Withered Arm Analysis free essay sample

You could not improve your tatus unless people of different social statuses got married hich was highly unlikely. Hardys hatred towards this class system however, is shown far more in The sons veto. In that story, the class system is criticized because it causes people to do things according to their desires. All women in these stories are the way they are because of their society. The male characters of the story are essential to how the women are influenced. In the withered arm the female character, Rhoda, is first physically described as having a tisty tosty little body. She was a lorn milkmaid. She is described to look older than her age. Already, we have begun to get this image of an old -even frail- lady who has overworked. She is a woman who has clearly gone through a lot and has even been isolated along with her illegitimate son by her society because of the affair she had with Farmer Lodge, Their course lay apart from that, of the others. We will write a custom essay sample on Withered Arm Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Notice how it is the female in the relationship is affected by society, Lodge moves on with his life and even gets married he isnt isolated. This makes readers feel that this is definitely unfair. Farmer Lodge is a typical man of those ages who didnt give a toss about the feelings of women. At his old age he accomplished getting himself a young and pretty wife like Gertrude (pretty Gertrude). and her face as comely as a live dolls this tells us how in those days, women merely existed to look good and pleasing. They were expected to be modest (modest woman), obedient and quiet. All of which terms Gertrude seems to meet. She is also generous and kind which makes us take a liking to her. Rhoda is Jealous of the new young wife. For so many years, she had been trying to in the Farmers love back but by this marriage those hopes had been crushed. This shows that women seemed to be dependent on men. Appearance matters a lot to Farmer Lodge, like it mattered to most men. This is why Gertrudes withered arm bothered her so much- because Lodge saw it as a disfgurement, men think so much of personal appearance. This also reasons why women were the way they were because they were expected to be that way. Rhodas Jealousy and obsession with the innocent Gertrude lead her to believe that she was a witch and caused Gertrude to have the withered arm (such are the extents omen would go for men! ). It also led Gertrude to believe in superstitions. Rhoda left home as she could not bear with the guilt, she and her boy disappeared from the neighbourhood of Holmstoke. Hardys technique has kept us interested and thinking. He doesnt tell us everything straight away. This is also the way he develops the characters. The way he allows us to get to know them is by telling us things indirectly. By the end of the story, readers hate Farmer Lodge from every angle possible. Hardy doesnt have time to beat about the bush but reveals things all in good time. The main female character in the sons veto is Sophy. She is portrayed as a pathetic figure with a regional dialect (l liked ee) who has no independence and is bound to a wheelchair. But, like Gertrude, she is a good person who likes to please people other than herself. When Sophy is moved from her surroundings, she is pitiable. Rhoda also had to move but that was of guilt more than anything else. Rhoda was a very strong sort of woman whilst sophy seems to be a very sensitive person almost like Gertrude. The two characters are rather similar. Both of them had to marry men much elder than themselves and suffered as a result. Sophys main problem is her illiteracy. Hardy critically describes how sophy failed to learn the things she had been taught. Sophys son, Randolph (who is a priest) dislikes his mothers obvious difference very much. As time goes by he is pretty much intolerant. He is selfish and arrogant. All of his humane feelings are removed which contradicts his religious beliefs. This upsets sophy greatly as she so wanted her son to love her, But hes a gentleman, and that -makes it- o how difficult for me! Mrs Twycott, Im afraid? ) was a honest and loyal man. When sophy died (supposedly Randolph killed her which shows the arrogance and pride of the social upper class) we sympathize with Sam. We despise Randolph and out empathy lies with Sophy. Rhoda, Gertrude and Sophy are all female characters who have been portrayed by Hardy in certain ways to prove a point. That point being: women in that era were obviously inferior. They were expected to be a lot of things and were so. But the ending for all of these women is bitter. Rhoda loses her son, Gertrude and Sophy die. By the end of both stories, our hatred is directed at the male characters (i. e. Farmer Lodge and Randolph). Readers feel that those women were in a struggle a struggle to get what they wanted (like Rhoda), or to please their husbands (like Gertrude) or even struggle to be accepted as the way they are. The men got into the way of that which makes us feel greatly annoyed. Hardy, I believe, is trying to highlight the plight of women in his time through his writing by portraying the things exactly the way they are (or Were rather).