The Withered Arm

ANALYSIS OF “THE WITHERED ARM”
BY THOMAS HARDY

I found it quite interesting however, it is too co-incidental, is not even realistic, one of Hardy's characteristics is that his stories are known to bbe realistic but this story is just pathetic and depressing plus I believe Hardy was a hypocrit, in his stories he shows his hatred towards upper class people and he is somehow critical of marriage, however he married some woman he hated just to get into a higher class within society. I love this story because it is easy to write an essay on on and it is a quick and simple way of writting a story which i understand and which does gie people a view of what it was like in those days. I am rather fond of this story despite the obvious flaws. I concede the point that the plot is weak in points and the characters are underdeveloped but I feel that the barely concealed underlying tensions the text a certain depth that can only be appreciated when it is read in context. This short story gives real insight into the political and social problems of the period and I personally feel that for a work so short in length this is a pretty impressive feat. I would also like to state, before I get accused of ‘false comments’, I am currently in my second Year of an English degree course and I would strenuously argue that there is a lot of depth to this story, if seen in a critical light.   Can I suggest looking at a bible particularly the Book of Matthew. This may lead you to a moral in the tale. I too am studying this at the moment and find it a compelling tale. Hardy writes in an evangelical style. i'm sure i had read he felt a sense of loss of christian values within society of the time. i am sure given his rural background he would have felt a loss of the ruralisation into the new industrialisation. given his short stories were aimed at magazine readers i had a sense of him preaching to the common folk. there is a message in there if you're willing to look at the actions and...