Compare & contrast the differences between the middle and peasant classes, village life and town life, men and women and the way in which religion was observed during the Victorian era - using Thomas Hardy's

Authors Avatar
Compare & contrast the differences between the middle and peasant classes, village life and town life, men and women and the way in which religion was observed during the Victorian era - the setting for Thomas Hardy's "The Withered Arm and other Wessex Tales"

In the following essay I seek to show evidence of how Thomas Hardy was acutely aware of the social status of people, how village and town life was conducted, how men and women reacted to their own sex and to each other and the part religion played in people's daily lives.

Social class is raised a lot in Hardy's pieces. Even though these stories were all written at a different time and then put together, you can see it is a strong theme in the book.

In the Withered Arm, there is instantly a strong sense of upper and lower class. You learn of a milkmaid named, Rhoda Brook, and hear of her story among gossipers at the farm. She was once attached to the boss, a Mr. Lodge but because of their differences in class Mr. Lodge ends their relationship, leaving Rhoda with a child. This shows that the upper class can not mix with lower class as it jeopardizes their appearance. This makes the reader feel sympathetic towards Rhoda.

Later on in the same story Rhoda desperately needs to know about Farmer Lodges new wife and sends her son out so he can report back and describe the newly Mrs. Lodge. The wife is described as, "A lady complete," who is more suited to the proud Farmer Lodge. This is a comparison between Rhoda and Mrs. Lodge, and how Mr. Lodge could not bear to be seen with Rhoda, but is very proud of this complete lady. This is an example of vanity.

A comparison between the upper and lower class in this story is the way characters from the lower class believe in superstition and the upper class don't like to be involved in it. An example of this is when people learn of Gertrude's (Mrs. Lodge) disfigurement on her arm, they instantly think Rhoda is responsible, and suggest to the lady a man called Trendle. When Mrs. Lodge next encounters Rhoda, she asks her of this man. When she learns he is not a doctor, but in fact a conjuror she replies, "O, how could my people be so superstitious as to recommend a man of that sort." This shows that higher class people think that they are above that "sort". A point in religion is also raised here. This may also show that the upper class are "less religious" but still attend church for show to the lower class.
Join now!


Thomas Hardy also shows the vanity of upper class and how important it is to them. We have already seen its importance to Farmer Lodge and his pick of whose hand he took in marriage, but the lengths that Gertrude went to for her looks really emphasize this. Even though higher class people should not mix with the sort of the conjuror, she does. After it is revealed who gave Gertrude the mark, she begs the conjuror for a cure. He eventually gives her the cure: to lay the limb on a broken neck of a freshly hung ...

This is a preview of the whole essay