Gertrude’s introduction also creates suspense as she is described from a complimentary way such as “A lady complete.” She is suggested as a classy and wealthy lady. Rhoda’s son also describes her positively, “Her hair is lightish, and her face as comely as a live doll’s.” He mentions how Gertrude is pleasing to look at.
Hardy uses this certain type of language to make readers feel sympathetic towards Gertrude as he portrays her as an innocent and harmless lady who is despised by Rhoda Brooks when Gertrude has not done anything to deliberately harm her. We are informed of Rhoda’s feelings towards Gertrude; suspense is built as Rhoda is obsessed by the thought of Farmer Lodge’s new bride, her mind is in turmoil. She despises and is jealous of Gertrude for replacing her position as Farmer Lodge’s lover.
During the third chapter, Rhoda’s dream takes place after she has the full image and opinion of Gertrude. In the vision, Gertrude haunts Rhoda as an evil spirit appearing old and ugly. “Gasping for breath, Rhoda, in a last desperate effort, swung out her right hand, seized the confronting spectre by its obstrusive left arm, and whirled it backward to the floor, starting up herself as she did so with a low cry.” Rhoda attacks the spirit and grabs her by the left hand.
When Rhoda and Gertrude finally meet, Rhoda’s behaviour towards Gertrude dramatically changes as she realises she is kind and offers them gifts which at first took Rhoda by surprise as she had an opposite opinion of her. A major amount of tension is created when Gertrude reveals an injury on her left arm.
“She uncovered her left arm, and their outlined Rhoda’s gaze as the exact original of the limb she had beheld and seized in her dream.” Rhoda had immediately recognised the mark and feels guilty.
Another character called Conjurer Trendle is introduced into the story as the white wizard aiming to cure Gertrude’s arm. As he tries to use his powers, he implies that the cause of Gertrude’s arm is Rhoda making her feeling even guiltier.
The story suddenly moves forward in time of six years, Hardy had deliberately used the sudden time shift in the parameters of the story to prepare the reader for a chain of events leading to a gruesome climax at the end of the tale.
During this period of the tale, Gertrude’s arm had deteriorated affecting her and Farmer Lodge’s relationship between their marriage. We know that Farmer Lodge had married her for class and beauty, however, because of her arm, this beauty had gone and he seems to spending more and more time away from her.
“Mr and Mrs Lodge’s married experience sank into posiness, and worse. The farmer was usually gloomy and silent; the woman whom he had wooed for her grace and beauty was contorted and disfigured in the left limb.” Here, we as readers empathise with Gertrude as we believe she is innocent in this point of the story. We are also informed that Gertrude seeks for a cure on her arm to Conjurer Trendle for the second time but alone. When she meets with him, he suggests one remedy for her arm which was to access the corpse of a man who had been hung and to touch the blood from his neck with her disfigured arm. Gertrude then sets out in search for the hangman named Davies, this is where we meet him and read of the fact he talks about his business.
“What is going on there? She asked of the ostler. Making the rope for to-morrow.”
This image is slowly built up as chilling and gruesome for the reader as we see the setting to the hanging of the next day.
The final twist in the tale is the revealing of the hanged man’s identitiy, it is revealed that he is infact Rhoda and Farmer Lodge’s own son! The shock became too much for Gertrude causing her death. The build up of suspense Hardy created in this twist made the ending of the story so much more dramatic and created further shock.
“Hussy-to come betweens us and our child now!” Rhoda is shouting at Gertrude for disturbing her and the farmer’s son.
At the end of the tale, Hardy concludes the story by commenting on where Rhoda is and about Farmer Lodge’s death not so long after Gertrude’s death.
“For some time she could not be found; but eventually she appeared in her old parish, - absolutely refusing, however, to have anything to do with the provision made for her.” The tension is remained when Rhoda refuses the money left for her from Farmer Lodge’s will.
Another short story Thomas Hardy authored is named Tony Kytes – The Arch Deceiver. The title contains the clue describing the main character Tony as an ‘Arch Deceiver’ which stands for master of pretence and falsehood preparing the reader for an element of suspense. However, in this story Hardy creates tension in a comical way which differs from his other short story ‘The Withered Arm’ as the suspense is more serious.
The tone of this story is a lot warmer and informal than the withered arm tale as Hardy uses slap stick humour through Tony’s journey trying to delude women making readers eager to read on. The comic situations include Tony’s attempts in disguising 3 girls (Milly, the woman he is engaged to, Unity; a previous lover and Hannah; Tony’s first lover) whilst on a wheel carts without each other knowing! “Then would ye creep under the empty sacks just here in the front of the wagon, and hide there out of sight till we’ve passed the house?”
The suspense arises as Tony tries to hide the girl he is soon to marry in the cart to avoid trouble with Hannah, part of the ridiculous situation.
The sudden event from the arrival of Hannah’s father Mr. Jolliver also increased the suspense in the story as the unexpected complications from him made the situation even worse. “My daughter is not willing sir! Says Mr Jolliver hot and strong. Be you willing Hannah? I ask ye to have spirit enough to refuse him, if ye virtue is left to ‘ee and you run no risk?” This adds to the difficulties he has added himself into.
At the end of the story, the reader’s sympathy lies towards Tony as he had received the refusal of two marriages from both Hannah and Unity.
“So there at last were left Milly and Tony by themselves, she crying in watery streams, and Tony looking like a tree struck by lightning.” The reader also sympathises in Milly’s situation as she is the only girl left of the three who is willing to marry Tony especially as she was originally engaged to him.
In conclusion, I believe Thomas Hardy’s short story of The Withered Arm is more successful in building suspense throughout the portrayal of Rhoda Brooks such as how she felt guilty towards Gertrude because she believed it was her who caused the mark on her arm which created further suspense.
Another point which builds up to the tension is the final twist Hardy added at the end of the tale which was the revealing of the hanged man, that he was Rhoda and the farmer’s son. This also resulted in Gertrude’s death.
The time omission he had used throughout the sixth chapter leads to a gruesome climax for the reader as Hardy had deliberately left many events and withholds information from the story.
Suspense is built up right from the very beginning of the story when Hardy writes how the other two milkmaids working in the farm are gossiping about the farmer and his new bride.
“The discussion waxed so warm that the purr of the milk streams become jerky.” It is described that the conversation between the two milkmaids had grown so lively. Farmer Lodge then arrives.
“Get on with your work, or ‘twill be dark afore we have done.” Here, the farmer tells the workers to stop gossiping and to continue working. Suspense is present in this section of the tale as the farmer had caught the milkmaids whilst gossiping about him and Gertrude, we also learn of Mr. and Mrs. Lodge through gossip.
The theme of suspense that Hardy used throughout the story in the Withered Arm inevitably links the reader to the text which is why I prefer the story of the withered arm to be more successful in creating suspense.