How and why does Hardy present Sophy and Sam as victims of circumstances in ‘The Son’s Veto’
How and why does Hardy present Sophy and Sam
as victims of circumstances in 'The Son's Veto'
The pre-twentieth century story, 'The Son's Veto' is set hundred years ago in the city of London and countryside of North Wessex.
Thomas Hardy presents a story to its readers where in which the most sympathetic characters suffer from their environment. He indicates a conflict between what they feel is right and what they would like to do. The cause for this may be that they are victims of circumstances by reason of cruelty of others and also the pressure of social conventions that ruin their chance of happiness.
Hardy is an omniscient narrator in this story. This is one of his techniques that show Sophy and Sam as victims of circumstances. He is out of the plot, but is knowledgeable about the characters and their thoughts and feelings, as he has the control of the story; the method he uses in one of the sections is to speak directly to the reader. Here is the example:
"The next time we get a glimpse of her... "
He speaks directly to the reader by using the word 'we'.
The main reason why Hardy presents Sophy and Sam as victims of their circumstances in 'The Son's Veto' is, as he intends to stress his opinion about not having two different class systems but to live as a one whole society where wealth supports poverty. He explores the circumstances and the environment of the characters, which they live have upon their lives.
The mood of the story indicates a melancholic atmosphere. This expresses Hardy's attitude towards the subject, which is the unfair class system. He is negative and critical regarding rigid rules and social conventions.
Hardy presents Sophy and Sam as victims of their circumstances because of the relationship they have between the two classes, upper and working class. The upper class is snobbish, prejudiced and self-centred. Randolph, Sophy's son, is used as an individual by Hardy to illustrate the upper class society. However, Sam and Sophy symbolise the working class society. Here is an example for this:
"...it was not surprising that after her husbands death she...became - in her son's eyes - a mother whose mistakes and origin it was his painful lot as a gentleman to blush..."
This example from the story shows that Randolph's only concern is class, manners and appearance. Where as, Sophy's character is opposite to Randolph's. Sophy proves that she has no self-esteem, intimidated and lonely.
Hardy begins the story in a present version by introducing a middle-aged woman in a wheelchair with a vivid description. The wheelchair symbolises lack of freedom, which refers to the middle-aged woman. The scene is set at a concert for charity. The other audience in the concert look at her with curiosity. The intricate hairstyle that she exhibits draws the attention to her. This relates to Hardy's choice of comparative words, for example:
"...long locks, braided and twisted and coiled like the rushes of a basket...barbaric, example of ingenious art."
He uses simile and descriptive vocabulary to portray her hairstyle, that she pays attention to in detail and makes it look immaculate.
Hardy also uses alliteration such as:
"There are worlds within worlds in the great city..."
He intends to give the reader an effect on what he tries to imply.
Her adolescent son accompanies her to the concert. The middle-aged woman speaks with incorrect grammar and her son corrects her with a harsh tone. Here is the example:
"´Has, dear mother - not have! `"
This indicates that the mother's and sons social class differ. Sophy, who is the middle-aged woman, makes a mistake in her speech and her son realises this and alters disrespectfully. From here it is seen that Sophy has a lack of verbal communication. She is uneducated due to poverty in the working class society. Where as, Randolph, her son was born into an upper class status that enables him to attend a private school.
The harsh way Randolph responds to his mother leaves a senseless impression about himself to the reader. He uses Standard English as he is taught in this manner at school. From here, it is known that there is a contrast between Sophy representing the working class attitude and Randolph representing the upper class attitude.
Hardy's initial tone in the story is sympathetic. Here is an example from the text that represents his sympathy towards Sophy:
"And she had done it all herself, poor thing."
At this point, he addresses Sophy as a 'poor thing'. Hardy wants the reader to build up an atmosphere of sympathy towards her.
The response that she gets from her son leads her to daydream and think about her past. Hardy also tries to create a sense of anticipation and suspense with in the reader during the story. Here is an example regarding this:
"She was generally believed to be a woman with a story - an innocent one, but a story of some sort or another."
This example from Hardy's point of view literally confirms that he tries to build up an atmosphere and tension, regarding Sophy's sadness. He cleverly does this by using enthusiastic and sympathetic vocabulary. Hardy aims to the reader to make them have sympathetic feelings towards Sophy and unsympathetic feelings towards Randolph by using emotive language.
