Sophy and twycott are from different classes and at that particular time that was shamed upon. So this took a really affect on the two of them and the marriage.
“Mr Twycott knew perfectly well that he had committed social suicide by this step, despite Sophy’s spotless character.”
Twycott was fully aware of what would happen after the marriage but he was prepared to give up his superior position that was much looked upon for Sophy.
After Twycott’s death Sophy had nothing no control over anything that belonged to her husband.
“She was left with no control over anything that had been her husbands beyond her modest personal income.”
Sophy only had what she could earn. It was not up to her and she would find it very difficult to work long hours.
Sophy had many a good reason to marry Sam and started thinking of him.
“She had occasionally thought of him, and wondered if life in a cottage with him would have not been a happier lot than life she had accepted.”
Sophy realised what she had done and she had married Twycott for conveyance when she could have married Sam for love.
Sophy has her son to think of and doesn’t want to do badly by him so she does not marry Sam.
“If it were only myself I would do it and gladly, though everything I possess would be lost to me by marrying again.”
Sophy will not marry again because her son doesn’t want her to. And everything she owns will be lost by remarrying.
In this story of “The melan choly hussar of the Germen legion” Phyllis agrees to an engagement with Humphrey.
“The man who had asked her in marriage was a desirable husband for her in many ways.”
Phyllis knows that she should be grateful for such a man as Humphrey Gould.
The engagement is viewed by people in different ways.
“Phyllis, in bringing him to her feet, had accomplished what was considered a brilliant move for one in her constrained position.”
People thought of Phyllis as lucky marrying such a desirable man. But others shamed on the fact that he was a class a both her and it was wrong to marry out of class.
“In those days unequal marriages were regarded rather as a violation of the laws of nature”
People disapproved of a marriage such as this and found it unacceptable.
Phyllis and Humphrey’s relationship drifted apart and as a couple hardly spoke to each other.
“The stone wall of necessity made anything like intimacy difficult.”
It was as if a brick wall was dividing them they found it difficult to talk and there relationship rather much broke down.
Phyllis becomes very close to Matthaus and wants to elope with him.
“She always said that the one feature in his proposal which overcome her hesitation was the obvious purity and straightforwardness of his intentions.”
Phyllis likes the qualities that she finds in Matthaus.
She doesn’t elope with Matthaues.
“It is questionable if she would ever have gone further in the wild adventure”
She doesn’t move away as she does not want to leave her home where she knows and where she lives.
In “The Withered arm” Lodge doesn’t marry Rhoda this is because they are from different backgrounds and classes. Rhoda is working class and Lodge is of the high class. This is similar with Sophy and Twycott in ‘The Son’s Veto’ in that particular story when they married it was said that had committed “social suicide.”
Lodge doesn’t speak to Rhoda and will not be seen as anything to do with her.
“He ha’n‘t spoke to Rhoda Brook for years”
Lodge could not talk to Rhoda as he didn’t want a sole to know what went on between them if he was to ever marry.
Lodge did not talk to his son either
“Having taken no outward notice of the boy whatever”
No one was to know that he was Lodges son as he was respected with in the village and did not want to loss this.
Lodge soon marries Gertrude she is not form round there and does not no anything about Rhoda Brook or there son. Lodge like very pretty women.
“Though they say she a rosy checked, tisty – tosty little body enough”
People think Gertrude is beautiful and this could be one of the reasons Lodge marries her.
The marriage affects Gertrude in that it makes her very upset Lodge stops showing her affection and they can not be intimately involved with each other. In ‘The German legion’ Humphrey and Phyllis go though the same effects with the stone wall diving them. Although this makes Gertrude miserable.
In “The Arch Deceiver” Tony Kytes also marries for good looks like Lodge from ‘The Withered arm’
“I never knowed you was so pretty before”
A Tony base a marriage on looks he like beautiful women. As well as this Tony has a very casually attitude to marriage.
“Perhaps I shall put a loving question to you after all, instead of Milly.”
If he thinks one girl is prettier than the other then he’ll change his mind.
Tony treats all the women in the story badly and in the end resorts back to Milly.
“And what must be must be, I suppose. Hey Milly”
Because Tony kept asking different women they all turn his offer down and he ends up marrying Milly.
Summary
The story that appealed to me the most was “Tony Kytes, The Arch-Deceiver” This was because it was funny to see just how he work and thought he could get away with asking all these different women to marry him and that he just ended up marrying Milly because the other two women would have married him after what he done to them.
The Character I had most sympathy for was Gertrude because it was unfair that she was unaware of Rhoda and Lodges past. And after she was disfigured by the marks on her arm Lodge didn’t want anything more to do with her.
In all of these short stories I think Thomas Hardy was trying to convey the real meaning of marriage and how seriously it was taken to marry out of class in those days. Also how you would put your social respect at threat by marring the wrong person.
