Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles", and Margaret Laurence's "The Stone Angel".

A Tragic Life Tragedy in our lives is caused not only by our direct and indirect relationships to people and events, but also by our feelings of disgust, longing, and depression over a long period of time, "Tragedy may also be created by an opposing environment either of things inherent in the universe, or of human institutions" (1895 Thomas Hardy). Whether the people or events consist of only small annoyances, they can escalate into large problems …

…affect us directly or indirectly, humankind is consumed by its force and power. A wise man once said that "tragedy is not what we suffer, but what we miss" For both Tess and Hagar, it was the father or mother they never had, a love they could not obtain or conquer and a life of joy and love. All of these things created a tragic life for both the women and those who surrounded them.