The next section of the story begins in flash back with the title 'The past'. From this, Hardy makes certain that Sophy comes from a working class background, as she works as a maid in a vicar's house.
The structure of the story is in sections. Hardy presents the story in six sections, where he gives each section a title in bold writing. He begins the story with the present, then prolongs onto the next section with flashback and skips to the future at the end section of the story. He selects certain episodes from the ...
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The next section of the story begins in flash back with the title 'The past'. From this, Hardy makes certain that Sophy comes from a working class background, as she works as a maid in a vicar's house.
The structure of the story is in sections. Hardy presents the story in six sections, where he gives each section a title in bold writing. He begins the story with the present, then prolongs onto the next section with flashback and skips to the future at the end section of the story. He selects certain episodes from the story and leaves large sections of the characters lives out of the plot. Here is an example of this technique:
"...he had seemed to be well enough to justify...son Randolph to the concert...she appears in the mournful attire of a widow."
The ending of the section 'A new life' is when Hardy describes Mr Twycott being well enough to join his son to the concert. Conversely, he commences the next section with a title 'A death in the family' by mentioning Sophy as a mournful widow.
Hardy in this section describes the life style of Sophy at the age of nineteen. He uses imagery county 'North Wessex' in the countryside miles away from London. Hardy addresses the countryside as a pretty place to live in. Here is the quotation:
"...there stood a pretty village...but her son had never seen."
Hardy makes an exception that Randolph has never seen his mother's initial life style. Besides, Hardy shows throughout the story that Randolph has no interest in the countryside what so ever. Throughout his life, he lives in the city so he never picks up the taste of the countryside. He is ashamed of his mother all the time.
During the interval of vicar's wife's death, Sam, a young gardener of Sophy's same knowledge, proposes marriage to her. But Sophy refuses. Here is a speech from Sam:
"´You see, dear Sophy, you don't know that you'll stay on; you may want a home; and I shall be ready to offer one some day, though I may not be ready just yet.`"
There are two issues in this quotation. Sam mentions to Sophy that she can get sacked. Since the vicar does not have any children, it used to be only him and his wife living in the house. When Mr Twycott's wife dies, now there is only him left in the house to live in. Therefore, he does not require many servants in the house. Sophy in this case becomes curious and worries of getting sacked. Sam therefore tries to persuade her to marry him as he offers her a home. Sophy refuses him. At this interval, Mr Twycott realises that he likes Sophy and feels compassion towards her.
Sophy has an accident and becomes lame. Now that she is invalid, she thinks that there will be no point of staying occupied in the house. But Mr Twycott proposes marriage to her and she agrees. This situation shows that she is a victim of the circumstances. Now that she is lame, there is no chance of her to attract wealthy men to marry with and to employ as a maid since her initial job requires standing on feet every so often. Hardy establishes Sophy in such a difficult situation that Sophy has no choice. She agrees to his marriage proposal even though she does not love him. Here is an example from the story where Hardy indicates Sophy's obligation towards Mr Twycott:
"Sophy did not exactly love him, but she had a respect for him which almost amounted to veneration...she hardly dared refuse a personage so reverend and august in her eyes..."
Hardy indicates above that Sophy is very respectful to Mr Twycott and even worships him. She is a soft hearted character all through the story.
Hardy begins the next section of the story with an emblematic title, 'A new life'. Here shows that a new life begins for Sophy as she transfers to upper class society now.
"...perfectly well that he had committed social suicide...despite Sophy's spotless character... "
The above quotation indicates that Hardy supports Sophy as he addresses her as innocent with her spotless character. Hardy shows that he is also a biased narrator as he portrays his views on the society through the story. This marriage is not socially acceptable in the eyes of the society as Mr Twycott is upper class and Sophy is working class. Hardy shows Mr Twycott with serious actions, he acts on his desire and not what is socially acceptable. He does not obey the rules of society and marries Sophy. Where as, Sophy feels totally trapped in the sense of social pressure and obligation.
Mr Twycott decides to move to London to avoid gossip and hassle at the countryside. Hardy portrays the countryside as a place where everyone knows each other. That is the reason why they move to the city, because no body know them there.
