The basic plot/storyline to ‘The Withered Arm’ was that a lady called Rhoda Brook engaged in sexual relationships with Farmer Lodge and the result of their liaison is a son and a mother that cannot get over farmer Lodge. When the child was born Farmer Lodge leaves Rhoda to bring up the child on her own. Later Farmer Lodge weds Mrs. Lodge. Rhoda Brook was jealous because Farmer Lodges’ new wife was young and attractive more so than herself and was also angry because Farmer Lodge was not interested in the son that they had together. Rhoda had a dream that Gertrude Lodge, (Mrs. Lodge), came to her house and that she had thrown her to the ground by her arm and had permanently left finger marks in her arm. Later she became good friends with Gertrude and found out that what she had dreamt was had actually become true, Gertrude arm had withered. When Gertrude found out who cursed her by a wizard she was shocked and becomes distant, Rhoda moved away at this point so the story continues with Gertrude lodges’ quest to heal her arm.
In both of these stories it has been a younger woman who has changed the situation. In Turned the young Swede, Gerta changed the situation in the way that she was the one that had an affair with Mr. Marroner and she got pregnant. This caused Mr. Marroner’s relationship with his wife to deteriorate and eventually to Gerta and Mrs. Marroner leaving together and starting a new life with the baby somewhere else. In this story the young person in the storyline has come in and changed the situation by the way that the two women who in those days had done the unthinkable and left the man, (Mr. Marroner), on his own without any of his previous two partners or his son. It says that Gerta was like a “tall rosy cheeked, baby” with “gold hair and blue eyes.” This implies that Gerta was a young and attractive Swedish girl who Mr. Marroner took advantage of just to get what he wanted. So that she is actually his victim, not his partner.
Similarly, in the Withered Arm it was the younger person, (Gertrude Lodge), who changed the relationship situation and added the twist in the storyline. It started as Rhoda Brook being in love with Farmer Lodge, who we presume was in love with Rhoda Brook too until one day when Rhoda found out that she was to have Farmer Lodges child when. Farmer Lodge decided to desert her, although the way he treats her doesn’t seem to suggest that he has feeling of love to her. When Farmer Lodge moved into the town with his new wife, Gertrude Lodge, Rhoda was jealous as Gertrude had “hair of a lightish tint and her face as comely as a live dolls.” When Rhoda dreamt that she had cursed Gertrude she is quite disturbed by it she goes “pale” plus “haggard”. Thinking nothing of it, until the pair became really good friends and found out that this event did actually take place when Gertrude revealed her arm to Rhoda. She found out Rhoda Brook had cursed her and allowed their relationship to deteriorate. It eventually turned out that her only chance of healing came from Rhoda Brook’s son.
It is clear that at first it is the woman outside of the relationship, which changed the situation and forced their way into the relationship. Gerta, in ‘Turned’, forced out, this implies that Greta was aggressive she was more passive, as Mr. Marroner ‘took advantage of her’ Mrs. Marroner and had Mr. Marroner’s baby, but in the end Gerta left Mr. Marroner on his own, and she and Mrs. Marroner moved away. In the Withered Arm, it was the young Gertrude Lodge who changed the situation of the relationship by her going through the trouble to get her arm heeled and finding out that Rhoda had cursed her. Then the friendship between her and Rhoda deteriorated. This situation change also makes the twist at the end where her arms’ healing depends on Rhoda’s sons hanging. (The boy who she previously admired and helped out) As far as Rhoda is concerned Gertrude had rendered impossible any with Farmer Lodge
It should also be brought to attention that in both of these stories it was the woman outside of the relationship who produced the baby when the woman inside of the relationship was the one trying to conceive. Gertrude Lodge “had brought him no child” when Rhoda Brook had already given birth to his son. Mrs. Marroner said, “How they do come where they are not wanted – and they don’t come where they are wanted.” Implying that Gerta had given birth to a baby, who really was not wanted and how she and Mr. Marroner were desperately trying to conceive but were unable to due to the fact of her being infertile plus men who want children, but not the ones they have!
In both of these stories we have tales of deceit and lies between the three members of the individual triangular relationships. In Turned the biggest lie comes from Mr. Marroner deceiving his wife by cheating on her and getting the young and impressionable Swedish home help Gerta pregnant. “He appreciated the full innocence, the ignorance, the grateful affection, the habitual docility, of which he took advantage.” When he made the mistake of mixing the letters and sending Gerta’s letter to his wife, and his wife’s letter to Gerta. In his letter he had made more empty promises by lying to Gerta that he will look after and take care of her, but he was subtly trying to get Gerta to leave her position with Mrs. Marroner and bring up their child on her own, to ensure there would be absolutely no chance of his wife finding out. He just promised to send her money for the baby’s upkeep but he really was deceiving her. “That letter, that wretched, cold, carefully guarded, unsigned letter, that bill – far safer than a cheque – these did not speak of affection.” It is possible to liken his treatment of her to how you might treat a prostitute, buy her off with money
The same sort of thing happened in the Withered Arm. This story also contained many deceiving lies. Farmer Lodge didn’t say anything to his new wife about his past relationship with Rhoda Brook and he also ‘forgot’ to mention to his wife that she has had his child and is his wife’s step son. When Gertrude and Rhoda became good friends Rhoda didn’t tell her about the dream even when Gertrude expressed her concerns for her ‘withered arm’. Gertrude didn’t tell her husband when she went off to visit Trendle, a conjurer, about her arm. When she found out that Rhoda had cursed her she still said nothing to her husband, even when she went off to try and heal her arm. “She dared not tell him.” Then her husband Farmer Lodge used the same ‘going away on business’ excuse when he went with Rhoda to collect their dead son’s body. So here again the two stories are very similar, so both marriages are based on poor foundations plus lack of honesty this time in the way of the use of deceit and lies.
