How are the effects of mystery and strangeness conveyed in ‘The withered arm’?

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Sera Musgrove        

How are the effects of mystery and strangeness conveyed in ‘The withered arm’?

        ‘The Withered arm’ is one of Thomas Hardy’s more sombre tale’s. The story illustrates physical and emotional loneliness in all four main characters. Throughout the book Thomas Hardy switches from one characters despair and want for love to the other, this is one of Hardy’s writing skills to keep his reader from putting the pieces together too early on in the story.

        Thomas Hardy wastes no time beginning his story he jumps straight in, setting the dark mood and chronic atmosphere with comment such as ‘ The evening is pinking in a’ ready.’ Hardy tells us of the date ‘ but early April’  as if to try and get it out of the  way, to get started on the story. Hardy seems to focus our attention in order o control our response further along in  the story, when things begin to get strange. The location is set a little further along in the book ‘The border of Egdon heath, whose dark countenance was visible from a distance’

        Possibly the most influential character is introduced to us through village members perspectives. We are now introduced to Rhoda Brooks, a ‘thin fading woman of thirty’ ‘That had once been handsome, seem handsome anew.’ Rhoda ‘ milked apart from the rest’ , although we are unsure why, this urges us to carry on reading. We are encouraged by Thomas Hardy to notice that the woman is quite a ‘loner’ and has little if not no friends at all. Throughout the story Hardy suggests in an oblique way, to give the reader only partial knowledge, putting Hardy in control and leading us to assume that Rhoda a rejected girlfriend of Farmer Lodge ‘He ha’n’t spoke to Rhoda Brook for years’  but we have to deduct this information from Hardy’s use of language and clues. As the story progresses the story switches to Rhoda’s perspective and we begin to see Rhoda’s more jealous and rejected side, as she sends he son to ‘spy’ on farmer Lodge and his new bride ‘I shall want to send you for a few thing to market, and you’ll be pretty sure to meet ‘em. ’  Hardy’s clever way of writing makes us sympathise with Rhoda, especially when he describes the cottage both she and he neglected child live  in ‘It was built of mud walls the surface of which had been washed away’ this indicates slight poverty, and brings to light Farmer Lodge’s neglect of his own son.

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When Rhoda’s son comes home from market Rhoda immediately ‘orders’ him to ‘Hold up the net a moment.’ This is an excellent example of the way Rhoda treats her son, not quite as a slave but not as a proper son, the way she sends him to spy is positively not something any ordinary mother would do. It also amplifies the lack  of love and attention she gives him.

Rhoda Brook becomes a very bitter woman whenever the subject of Gertrude Lodge is raised, ‘ I wouldn’t look up at her if she were to pass my window this ...

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