One of the main contexts of the story is Hardy describing the relationship between London and the countryside. Throughout the story he relates to the scene in the Countryside sympathetically, where as, in London unsympathetically:
"...pretty home, with trees and shrubs and glebe...in a long, straight street... "
"...ever flowing traffic...vista of sooty trees, hazy air, and drab house facades..."
From these quotations it can be seen that Hardy does not regard the city. He shows that Randolph represents London and Sophy represents the Countryside. If two environments were to be compared considering Sophy's and Randolph's character, then it would be considered that London is prejudiced and snobbish and the countryside is unprejudiced and ordinary.
Hardy moves the story on by omitting over fourteen years of their marriage life in London. During this period, Hardy indicates that Sophy has lack of intelligence. Her husband educates her, but there is no observable improvement. Sophy the lady has weaknesses that give her class system away. One of her weakness is her grammar. Randolph, at this time matures enough to realise her weaknesses too.
"was now old enough to perceive these deficiencies in his mother, and not only to see them but to feel irritated at their existence."
Here, Hardy brings Randolph back into the story in an unsympathetic way again. This is because that he is ignorant towards his mother. Even though he is only a child, he feels embarrassed of her too.
Sophy does not settle to the city and misses the countryside. Hardy describes Sophy like a bird trapped in a cage and begging for her freedom to. She spends all her time braiding her hair and looking out of the window. Still she is invalid and chooses to evade walking. Hence, her leg does not regain its natural strength.
After Mr Twycotts death, Sophy gradually looses her education taught by her husband. Now that there is no one to assist and sustain her, she has no encourage and prop to behave like a lady.
"Throughout these changes Sophy had been treated like the child she was in nature though not in years..."
This quotation shows that Mr Twycott treats Sophy like a child who needs to be educated. He teaches her how to act as a lady. Hardy again, uses sympathetic vocabulary to give the reader a pity mood regarding Sophy. Here, Hardy compares Sophy to a child's character.
Knowing that Mr Twycott has died, Sophy is the heir of the money and house. Despite the change in lifestyle; big spacious house and comfortable financial status, her social class does not change. She still braids her hair and gazes out of the window; her only concern is her son.
Hardy describes in the text that Sophy and Randolph have difficult relationship. Here is one of the examples from the text:
"He drifted further and further away from her. "
Now that Randolph grows and matures quickly, he realises his mother's social state and begins to drift away from her. Hardy indicates that Randolph is becoming snobbish. Therefore, Sophy feels very lonely in the house.
Hardy at this part of the story mentions that Sophy relates to her working class servants because not long a go, she was one of them. She shows the ability to communicate and understand them well.
"...her almost only companions the two servants of her own house..."
Hardy displays Sophy as so lonely that she only has the servants to talk with. She stops living her social life. Now that it is over two years, she still looks outside the window of her room. From where she looks, there is a scene of the tradesmen who prepare to go to Covent Garden. Hardy uses the tradesmen and their vegetables to symbolise the countryside. At that time, Covent Garden used to be the place to buy and sell vegetables. In the story it symbolises the working class society.
"...looked on that suburban road, thinking of the village...had been born, and whither she would have gone back - O how gladly! - even to work in the fields."
Hardy continues to mention Sophy looking out the window. The window symbolises a lack of freedom where it is a barrier for her to go outside and join the tradesmen. The quotation indicates that Sophy wants to be the old nineteen-year-old girl who lives in the village as a working class. At this stage Hardy specifies that when Sophy looks out for the tradesmen and vegetables, she feels at home. Sophy lacks her sleep due to nervousness and depression and hopes to go back home.
Hardy continues the story by bringing back Sam into the view. Sophy longs for Sam and feels apologetic towards him.
"She had occasionally thought of him, and wondered if life in cottage with him would not have been happier lot than the life she had accepted. "
Sophy feels very sorry when she compares her present life to maybe...
Sam and Sophy meet and talk about their childhood times in the countryside. Sam is aware of Sophy's social class and addresses her as a Lady. During their meetings Sam tries not to be so friendly with Sophy, as she is upper class. He is respectful towards her. Sophy seems to relish while with Sam. She is aware of the class system and tries not to be so confident with Sam. Here are two examples from the story:
"Sam pulling himself up now...though himself too familiar..."
