifth.
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