Clay in the book is an open-minded intellectual. Although he was born in a pastor's family, he didn't want to be a "God-serving" pastor, but preferred to engage in industry and agriculture. Clay despised class prejudice and hierarchy, refused the bustling city life and volunteered to go to the countryside to farm. He is not afraid of hardships, engaged in heavy manual labor like a farm worker, and tried to master various agricultural technologies to realize his dream of becoming a farmer.

In the embrace of nature, getting along with the naive peasant girl day and night makes him feel that rural life is more simple and yearns for a natural, simple and fresh life. To this end, he doesn't want to marry a rich girl, but a peasant girl. In his eyes, Tess is the daughter of nature, a symbol of purity and a flawless masterpiece. Nothing in the world can be as pure, sweet and naive as Tess.

However, when Tess honestly confessed her past shame to him, Clay's idol collapsed. Not only does he have no sympathy for Tess, but he can't even tolerate her. He turned a blind eye to Tess's deep affection for him and abandoned her mercilessly, which plunged Tess into pain and despair and extinguished her hope.

Clay left Tess for Brazil. After experiencing the hardships of life, he really understood life, realized how pedantic his traditional morality was, and realized how ridiculous his thoughts were. His behavior not only hurt Tess's feelings, but also hurt himself. His inner remorse and yearning for Tess prompted him to look for Tess again. At this time, Tess's pain, regret and despair reached the peak. The return of her husband and their reunion made Tess realize that she had been cheated again. In a rage, she killed Alec for revenge. Five days after their escape, Tess and Clay were arrested and hanged at dawn. Clay started a new life with Tess and her family with regret according to Tess's wishes.