The circularity of life in Tess of the D'Urbervilles Thesis: Hardy deals with the natural cycles of the world and the upheaval caused by conventions, which usurp the role of nature. He fights conventions with the voice of the individual and the continuous circularity of nature. Phase one: the circles of life The circularity of life is one of the main themes of the novel. Hardy regards this as the natural order of things. The structure of the novel reflects this dominant image of the multi-level circle. First, the use of seasons to denote the passage of time implies circularity rather than a linear worldview. The years are shown as repetitions with variations rather than new creations. Tess herself sees time this way, as she reflects on the various recurring dates that mark the events of her life. "He noted philosophically the dates as they passed during the revolution of the year; the disastrous night of his defeat at Trantidge with its dark backdrop of the Chase; also the dates of the child's birth and death; also his birthday; and every other day identified by incidents in which she had taken part. Suddenly one afternoon she thought... that there was yet another date, more important to her than those of her own death" (149). In the novel, the past and the future are simply points in the cycle traced by nature. She reveals the destructive aspect of this realization to Angel when she declares her reluctance to study history who will only say that she is "just one in a long line...just like thousands and thousands" (182). Secondly, the plot itself is not only circular, but contains within it a myriad of smaller circles. The main circle of the plot goes from the discovery of the D'Urberville Tombs to the death of Tess. Others rotate within this circle. The life and death of Sorrow are a small circle within the larger one. Alec D'Urberville's repentance and retraction is another. Clare and Tess's physical journeys to each other, their departure, and their return represent multiple circles. Hardy's consistent use of these plot circles reinforces their importance to the theme. The diction of the novel seems designed to forcefully remind the reader of this theme. At the beginning of the novel Tess and her companions dance in a circle on the lawn; he finally stops to rest at Stonehenge.