"A woman of pure instincts, she knew there had been nothing wrong...supposed it conventionally to be very wrong indeed."
Both quotations indicate that Hardy's intention is the unfair class system. One of the effects it gives is to put barriers between Sam and Sophy. Sophy feels guilty in enjoying herself. In her heart, she feels right to enjoy but not in her mind.
Hardy at this part of the story promotes the values of honesty, compassion and love. No matter how much Sophy hides her unhappiness, she admits to Sam that she misses the countryside. The example indicates their conversation:
"´You are not happy, Mrs Twycott, I'm afraid...` ´...Yes Sam, I long for home - our home!´"
Sophy wants to reveal her unhappiness. She cannot endure anymore and divulges by the tone of her voice and the tear in her eye. Sam becomes confident that Sophy misses the countryside. Hardy indicates sarcasm by use of his language as such seen in Sophy's speech:
"´No, I am not a lady...I never shall be. But he's a gentleman, and that - makes it - O how difficult for me! `"
Randolph studies in one of England's most distinguished public schools. He becomes snobbish towards his mother and this disappoints Sophy off by heart. Despite the fact that Sophy's only concern is her son.
Hardy specifies one of their meets when Sam invites Sophy to Covent Garden:
"´Why not ride up to Covent Garden with me? There's a nice seat on the cabbages...`"
Here, Sam offers Sophy to sit on the cabbages. This is not acceptable in the eyes of the society and Sophy knows this and refuses to sit. But then with excitement she agrees.
Sitting on the cabbages is not a suitable attitude towards upper class society.
Hardy at this interval indicates that Sam works in South London as a market gardener manger and is planning to set up a new business and a house from the countryside. He wants to certify his plan, but desires Sophy to join him. Here is a dialogue from Sam:
"´...I'm not sure if - you'd join me. I know you wouldn't - couldn't! Such a lady as we've been so long, you couldn't be a wife to a man like me.`"
Hardy in Sam's speech illustrates that Sam is not good enough for Sophy due to her being upper class. Even though Sophy once had refused to his marriage proposal, now she wants to marry him. This is because that she misses the countryside.
At some stages, Hardy writes Sam's and Sophy's dialogues in dialect, which is the spelling of the words incorrect according to Standard English. This is because that Sam and Sophy represent the countryside. Here is an example from Sam's dialogue:
"´...you'd on'y have to...`"
In contrast to Sam and Sophy having a countryside accent, Randolph represents the city and uses pompous English. He was born into upper class and represents it with a snobbish speech. Hardy points out that working class society is not educated and therefore uses slang. While, upper class society use Standard English, but here in a substandard way:
"´...I am ashamed of you! It will ruin me...degrade me in the eyes of all the gentlemen of England!`"
Randolph's way of speaking is very snobbish and in another way, it is Standard English. There are no shortened spellings of the words.
Sophy desires to marry Sam. But she thinks that She needs to get permission from her son first, due to her doubtfulness. Sam at this stage notices the anxiety in her eyes and suggests that she should not to be scared of her son. At this phase Sophy deems that she sometimes never feels any connection with him.
The last section of the story begins with Hardy expressing Sophy's thoughts.
It is evident from the text that Randolph and Sophy reverse roles. Under normal circumstances, his mother should intimidate Randolph, in this situation; Sophy is apprehensive about Randolph's reaction.
Now Sophy aims to find a right time to break the news to Randolph. She decides to enlighten him on the annual cricket match.
By this time Hardy physically describes Sophy as being able to leave her wheelchair and walk around. She is in good mood and strength. Now Sophy thinks that if her Son is not so obsessed, how better her life can be.
Hardy represents Sophy as a weak character and hesitates to break the news even though he is jolly during the cricket match. Once Sophy and Randolph end up going home, Sophy decides to break the silence in the room and announces her likely marriage. Randolph astonishingly finds it reasonable but has a feeling of fear:
"´...she hesitated; and he seemed to have misgiving. He hoped his father to be a gentleman...`"
"´not what you call a gentleman`. She answered timidly."
