thomas hardy rural life and customs

 By contrast, in “The Withered Arm” at the start of chapter 2 there is a short line which follows “Farmers homeward-bound from the former market-town, who trot all the rest of the way, walk their horses up this short incline. This comes across as another custom as it sounds as if it’s an everyday thing as the farmers ride home on their horses through the village. So this makes us feel as if every one can tell the time by when the farmers ride home as there use to it so much.

There is a newcomer to the village at this stage called “Mrs Lodge” she seems to come from a different background. She is described as “…many years his junior-almost indeed a girl.” This gives the picture that she is young and fresh. It then says “Her face was fresh in colour, but it was of a totally different quality – soft and evanescent, like the light under a heap of rose petals”. This shows us that she is very attractive and seen as well kept. With her skin being a good sign of being clear and toned. So from what we gather she is young, attractive and considered desirable.

We then find she is quite caring as Hardy says “I do – though I think the poor boy may have looked at us as in the hope we might relieve him of his heavy load.” This tells us that the young children have to do physical work and This also shows us that she is caring from the start; and thinks that the children are over worked and wishes she could help the child and relieve him of his burden, but this is as she has not had a taste of farm life yet and there is much more to come. She is soon put straight by Mr Lodge as he says “”these country lads well carry a hundred weights once they get in on their backs, besides his pack had more weight then size anyway.” This tells her that what he is carrying is nothing compared to others his size. Also she as many others will not know the first thing about physical country works in those days when coming from the city. She has had her first look at country life and there is still more to come as she is new to this corner of the world.

To the boy and his mother Mrs Lodge is considered to be “A lady complete.” And her “ways be quite a woman’s” also “her face as comely as a live doll’s” this appearance is seen as very beautiful and to be classed as a real woman.

Also further on in “The Withered Arm” at the start of chapter 6 when Mrs Lodges arm has taken a turn for the worst. she says” nay, bunches of mystic herbs, charms, and books of necromancy, which in her schoolgirl time she would have ridiculed as folly.” This shows us that her back ground has different traditions in life as they do not believe in curses, cures and medicines. But now she is in the country everyone else is trying to give her there formula and remedies but she doesn’t believe in such things so carries on with how she was taught. This shows the contrast between rural and urban education back then, as in urban education they were taught that remedies and cures do and mean nothing where as in rural education that is what they believe in and reckon work.