The Withered Arm - Essay 2

The Withered Arm
GCSE Coursework

In order to answer the question, Rhoda Brook and Gertrude Lodge suffer equally in The Withered Arm albeit in different ways. How far do you agree with this statement? I will first explain how Rhoda Brook suffers throughout the story and I will explain how Gertrude Lodge suffers throughout the story. In my conclusion I will discuss the evidence that i have and evaluate who suffered the worst or if they both suffered equally. “The Withered Arm” was written by a man called Thomas Hardy in 1888.

Rhoda Brook is a milkmaid and is the first character we meet in the story. At the start of the story Rhoda Brooks suffering starts to appear that she is poor, hardworking and who is trying to earn a living, “Shows marks of the lady on her, as I expect she do”. This quotation proves that she works hard for a very little income. Just enough to keep her son and her alive.
Rhoda Brook is lonely in the beginning and end of the tale. For a couple of reasons, firstly because she is outcast and that “My husband says it is as if some witch or the devil himself had taken hold of me there, and blasted the flesh” People think she is a witch because Rhoda Brook is a ‘fallen woman’ and is seen as lower class person than most people because she is bore an illegitimate son to Farmer Lodge. Secondly, Rhoda had become pregnant to farmer Lodge’s child. But soon after they split up because Farmer Lodge finds himself a new wife that he loves. The meaning of them splitting up means that she becomes lonely, “For some time, she could not be found”

Gertrude Lodge has married Farmer Lodge which has made Rhoda Brook seem very jealous because she wants to find out what Gertrude is like, what she looks like, what is her personality like, so therefore Rhoda Brook sends her eight year old son to find out. Her eight year old son wears rags and tatty old clothes and looks as if know one looks after him which is linked to Rhoda Brook not earning enough money to buy...