A study of 'Tony Kytes, the Arch Deceiver' by Thomas Hardy and

'The Oakum Room' by Theresa Tomlinson.

'The Oakum Room' by Theresa Tomlinson is clearly a feminist story where the female characters stand up for themselves and unite in protest. At first reading, 'Tony Kytes the Arch Deceiver', instead seems to mock women, portraying them as weak, desperate and gullible. Although, upon re-examining we see that Tony does not have a flattering description either, giving us the impression that Hardy may not have been as chauvinistic as he first appeared.

Both short stories are about a man choosing a wife and the power he has over the women when doing this. In each the man attempts to choose a woman from a selection and the women have no say in the matter. However, the women in 'Tony Kytes the Arch Deceiver' appear to be quite manipulative as they are in competition and it is often difficult to decide who is being more devious, Tony or the girls. Tony seems to be less in command of the situation than any of the women, as he is continually acting on impulse. The girls on the other hand are acting with the clear intention of securing Tony for a husband. 'T

Theresa Tomlinson varied the standard structure of her story so that it was more gripping so the reader became instantly involved. Thomas Hardy did not rearrange the structure but instead kept the exposition very brief to give a similar effect and to build up suspense. At the very beginning of the climax, after the exposition in 'The Oakum Room' all the women are fighting with each other 'Mary pulled Janet's hair down; and she screamed and hit back.' Normally the women were all very close to each other as they had all been through the same experiences as it explained in the exposition. They are all behaving out of character as they are suddenly in deep competition with each other. We cannot tell if the women in 'Tony Kytes the Arch Deceiver' are acting out of character as they are only described in appearance but, they all appear to be willing to do whatever necessary to secure a husband, including losing some dignity by hiding under a tarpaulin in two cases.

The principal difference between the two stories is that the women in 'The Oakum Room' unite and ignore the rules of society whereas the women in 'Tony Kytes the Arch Deceiver' follow them right to the end. Theresa Tomlinson's women learned that fighting and competition was not the answer and so bound together at the climax, refusing the "generous" offer of a new life, as it was the opposite of what society, especially men assumed and wanted them to do. By doing this, each woman rediscovered some pride and so does not feel regret. The climax focuses on Polly as she had the hardest choice, yet even she managed to rebel against the system. In 'Tony Kytes the Arch Deceiver' none of the women attempts to rebel and so the situation is left for the rules of society to sort. For example Hannah would have gladly said yes to Tony Kytes's proposal, however, her father stepped in

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Approximate Word count = 1238
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)