In the short story entitled the withered arm, Thomas Hardy introduces us to a world in which single, working class women, are faced with enormous difficulties. A rich farmer called Lodge has dumped Rhoda Brook a milkmaid in her 30s.

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Coursework                                                                                       Matthew Regan 10 E

Essay title The Withered Arm

In the short story entitled the withered arm, Thomas Hardy introduces us to a world in which single, working class women, are faced with enormous difficulties. A rich farmer called Lodge has dumped Rhoda Brook a milkmaid in her 30s.

She lived in a cottage, which is falling into disrepair in a rural village in the West Country round about the 19th century. She was a very poor woman and had to try and feed herself and her own son. They both must off had a very poor diet. They also have very poor clothes and rags and the boy’s shoes are falling apart. They were that bad they caught the attention of a stranger called Gertrude farmer Lodges new wife who had brought him a new pair.

Rhoda worked very hard for very little money a day. She Worked as a milkmaid, she got up very early in the morning and got back very late for very little. The work she did was physically draining she had to be a very strong woman to keep going.

The rumors of Rhoda being a witch would of made her life harder than it was because she would off been scared off being hurt or killed for being a witch or even her son being bullied about it. Her life would off been hard without all off these other problems to go with it. Just because she was a woman. Men were very sexist and just used woman as sex objects. Men went for good looks and never would they see how there personality was. This would off made Rhoda Brook think she was worthless and she wouldn’t have the confidence in herself again.

We realize that farmer Lodge is in many ways a self-centered man. At the moment where his son meets Lodge and Gertrude, as he drives his new wife Gertrude into the village for the first time, he feels very awkward. We realize that his son is treated like he’s own father doesn’t even want to know him that would off been hard to cope with. Farmer Lodge tries to ignore him as much as he could. He was very relieved when he got away from the boy but when he didn’t show that he took no notice of him; inside he took lots of notice of him. When Gertrude was asking questions about he boy farmer Lodge was lying and tried to make up that he didn’t know him at all. Farmer lodge was quick to change the subject so Gertrude wound not find anything about the boy “ Now then another mile and I shall be able to show you our house in the distance”.

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We realize in the story farmer Lodge has no respect for women. All he looked for in a woman was good looks what Gertrude had he never went for personality. We know he just goes for good looks because he dumped Rhoda because she lost her looks. He has already lied to Gertrude about his own son. He had been trying to cover up that he didn’t have a son. But to Gertrude she wouldn’t of known at all what farmer Lodge is like. She would have just thought he was telling the truth about the boy. “He is one ...

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