The Withred Arm

Paige Pidcock

Discuss how Hardy creates a world that is different from ours today in

‘The Withered Arm’

I aim to explore how the writer, Thomas Hardy creates a world that is radically different from ours today. My impression of ‘The Withered Arm’ is that I believe that Hardy has been unfair and harsh, especially on the women. The relationships are based on people’s social status and the fact that men believed to be superior to women. Social structure is probably the biggest influence on life in the times that was set; Rhoda is at the bottom of the hierarchy.

Hardy portrays the character of Rhoda Brook as a woman who relates to her reputation as a discarded woman continuously and as a woman who isolates herself from the surrounding people. “Where a thin fading woman of thirty milked somewhat apart from the rest.” This states that Rhoda is lonely but of her own accord, she could try to socialise with her co-workers but chooses to do her work alone and away from anybody else. Rhoda is a “thin fading woman”, this suggests that she is gradually losing her strength; this is indicated by the word “fading”. I believe that she is gradually losing her strength because she has had to raise a child by herself. A couple of workers concentrate on Rhoda for their gossip “Tis hard for she”; This establishes that Rhoda has great strength because many women would move away if they were the subject of gossip for towns people, and it takes great courage for Rhoda to face up to people and overcome her fear. This adds to the isolation of her character.

He also uses gossip to introduce us the other two main characters, Farmer Lodge and Gertrude. “He do bring his bride tomorrow, I hear” we today wouldn’t say “He do” but this is how they said it in the part of the world at that time. This shows that gossip is the main way that the news spreads.

There is further evidence that proves Rhoda is still caught up in the turbine of her previous relationship with farmer Lodge because if she didn’t still have feelings for him she shouldn’t care that he has re-married. “They’ve just been staying down in Barton that your father brings his new wife home from Anglebury tomorrow.” This demonstrates that she had a child by farmer lodge. A child that is ignored by his father; I know this because if the child was close to farmer Lodge he’d know when he was due home and wouldn’t need the gossip of town’s people to have knowledge of his father. “Is father married then?” when the boy asks this I can acknowledge that Rhoda hasn’t given her son all the relevant information which implies that she was hurt by farmer Lodge and doesn’t want her son to have anything to do with him. I can comprehend that it’s hard for most women to raise a child alone, without any help at all, but Hardy proves that Rhoda is no ordinary woman being able to care and love her son so much after her heart had clearly been shattered by farmer Lodge, which shows that she is affectionate.

Most of the envy over the relationship between Gertrude and farmer Lodge I can see is rooted from Gertrude’s physical appearance. “If she’s dark or fair, and if she’s tall – as tall as I.” And “if she seems like a woman who has ever worked for a living, or one who has always been well off,” Here Rhoda Brook is comparing herself to Gertrude Lodge, Which states that Rhoda is very self –conscious and is unable to cope with the envy, curiosity and worry. She compares everything from their backgrounds, “always well off” to social status. I can acknowledge that Rhoda becomes awfully obsessive about Gertrude’s physical appearance and anxious to know all about the woman who supplanted her. She uses personal dialect as she tells her son to give “a look” at the new wife and report all he sees. She wants primarily to know of any weaknesses in Gertrude. The tension the relationship causes is intolerable and suffocating for Rhoda. She is smothering in spite and jealousy, two things that are obviously going to cause her great stress and obsession.

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Although the pressure of her previous relationship with farmer Lodge troubled Rhoda and resulted in her wearing out, she still has a sense of appeal in her.” The radiance lit her pale cheek, and made her dark eyes, that had once been handsome seem handsome anew.” After all the stress Rhoda has been through it’s a wonder she still has a sense of grace or beauty in her, anyone else would probably give up completely on life or be indescribably unattractive. I can distinguish that all the incentive towards Rhoda’s infatuation stems from being thrown away by farmer Lodge. As we go deeper into the progression of Rhoda’s character, the jealousy intensifies. “Her eyes, then, are not dark like mine?” I can see that Rhoda believes she can take advantage of her son because she has taken care of him all his life, she feels that she can rely on him to do all her dirty work. With Rhoda firing the questions at her son, it illustrates how impatient Rhoda is and how she wants to drain her son of any knowledge about Gertrude he may have. She has been on tenterhooks, and as she asks each question, her obsession intensifies. She becomes desperate to know more as the jealousy swells. As the story progressively ripens, Rhoda becomes annoyed. “Said the woman sharply” The word sharply tells me how the relationship has caused Rhoda to become bitter and angry, because the anticipation raged inside of her. She needs to get one over on Gertrude to relax even the slightest amount. Rhoda doesn’t want people to know that she is interested in her prior lover’s new relationship. “…But why don’t you go and see for yourself?”… “I wouldn’t look up at her if she was to pass my window this instant.” This passage suggests that Rhoda is belittling herself, she’s about to lose her last shred of decency and pride. She is in denial. The fact that Hardy used the words “look up at her” arranged in that way suggest the he is trying to stress that Rhoda will have to look up at Gertrude because she is better than Rhoda in every conceivable way. Once Rhoda’s son reveals that Gertrude is shorter than she, Rhoda reacts with great satisfaction “Ah!” which suggests that finally Rhoda has got one over on Gertrude.

