# Joan Durbeyfield — Tess of the d’Urbervilles character guide > Joan Durbeyfield in Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Joan, Widow Joan, Mrs. Durbeyfield **First appearance:** 0002-tess-of-the-d-urbervilles ## Snapshot Tess's mother, a woman of folk remedies and social ambition who sends her daughter toward the d'Urbervilles with more hope than sense. ## Who they are Joan runs the Durbeyfield household on superstition, song, and a stubborn belief that her family's old blood entitles them to better. She sees Tess's beauty as an asset and the d'Urberville connection as a ladder, and her cheerful scheming sets the plot in motion without her ever quite understanding what she has done. She is not cruel — she is careless in a way that the novel treats as its own kind of tragedy. ## Relationships ### [Tess Durbeyfield](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/characters/tess_durbeyfield) _family_ Joan is Tess's mother, a well-meaning but naive woman who pushes Tess toward Alec d'Urberville for financial gain. ### [Angel Clare](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/characters/angel_clare) _social_ Angel interacts with Joan as his mother-in-law, but their relationship is strained due to Tess's past and Joan's role in it. ### [Tess Durbeyfield](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/characters/tess_durbeyfield) _family_ Joan is Tess's mother, a well-meaning but naive woman who pushes Tess toward Alec d'Urberville for financial gain. ### [Angel Clare](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/characters/angel_clare) _social_ Angel interacts with Joan as his mother-in-law, but their relationship is strained due to Tess's past and Joan's role in it. ### [Tess Durbeyfield](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/characters/tess_durbeyfield) _family_ Joan is Tess's mother, a well-meaning but naive woman who pushes Tess toward Alec d'Urberville for financial gain. ### [Angel Clare](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/characters/angel_clare) _social_ Angel interacts with Joan as his mother-in-law, but their relationship is strained due to Tess's past and Joan's role in it. ## In the story ### [Tess of the d'Urbervilles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/tess-of-the-d-urbervilles) Tess's mother, who encourages Tess to seek out the d'Urberville family for financial gain. ### [Phase the First: The Maiden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/phase-the-first-the-maiden) Tess's mother, who encourages Tess to seek favor with the d'Urbervilles, hoping for financial gain. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/i) John sends a message to his wife, instructing her to stop washing and wait for his return with news. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/iii) Rocking the cradle and singing, she tells Tess about the d'Urberville lineage and goes to fetch John from the inn. ### [The Ruin of Prince](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/iv) Devises the plan to send Tess to claim kin with the wealthy Mrs. d'Urberville, hoping for a grand marriage. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/v) Joan is Tess's mother, who schemes to send Tess to claim kin with the d'Urbervilles, hoping for financial help and possibly a match. She is childlike and opportunistic. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/vi) Eagerly pushes Tess to accept the position, seeing it as a chance for Tess to marry Alec and improve the family's fortunes. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/vii) Dresses Tess to attract Alec, expresses later regret, but trusts to chance; she claps her hands when Alec arrives in the gig. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/viii) Mentioned indirectly as Tess's mother, who dressed Tess prettily, apparently to lamentable purpose. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/ix) Mentioned as Tess's musical mother, from whom Tess learned tunes for the bullfinches. ### [The Chaseborough Fair and the Flight with Alec](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/x) Joan is mentioned indirectly as the matron who pressures Tess to join the weekly pilgrimages, reflecting the local marriage customs. ### [Phase the Second: Maiden No More](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/phase-the-second-maiden-no-more) Joan is Tess's mother, who shows concern but also a pragmatic, sometimes insensitive, attitude toward Tess's situation. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/xii) Expresses disappointment that Tess did not secure a marriage proposal from Alec; admits she did not warn Tess about men for fear she would lose her chance. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/xiii) Takes pride in the attention Tess receives from visitors, hoping it might lead to marriage despite the risk to Tess's reputation. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/xiv) Mentioned as part of the household; Tess's mother is not directly active but her absence is noted in Tess's distress. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/xv) Tess's mother, who knows Tess's feelings about the d'Urberville ancestry and never alludes to it, though she is Blakemore to the bone. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/xvii) Mentioned in Dairyman Crick's inquiry about Tess's family. ### [Phase the Fourth: The Consequence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/phase-the-fourth-the-consequence) Joan is unsympathetic to Tess's plight after her return home, blaming her for not keeping her past secret and showing little understanding of her daughter's suffering. ### [The Milkmaid's Journey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/xxx) Tess decides to write to her mother about the engagement. ### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/xxxi) Writes a letter advising Tess to keep her past a secret, viewing it as a minor accident. ### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/xxxii) Tess writes to her for advice about the marriage, but Joan does not reply. ### [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/xxxiii) Mentioned as having written a letter to Tess, though not directly present. ### [Phase the Fifth: The Woman Pays](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/phase-the-fifth-the-woman-pays) Joan is present when Tess returns home after the separation, and she tries to support Tess. ### [XXXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/xxxviii) Reacts with anger and disappointment at Tess's confession, calling her a fool; later accepts the situation as a stroke of bad luck and uses Tess's money to celebrate. ### [XLI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/xli) Tess's mother; she writes to Tess asking for money to repair the thatch and ceiling of their house, and Tess sends twenty pounds. ### [L](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/l) Recovering from illness, but her husband's death changes the family's fortunes. ### [LI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/li) Joan has gone out to bid friends goodbye; she was scolded for harboring Tess and independently offered to leave. ### [LII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/lii) Joan leads the family's move, determined to camp in the d'Urberville Aisle, and expresses bitterness about Tess's marriage. ### [LIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/liii) Sends a brief, evasive reply to Angel's inquiry, stating Tess is away and not revealing her address. ### [LIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/chapters/liv) Reluctantly reveals Tess's whereabouts to Angel, showing evasiveness and concern. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/characters/joan_durbeyfield - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tess_of_the_d_urbervilles_se/characters