Some minor examples of the effects of social status are clothing, food, and transport. If you were wealthy, you would wear better, warmer clothing that would be regularly cleaned and would probably be replaced if torn. Members of the working class would often get “hand-me-downs” from older siblings or relatives, and the number of clothes a person owned would be small. A wealthy person would probably have a large selection of food to choose from that may have been cooked by kitchen staff. However, less wealthy people did not have crops and livestock to collect meat from, so animals on land owned by the upper class would be poached in order to get much needed food. Transport for any member of the upper class society may even have seemed quite enjoyable at times, because instead of walking everywhere like a lower class citizen would, they probably would have owned a Gig (a type of carriage). They would use this carriage to take them to places such as the market where goods would be traded, and where much gossip would be exchanged.
Gossip was almost like a hobby for people belonging to the lower class, as there was little else to do whilst tediously milking the cows or walking for miles to get to market, etc. Gossip was the main way that news was able to spread, as there were few newspapers at the time. Because it was mainly spread by word-of-mouth, sometimes the actual issue may have become distorted. This could sometimes be terrible for whom the gossip was concerning, and could occasionally lead to punishment for a crime or even excommunication (like Rhoda). Another position, other then the work place or at market, where gossip was exchanged was at the local church, which was considered a focal point for an entire community. This is why Rhoda had sent her son to the church to find out more about the farmers new partner, as she knows that both she and the farmer would be at the Sunday morning service.
Usually members of a certain social class would only try to acquire a relationship with another member of the same social status. Occasionally though, there is a relationship between class boundaries. Though this would seem to be very odd, and the upper class citizen would be seen to be the victim of some sort of wrongdoing such as witchcraft. This is because of the very superstitious lifestyle that remained from before 1825. This unfortunate incident occurred when the farmer and Rhoda were in a relationship, and Rhoda was ostracised (Rhoda’s son was a product of this relationship). Because of the farmer’s wealth, and the power it gives him, he is able to marry young women and then divorce them when they are too old for his liking. Even though he will have aged, younger women still find him attractive because of his wealth. Women at that period of history were still viewed as second-class citizens, as they still had to obey their husbands and do as they were told. An example of some of this is the evidence of the farmer hitting Gertrude. This shows his power, not only as a wealthy businessman, but also as a man, and his attitude to female defiance.
People of that time were incredibly superstitious, as has already been noticed, but to such an extent that scientific advice was almost completely ignored. An example of this was when Gertrude decided upon visiting Conjuror Trendell, instead of returning to the doctor. More evidence of this is available, Conjuror Trendell was ostracised, as was Rhoda, because of the superstitious mind of an entire community.
This community would view things such as a public execution far more differently when compared to today’s modern society. A public hanging was considered as a sort of “day out” where people would gather see the execution from miles around. The hanging would usually take place just after midday, as the London coach would arrive prior to that and may be carrying a letter ordering a reprieve. Though this was often not the case, as the justice system was very severe, and even if it was known that a person under trial for a crime was innocent, the punishment would still be carried out to set an example for all potential offenders. An execution would be issued even for arsine.
With the information that I have gathered from The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy, it seems that the majority of people living in Britain in 1825 were still quite reliant upon a superstitious way of life; believing magic and witchcraft. The fact that everything relied so heavily on a classing system just goes to show how socially under developed the people of Britain were before the twentieth century. This could have been because of being confined mostly to their own village due to a lack of money and transport. However, there are signs of scientific development with the existence of doctors during that time, which does show us how the communities managed to evolve into today’s sprawling cities and towns.
