She lost it.
Posted by Golda on October 02, 1998 at 13:46:27:
In response to Confused about the knife, written by Patricia R. on October 01, 1998 at 20:16:56
I had thought that she went with Alec so that her family would have a place to live. But when she stuck a kitchen knife into him I got confused. I didn't understand why she would do that based on everything that we know about her.
After reading everyone's posts I have formed some more opinions. As someone else mentioned, on Angel and Tess' wedding night, Angel said he might be able to stay (or some such word) with Tess if the man who had seduced her were not alive. I think these words stayed in Tess' mind. Once Angel came back to her, she probably thought the only way she could live with Angel is if Alec were dead.
But why would she go to the extreme of taking a life? I think she had finally 'lost it'. Alec had persuaded her to be with him, and he had made her family very comfortable, but she did not love him. She blamed him for all her ills (partly true). She wasn't in her right mind anymore. If she were, she could have left Alec and started a life with Angel. She was fairly determined all through the novel to do what needed to be done -- but after so many difficult years, she went over the edge. :-(
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