Following a few weeks of growing obsession, Rhoda’s jealousy seems to be at its full extent. “She contemplated so intently the new wife, as presented to her in her mind’s eye over the embers, that she forgot the lapse of time.” This suggests that Rhoda has an image of Gertrude that is so strong it has not faded in time and that she would not forget the smallest of details that the day had put before her. This tells me that Rhoda is a very determined and fanatical woman. The fact that her fixation overflows into her subconscious stresses how insanely strong her obsession is.

In the dream, Rhoda has all her motivation stemmed from her feelings for Gertrude Lodge. To Rhoda it is as if her dream has become a reality and she knows that her obsession dominates her subconscious “the wedding ring it wore glittered in Rhoda’s eyes”. In Rhoda’s dream, Gertrude’s wedding ring is the cause of all the frustration for Rhoda. I believe that Rhoda sees the wedding ring because this stresses how strong effect the fact that Gertrude and farmer Lodge have got married and not just dating has on Rhoda. This portrayed in the novel by Thomas Hardy shows how she looks up to others, as she is unhappy with herself and alone. Rhoda’s anger is finally exposed when she flings the “spectre” off the bed. This is because the mocking conclusively leaves her aggravated and wanting to hurt the cause of her nightmare. The dream leaves Rhoda in great shock and discomfort because she is left wondering whether it really happened or whether it was just a nightmare. Here is where the role of supernatural forces is introduced. Many people in the 1800’s believed in evil spirits and witchcraft. However a lot of people these days are more aware of the truth behind magic. I believe that Thomas Hardy was fascinated by supernatural and unexplained phenomena as I feel that his thoughts and fears came through in the text. And the things that Rhoda experienced are similar to those that were believed by Thomas. The fact that Rhoda’s son heard the thump in the night

Adds to the distraught mind of Rhoda. Many scientists around the world are trying to prove that everything we dream about is based on some level of the problems we deal with throughout the day, which is clearly the fact in Rhoda’s case.

Rhoda becomes weary after the dream and questioning everything, thinking back to when “she had been slyly called a witch”, this is an indication that she convinces herself that what had just happened in her dream was not just a dream it really happened. Hardy lets us as the readers have an insight to the superstition in the dream and that every cause has an effect even in the subconscious realm. Overall I can depict from the dream that Rhoda is indignant woman, I can tell that she holds a grudge against Gertrude for being everything she isn’t and having everything she hasn’t got.

The first of many encounters between Rhoda Brook and Gertrude Lodge makes Rhoda feel inexpressibly guilty “heart reproached her”, this states that after seeing how generous Gertrude is towards Rhoda and her son, Rhoda begins to feel sorry for despising her. The fact that Rhoda could be so wrong about someone, suggests that either she is a bad judge of character or she just wants Gertrude to be better than her so much. This is so she can be aware that as long as farmer lodge didn’t marry someone horrible and repulsive after he left her, because if he had married someone really off-putting it would make Rhoda feel as though she didn’t measure up to even someone like that. Another indication that suggests Rhoda was nervous and hesitant was that she looked pale. It was mentioned earlier on in the book that Gertrude was a pale faced woman, “though the paler of the two,” This tells me that the shock of seeing Gertrude at her door left Rhoda feeling nauseous, as Rhoda had become even more colourless than Gertrude. Rhoda becomes astonished when Gertrude uncovers her arm. “Rhoda’s eyes became riveted on the discolorations;” this suggests that the incredulity of seeing the arm kept Rhoda’s eyes glued to one spot as though she was left speechless by mouth, and motionless by the eyes. I believe that Rhoda is left justifying how the marks got on Gertrude’s arm, marks exactly where she had grabbed the incubus in her dream.

