“The Withered Arm” by Thomas Hardy and “The Test” by Henry Sleaser are two brilliant short stories which show huge differences between nineteenth and twentieth century writing and social structure.

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"The Withered Arm" by Thomas Hardy and "The Test" by Henry Sleaser are two brilliant short stories which show huge differences between nineteenth and twentieth century writing and social structure.

Written in the nineteenth century and set in rural Wessex, "The Withered Arm" tells a tale about a poor middle aged woman named Rhoda Brook. Rhoda previously had a child with a rich landowner named Mr. Lodge. But because of the huge difference in class Mr. Lodge left her and never looked back. Over the next twelve years Rhoda lived her life as an outsider, simply because she was a single mother. Rhoda earned her living as a milk maid, it was here where she overheard Mr. lodge was getting married. She overhears many things about this woman "Gertrude", and finds herself hating her before she even meets her. One night she had a nightmare about her, she ends up grabbing Gertrude's arm and then waking up. Surprisingly when Rhoda first actually meets Gertrude she is a sweet kind person, they become friends and Gertrude reveals a mark on her arm which had been bothering her. It was in the exact same place where Rhoda