In the two stories there have been many decisions in which the outcome of the story has changed. In Turned, Mr. Marroner’s original decision to have an affair leads to his error of mixing the letters up eventually and he loses out on Gerta, his wife, and his newborn child! His decision to take advantage of the young and impressionable Gerta was a decision for which he had to face some serious consequences. Mrs. Marroner’s decision to leave Mr. Marroner and take Gerta with her was very brave, as it was unheard of in those days for a woman to leave her husband. Plus she would also have to support herself and the baby financially, which would be hard to earn money and bring up a baby. “She rose and walked, her head held high. “This is a sin of man against woman,” she said. This shows how Mrs. Marroner still left with her pride intact. She later left her husband a letter, which read: “I have gone, I will care for Gerta, goodbye”. Marion sees things in a moral way. Although she loves her husband dearly she knows he has sinned against her both plus Rhoda so does the difficult, but correct thing.
In the Withered Arm, Rhoda’s decision never to see Gertrude was taken away from her when Gertrude paid them a visit. To bring her son a new pair of shoes, as she saw him in the market place and felt sorry for the boy with an old ruined pair of shoes on his feet. “In her basket, Mrs. Lodge brought the pair of boots that she had promised to the boy, and other useful articles.” This shows that Mrs. Lodge liked to help out the poor with her wealth. It was because of this that she became a friend with Rhoda and her loneliness because possibly her relationship with her husband is inadequate. When Gertrude decided to visit Conjurer Trendle it resulted in the breakdown in her relationship with Rhoda Brook as she found out that it was Rhoda who cursed her. The second time she goes to visit Trendle, she finds out that she must touch the neck of a freshly hanged person to turn her blood and heal her arm. She later goes to the hanging and sees her husband with Rhoda Brook there and it turns out that the person whose neck she had to touch was Rhoda’s son! Rhoda also decided not to touch any of Farmer Lodges’ money. “Absolutely refusing, however to have anything to do with the provision that was made for her.” I feel she did this for her pride, as he was never interested in their son in life so why should he be interested in him in death?
Although in the two stories the storylines are rather similar, it’s weird that the settings are really different. In Turned, the story is set in the urban realms of the United States. The background was wealthy as we can tell by the description of Mrs. Marroner’s bedroom. “In her soft-carpeted, thick-curtained, richly furnished chamber.” However, in the Withered Arm the settings are rather different to that of Turned. It is set in the rural 19th century England in a very poor background, well at least where the main character Rhoda Brook is concerned. It says that Gertrude Lodge was bringing Rhoda and her son gifts, which is how Rhoda and Gertrude became friends
This is interesting as would expect affairs and adultery to go on in an urban state in the States but in rural 19th century England? People have always had affairs, men in strong position class, money have always taken advantage of poorer women but the were largely unable to do anything about it expect suffer. In ‘Turned’, Marion does feel strong enough to do something about it this is different in ‘The Withered Arm’ as Rhoda does not have the courage to leave Farmer Lodge alone.
These two stories come to a close in very different ways; one ends just how it began where as the other story ended with a completely unexpected twist in the story. In Turned the story ends with Mrs. Marroner Leaving her husband with Gerta to start up a new life with her and his baby. It shows the bravery these women had to leave their rich home and move somewhere completely new where their fortune and well-being was hanging very much in the balance. Later Mr. Marroner went in search of his wife and when he found out where she lived, a woman appeared at the door with a younger attractive woman holding a baby, and the woman who used to be his wife said to him “What have you to say to us?”
In the Withered Arm the story ended with Rhoda Brook returning to her old job that she had at the start of the story which was the milking of cows, Gertrude became too old and frail and died and Farmer Lodge became a kind, caring and thoughtful man! Gertrude died three days later in the town “Her blood had been turned indeed, too far.” After this Rhoda had lost her friend and her son so she decided to resume where she had started where “Her monotonous milking at the dairy was resumed.” Farmer Lodge on the third corner of this triangular relationship gave up his farms and became a member of the parish after he overcame his remorse and moodiness. “He eventually changed for the better, and appeared as a chastened and thoughtful man”
To conclude this essay, triangular relationships happen and probably always will happen for years to come. It doesn’t make any difference about what century it happens in or if it is from a rich or poor background because affairs, unwanted babies and complicated relationships are part of life.