As Rhoda presents questions to Gertrude Lodge I can see that she is still in disbelief “she said mechanically.” This suggests that she can hardly think over the utter surprise of the disfiguration of the limb, so she just instinctively says them without thinking. This suggests that anything could come out of her mouth even the fact that she had cursed Gertrude. Rhoda begins to question herself after her previous and most fundamental meeting with Gertrude, “O, can it be …that I exercise a malignant power” this suggests that she is doubting her own humanity, thinking that she is wicked and spineless. Reading the statement that Rhoda was regarded as a witch before the dream didn’t enter my mind for consideration, until after the dream when I put the two together and came up with the concept that Rhoda possesses a supernatural power. I believe that Gertrude isn’t the only victim in the entire story; I also believe that Rhoda is a victim to some extent. I take into account that she has harmed Gertrude Lodge, but she had no control over her actions, as it was in her subconscious that she was sinister. I also think that she is a victim because from the first time she heard about Gertrude her life had been changed forever. The thought that she is responsible for Gertrude’s disfigurement is over bearing for Rhoda. “Dreaded to meet Mrs Lodge again,” this suggests that she is anxious about bumping into Gertrude again just in case her arm hasn’t healed or in case the question of how her limb was injured crops up in their discussion.

I can comprehend that it is fate that keeps bringing Rhoda and Gertrude simultaneously together, because they continually meet even when Rhoda try’s to avoid Gertrude. “Yet a fatality sometimes would direct” this implies that the pair endlessly bumping into each other is an act of fate. The word “direct,” suggests that fate is in charge, nobody can sway it, what is meant to happen will happen. It is ironic that “What the impress resembled seemed to have struck Gertrude herself since their last meeting. ’It looks almost like finger marks,’” this is ironic because deep down Rhoda wanted Gertrude to be ugly and supernatural forces has given her what she wants. There are many incidents during Gertrude’s pain that Rhoda is egotistical, one of which is when the only way she can help herself is by helping Gertrude. “Well, ma’am, I earnestly hope it will go away soon.” This states that Rhoda can be selfish on times, although she sincerely wants Gertrude’s arm to get better she does so with a huge amount of gain on her part.

It is revealed that Rhoda is a sly woman. “In her secret heart Rhoda did not altogether object to a slight diminution of her successor’s beauty, by whatever means it had to come about; but she did not want to inflict upon her physical pain.” This suggests that Rhoda’s secretly happy that Gertrude is ugly but she wishes it wasn’t her fault. The exciting visit to Conjuror Trendle reveals a lot about Rhoda’s character. I can see that she is a woman who shows great compassion towards other people. “Sad as the journey would be to her, she could conscientiously stand in the way of a possible remedy for her patron’s strange affliction” This states that although she knows the conjuror will reveal her to be the person who inflicted the harm Rhoda still wants to help (now her friend) Gertrude Lodge find a cure for her harm. I can see that the character of Rhoda Brook is a decent, honourable woman. “But she had promised to go.” This suggests that Rhoda is a character who keeps her word, a woman who won’t go back on a pledge. It appears to me that Rhoda is a strong woman, because she has been able to keep all this information about Gertrude’s arm to herself for a long time. Nobody can blame her for feeling relieved when everything is out in the opening because all those secrets are enough to drive anybody into psychosis, but Rhoda held on to her sanity.

It is possible that Rhoda is a character without care, as she treats her son like a slave “well did you see her?” this shows how the boy has no affection given to him, and is only used by Rhoda to run errands. She takes no notice of him just as farmer Lodge took no notice of her. However it could be that she was just so overwhelmed by the news that farmer Lodge was re-married that she didn’t think about what she was asking her son to do. I can recognise how frustrated the boy becomes underneath after Rhoda Brooks keeps asking him to spy on Gertrude Lodge. “His mother not observing that he was cutting a notch with his pocket-knife into the beech-backed chair”, this could also mean that he was just bored and that Rhoda isn’t all that interesting when she is being an obsessive woman. All this appears to cause the unfortunate execution of him because when the story comes to an end we begin to sympathize with him, as he may have been innocent for the crime in which he was charged but there was nobody there to stand up for him. The boy dies a lonely death.

This tells me that Rhoda becomes a self-centred woman because instead of caring and being there for her son she dwelled in the past about her relationship with Gertrude Lodge. In my opinion there are stronger forces than the Law working here because this fateful incident draws all the four main characters together once again. All this could be a coincidence but each and every one of the previous encounters between Rhoda and Gertrude convince me that it is fate drawing them together. On the day of the execution Rhoda appears sad and in pain. “Her face drawn, and her eyes red with weeping.” This states that Rhoda is a woman who is not afraid to show emotion when the time comes and that she did genuinely care about her son even if she didn’t show it enough in the past.

The Judicial system in Hardy’s day was barbaric, innocent people were hung purely to be made examples of.