Compare and Contrast how Thomas Hardy and Charlotte Perkins Gilman present the situation, behaviour and attitude of the women in the stories 'The Withered Arm' and 'Turned'. Explain what motivates these characters to behave as they do.

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Lucy Hampton

5th Form

Thomas Cookes

   

Compare and Contrast how Thomas Hardy and Charlotte Perkins Gilman present the situation, behaviour and attitude of the women in the stories ‘The Withered Arm’ and ‘Turned’. Explain what motivates these characters to behave as they do.

Hardy and Gilman both share a similarity of characters and theme in their short stories. Both focus particularly on the female characters and the ways in which the other characters react and behave towards them throughout the stories.

Both stories have two strong main female characters and two weaker more naïve but also lead female characters. The way these characters interact with each other is very similar in both stories, how Marion and Rhoda seem to almost mother Gerta and Mrs. Lodge as they appear to have a kind of power over the two younger women. Although it can be argued that in the case of Mrs. Lodge, she has Rhoda’s ex lover as her husband and this could be looked upon that she has an advantage over Rhoda. She feels as though Gertrude is ‘closing doors’ between herself and Farmer Lodge that finally there is no chance of rekindling the old flames she once had with him or for Farmer Lodge to make ‘any reparation’ for what he did to her. Both the elder women also have greater knowledge of men and how the world works, even if Mrs. Lodge is what is called a ‘lady complete’ she is still unaware of how society works and is treated.

Both Rhoda and Marion are women who refuse to conform to how society expects them to act and behave. This is obvious when Marion takes in Gerta after discovering her husband to be having relations with the girl. Most women of the time would have taken back their husband and banished the girl, and although this is Marion’s instinct she knows deep down this is wrong.

Rhoda is similar to Gerta; she also had a sexual relationship outside of marriage with Mr. Lodge and bore a child from it, but yet still continues to hold her head high and not disappears in society as many women of the time would have done. In a way this difference between these two similar characters is kind of ironic as Marion has to deal with her husband having relations outside marriage with a girl, whereas Rhoda is a woman who had sexual relations outside marriage. Yet the two share such a similarity in their characteristics, morals, attitudes and ideals.  

Both of them can also be seen as both insiders and outsiders with regard to the love triangle situation with Farmer Lodge. Gertrude Lodge can be seen as an outsider to many as she is not from the area and has only just married farmer Lodge, however to Rhoda she can be seen as an insider due to her marriage to the farmer. To Gertrude, Rhoda appears to be an outsider on the relationship but in reality is an insider of the relationship.(but not as much of an insider as she wishes to be, as it is possible to argue that she still loves Farmer Lodge)

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One can conclude that Hardy consciously chose to create this situation to portray how women can view each other so differently to others around them when the situation involves them emotionally. Throughout both stories there are many similarities of theme and character and the style in which the situations, such as triangular relationships, are formed by both authors.

Another interesting factor to be considered is the time that Hardy has chosen in which to set his story. The story is published in 1888 but is set between 1819 and 1825, this could just be the way Hardy wanted the ...

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