Sympathy in The Withered Arm

In the opening chapters of Withered Arm, Thomas Hardy tends to elicit sympathy for Rhoda Brook, rather than Farmer Lodge and his wife, who come into the story later. For example, even the title of chapter one suggests that Rhoda has been miserable.

Lorn is a word that comes from forlorn, to mean sad, or lonely. So before we even begin reading the book, Hardy uses his title to imply that the milkmaid, whoever she is, should have our sympathy; she is alone and pitiful.

The first part (as I will use to distinguish between the different turning points in the story) begins at the dairy, and the milkers discuss Farmer Lodge and his recent marriage. At this point, we know nothing of the relationship between Rhoda and Farmer Lodge, the only hints we have are the occasional glances that the workers give Rhoda. Our first impression of the maid is this:

“…where a thin, fading woman of thirty milked somewhat apart from the

Hardy selects his adjectives very carefully. He uses ‘thin’, and ‘fading’ and also explains that Rhoda milks her cows away from the rest; she is

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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2237
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)