Randolph hopes his mother to marry with someone from the upper class society. He does not want to be tainted in the eyes of the society. According to Randolph's hope, hundred years ago only upper class people were addressed as a gentleman and lady. By contrast, in normal circumstances, social class is not considered.
Hardy describes Randolph's first reaction by him flushing and bursting into passionate tears. Sophy with a soft heart shows affection to him. But Randolph, with turgid anger and indignation locks himself to his room. By Hardy's description, Randolph's reaction, it is seen that he is against this marriage because Sam is working class. The way Randolph defies Sophy is in a degradable way:
"´...A miserable boor! A churl a clown! It will degrade me in the eyes of the gentlemen of England!`"
"´Say no more - perhaps I am wrong!...`"
Here, Hardy shows that Sophy gives in very quickly against her son's self-willing. She is intimidated and has no self-esteem. This shows that she is obsessed with status and is a victim of her circumstance.
Sam is uninformed regarding the tense atmosphere between Sophy and Randolph. Hardy begins to show him as a good businessman. Even though his career gets better, his social status remains the same.
Years go by and Sophy sacrifices her happiness for her son. In this case, Hardy addresses her as a ´gentle creature` in a sympathetic tone. She pleads in patience to get permission from her son to marry Sam. Since now that Randolph is a vicar, he shows a more manly anger towards her. It is sarcastic that Randolph becomes a vicar. This is dramatic irony, because Randolph's character is completely different to a typical vicar's character. Hardy illustrates Randolph to the reader as a snobbish and prejudiced attitude towards people in the working class and precisely to his mother. Even though he criticises Sophy with her bad grammar, on top of this he becomes a barrier between herself and her freedom as an oppressor. The dialogue from the story above shows clearly how domineering Randolph is to his mother.
Hardy uses Randolph as a modal in the story to point out that sometimes the upper class education can be so strict that it can destroy all the good career qualities and sympathy.
Hardy still displays Randolph unsympathetically. Now that Sophy persists more for permission he senses doubts that she might suddenly head for her desire and marry Sam.
The dramatic climax of the story is when Randolph forces Sophy to get down on her knees and swear that she will not marry Sam:
"...bade her kneel, and swear that she would not wed Samuel Hobson without his consent."
Hardy demonstrates Sophy making an oath. He also emphasises that she obeys her son's command with fear. Sophy hopes that once she makes the oath, Randolph will settle. Due to this build up Sophy now relapses back to her previous situation where Sam is not there to make her feel happy.
Hardy introduces one of his other intentions by addressing the unfair class system as trapping people in situations where they cannot free themselves.
"´Why mayn't I say to Sam that I'll marry him...`"
Now Sophy plaintively murmurs to herself, which explains that she is very sorry to obey and worship her rules of the circumstances as a consequence of her son.
The last paragraph of the story is a skip to the future. Hardy decides to bring the story to an end similar to the way he introduces it. He uses descriptive vocabulary to identify the characters at this stage of the story:
"...a middle-aged man was standing at the door of the largest fruiterer's shop...wore neat suit of black..."
With this description, Hardy portrays Sam as the owner of a fruit shop and in mourn.
Subsequently, he begins to describe a mournful funeral, where Randolph as a vicar is there.
"...young smooth-shaven priest in high waistcoat looked black as a cloud at the shopkeeper..."
Hardy describes Randolph's physical appearance enthusiastically and in contrast, he uses simile to bring out the contempt that he has towards Sam. At this interval Hardy specifies Sam as a tragic figure. This is because that he is a sense of tragic figure, as he does not get what he wants. Sophy's life gets affected in a tragic way too. Sam still shows loyalty towards Sophy even after her death by holding his hat in his hand. The look he gets from Randolph indicates his anger. Specifically, Sam is an inferior person in Randolph's eyes.
Overall, this story is based on two victims of circumstances because of an unfair class system. It is full of prejudiced and snobbery. This situation makes them victims throughout the story. At the end, the oppressor succeeds. The oppressor is Randolph in this story, objectively destroying their happiness.
My own conclusion is that Hardy has used affective ways to show Sophy and Sam suffering from their environment and has made me feel upset about what goes on around the world. It has opened up my eyes and made me see that no one should be treated ill. I enjoyed reading this novel, because I see a situation that makes people suffer and I have never looked at their situation in this way before.
Miyase Dogan
