Compare and analyse two short stories - Old Mrs. Chundle and A Visit Of Charity

University Degree Linguistics, Classics and related subjects

English Coursework 1

In this assignment, I hope to successfully compare and analyse two short stories with seemingly similar themes but written under rather different circumstances. The first, Old Mrs. Chundle, is the story of a church curate who does his best to save an old lady’s soul, in convincing her to come to church. This results in rather tragic, yet comical consequences. Thomas Hardy, an Englishman wrote old Mrs. Chundle, in the nineteenth century. The second story, A Visit of Charity, is about a young campfire girl who calls in on a nursing home to visit an old woman, and is “assigned” to a couple of very strange, senile old ladies. What ensues therein can only be described as a rather interesting experience for all the parties’ involved. Eudora Welty, who lived in America, wrote A Visit of Charity in the mid twentieth century.

It is quite apparent from the contrast between the two short stories that the way old people were treated in the serene setting of 19th century rural England is very different from the treatment that the elderly receive in the rushed society of the big cities of 50’s America.

The curate in Old Mrs Chundle goes out of his way to offer his advice and service to Mrs Chundle, though when she falls ill, Mrs. Chundle’s neighbours take over from the church and look after her. This is preferable to the situation the elderly are in in A Visit of Charity, where the state has taken responsibility from the church, and simply gathered the aged into institutions and homes.

It is because of her situation, that Mrs. Chundle clearly values and optimises her individuality. A good example of this is the fact that she feels no inhibitions in striking up a conversation with the curate after he has simply asked for a meal, even though he is one of her “betters”. I think that it is because of this that Mrs. Chundle comes across as rather eccentric, and at the same time humourous. This is in quite high contrast to the sad situation the elderly are in in 20th century America, where they are simply herded like sheep into homes, and lose any confidence that they might have had. They are stripped of their names, and simply seen as an item to look after – “Here’s one”.

The different ways that the young characters treat the old in both stories is also quite obvious. The curate has a very leisured and laid back lifestyle; he can afford to lie around in the mornings and paint “a sketch showing a distant view of the Corvsgate ruin”. He is also quite educated, and of the upper classes whom are more particulars about having a “luncheon hour” as opposed to simply waiting until they are hungry, as Mrs. Chundle might do. For Mrs. Chundle and her friends, eating is simply an act of fuelling her body to last the ...

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He then addresses her in a rather patronising manor, as “my good woman”, and once he realises that she is a bit deaf - “she held her hand to her ear”, then continues to ask her for food, without saying please. He is not being impolite, and may not even realise what he is doing, but there is an in-built social boundary between them. In A Visit of Charity, Marian is never disrespectful to the two old ladies, but never does anything to necessarily bond with them in any way. She is simply a spectator of their childish arguments and games.

The moods in both stories could not be more different. Whereas Old Mrs. Chundle takes place on an “autumn morning proving fine” causing the vegetables to be “fresh from morning”, A Visit of Charity takes place on a “very cold” day. Though, in both instances, the author does not just set the scene by giving the reader a weather forecast. There is a light-hearted humour that appears throughout Old Mrs. Chundle e.g. the curates flying handkerchief when he is giving his sermon. It is situations like this that contribute to the overall cheery and sunny atmosphere that is created by Thomas Hardy. In contrast to this, Eudora Welty paints a conventional picture of hell throughout the whole of A Visit of Charity - stressing words like “eternity,” “screamed”, “despair” and “forever” more than a few times. Marian also sees the old women at first, to have “bird claws”, and feels like she is “being caught in a robbers’ cave, just before one is murdered”. It is because of this, that Marian runs a mile from this ordeal, as if she is indeed running from hell on earth. She feels no remorse or guilt by doing this, whereas the curate feels he has betrayed Mrs. Chundle “like Peter at cockcrow” - a reference to St. Peter, when he realised that he had betrayed Jesus. The curate’s life will be slightly changed as a result of Mrs. Chundle, but Marian will never look back.

A profile of the curate is built wonderfully by the different adjectives that Thomas Hardy uses to describe him and his actions, even if they do sometimes contradict. It is clear to see, that he is “meek”; but when he is on a mission, he can “stride” purposefully, and be “the zealous young man” that he needs to be. Thomas Hardy also describes him as “a black shape” - traditionally associated with sin, “on the hot white” - conventionally associated with purity (in this case, of the rest of the world). If this is not a beautiful example of how an author can use language to contribute to textual meanings, then please feel free to shoot me. *

Though most of the ideas to be taken out of the stories cannot be seen at face value, the facts stated in both stories must not be ignored. Mrs. Chundle lives in a very close-knit community, where her neighbours will all come together to support her if she is unwell, or carry out her last wishes if she dies. She lives in an area of rural wealth; she has everything that she needs, from her food (vegetables) to her cottage. In urban 20th century America, however, it is obvious that the state is not quite sure how to handle the old people “situation”. The elderly are simply locked away in institutions, where they are treated as objects.

It is because of this difference that I believe that Old Mrs. Chundle achieves a lot more as a short story than A Visit of Charity does. A Visit of Charity is more of an outright criticism of old age homes, and the society that has created them. It generates a rather overdrawn and blatant picture of hell, and therefore lacks the humour and subtleness of criticism that Hardy achieves so well. In my opinion, Old Mrs. Chundle leaves it to the reader to decide whether it is a criticism of the church, whether it is a drama, whether it is a dark comedy, or whether it is all three.

The rather ironically titled “A Visit of Charity” tackles the issues that it presents quite well. I think that at some stage in our lives, we have all had to deal with the elderly, and wished we could simply shirk our responsibilities, and run off into the sunset - apple in hand, like Marian did. But when it comes down to it, the twist, as it where, at the end of Old Mrs. Chundle, really teaches the reader about the relationship that the young should be having with the old. Old people deserve respect, as they do possess some skills; and should not be disregarded onto the scrap heap of life, as many lessons can be learnt from them. The elderly person may also have a deep respect for you, which if not mutual, can leave both parties with a bitter aftertaste, that can do no one any good. As Spike Milligan once put it, “When you get to be my age sunshine, you’ll wish you could remember something witty to say to people like yourself”.

Moishe Krasner Page 15/11/01