The Withered Arm - Essay

"The Withered Arm" by Thomas Hardy (1888-20 pages)

Thomas Hardy (1940 to 1928)   is one of the giants of Victorian literature.     He wrote numerous novels now considered an important part of the canon such as Return of the Native,   The Mayor of Casterbridge, and Far From the Madding Crowd as well as some very wonderful poems.     It has been a long time since I have read any of his books so as soon as I got the suggestion to read this from   Mrs B of The Literary Stew I decided this would be a good opportunity to renew my acquaintance with Hardy and I am very glad I did.

The story is set in rural England in the 1880s on a milk farm.     As the story opens we meet a strange solitary milkmaid, Rhonda Brooks who works for the farm owner, Mr Lodge.   She has a 12 year old or so son and we quickly gather there was once a relationship between her and Mr. Lodge and we think Mr Lodge is probably the   father of her son.   A rumor spreads around the farm that Mr Lodge is to marry.   Everyone, especially Rhonda, begins to at once wonder what   the soon to be Mrs Lodge is like.

    Hav' anybody seen her?' said another.

    There was a negative response from the first. 'Though they say she's a rosy-cheeked, tisty-tosty little body enough,' she added; and as the milkmaid spoke she turned her face so that she could glance past her cow's tall to the other side of the barton, where a thin, fading woman of thirty milked somewhat apart from the rest.

    'Well, she's growed up, and her ways be quite a woman's.'

    'Of course. What colour is her hair and face?'

    'Her hair is lightish, and her face as comely as a live doll's.'

    'Her eyes, then, are not dark like mine?'

    'No - of a bluish turn, and her mouth is very nice and red; and when she smiles, her teeth show white.'

    Clearly there is a good bit of under the surface hostility toward the as yet unseen Mrs Lodge.

Rhonda has a dream in which the new Mrs Lodge, Gertrude, visits   and her...