Tess D'Urberville, the protagonist of Tess of the D'Urbervilles, must ask herself this very important question as she navigates the complexities of her life. Although she must provide for her family by running errands, caring for her younger siblings, and managing her wayward parents, Tess is a product of her culture. She is unintentionally passive in terrible situations, such as when she falls into a reverie and kills the family horse, or when she falls asleep and is raped. Tess is also a symbol of purity, innocence and fertility like many other women of the time. Although social stigmas and her immoral social status are an obstacle, Tess's burdensome past is the problem that truly prevents her from escaping her destiny and developing a sense of freedom even after her voluntary and involuntary attempts to reinvent herself. Tess hasn't always been used to changing her views and actions to free herself. After being horribly raped, Tess confronts her neglectful mother by telling her that the rape would not have happened if only Tess "had known what to guard against" (82). At first Tess was not aware that she could control her destiny, and therefore suffers greatly from it. The rape incident took away Tess' purity and sense of self. Society condemns Tess for her rape and as a result she is ostracized as a fallen woman. Tess already feels like “the figure of Guilt intruding into the places of Innocence” (86). The first time Tess challenges society is when she attempts to restore her reputation and save her baby. It was believed that if a child was not baptized he would go to Hell. Wanting to save her son from his unfortunate fate, Tess “set about baptizing her son,” an activity reserved for religious leaders (94). When her baby, named Sorrow, dies, ... middle of paper ... and desperation arise in Tess. In a climactic killing spree, Tess kills Alec, the man who raped her and "torn her life to pieces" (381). Tess, once a caged bird, appears to be free. But has Tess achieved true freedom? The narrator agrees that Tess has found true happiness in the fact that she no longer thinks about her past because "why should we" (389). Women living in this time period were expected to be pure, chaste, and innocent. When Tess is stripped of all these attributes, she fights to restore what was brazenly taken away from her. No matter how many times she reinvents herself, society, social stigmas, and her dark past prevent her from freeing herself from her burdens. However, when Tess realizes that she has a chance to change her destiny, she actively transforms into a strong and resilient woman, which ultimately leads to her death..