The Withered Arm’ by Thomas Hardy, And “The Call” by Robert Westall Essay Example

by the arm.The next morning, Gertrude has a bruise on her arm, and over the next few days, the arm starts to wither.

She then seeks help from a conjurer, who tells her that it is Rhoda who has cursed her. Conjurer Trendle, knows that Rhoda is a witch as other people, it appears, have gone to him before, after being overlooked by her. She only now realises her power, however. The conjurer tells Gertrude that the only way in which she can get rid of her 'withered arm' is to touch it onto a new corps.

Or, in other words, touch her arm onto someone who has just been executed, by hanging. The fateful corps, turns out to be that of Rhodas' son. Meg and Geoff, in 'The Call', are Samaritans, who are working their shift on a Christmas Eve. Meg gets a call from a woman who says that her husband is going to kill her by pushing her into a canal.

She says a lot of things, which all point to the fact (or so Geoff thinks) is a hoaxer. However, Meg does not believe that she is a hoaxer, and becomes entranced by her.Meg then leaves the office, and (being entranced) travels to where the caller is. Meg is then lead to her death across the canal by the ghost, who it turns out, was actually pushed to her death twenty years ago, by her husband Reg Todd. It is now obvious that the caller is the ghost, as she has the power to entrance Meg, and lead her to her death. Both stories are ghost stories; however, they actually seem to

have different genres.

'The Withered Arm' is more of a love story as it has a clear love - triangle between Rhoda, Gertrude, and Gertrude's husband.The Withered Arm' also does not actually have a ghost in it. Even so, it is still a ghost story, as it contains many features of a common ghost story: an eerie atmosphere; a dark and remote setting (Wessex); a twist at the end (where Rhoda's son is the person who cures Gertrude of her curse - this also acts as irony); it has a sceptic who is converted (Rhoda); and tension and suspense (where Gertrude finds out it was her friend Rhoda who cursed her). The Call' also has many of these features of a ghost story: a dark and remote atmosphere (at the canal); a suspicious character (Harry - an ex-Samaritan); a twist at the end; a ghost who has unfinished business; a sceptic who is converted (Geoff and the Samaritan's rota secretary Tom); a witching hour; time travel (the ghost has come forward in time); and a contrasting atmosphere (good atmosphere at start, then bad).Both stories are set in the country, as 'The Withered Arm' is clearly in the cut of countryside, and in 'The Call', it goes from the town, with the Samaritans office, and then into the countryside with the canals. The Withered Arm' is much more in the country than 'The Call', as the whole story is set in the country.

This would be as because at the time 'The Withered Arm' nobody would ever believe that there could possibly be ghosts in the town, as the town was to upper class for things

such as ghosts. However, at the time of 'The Call', the town is not such an upper class place, so it is accepted that ghosts are there. The motive of the ghost in each story is another factor of difference. In 'The Withered Arm', the motive of Rhoda cursing Gertrude is jealousy.

Rhoda is jealous that Farmer Lodge has dumped her, and that he has now got a new woman who is clearly much younger and prettier than she is: " - that the young wife, in the pale silk dress and white bonnet, but with features shockingly distorted, and wrinkled as by age," Here, she is seeing the apparition of Gertrude, where she 'overlooks' her. She is seeing Gertrude, as she is herself. Old and wrinkly as she is, and so Lodge will dump Gertrude, just as she was herself. However, Rhoda did not know she had the power to overlook someone until this moment.

The motive of the ghost in 'The Call' also seems to be revenge, but in a different form.At the end of the story, we are told that Agnes Todd (the ghost) rang up the Samaritans office on the night of her death and Harry picked up the phone. It also appears that he did nothing, and just let her die. She then rang up every year on that night to haunt Harry. However, Harry was forced to retire, and Meg answered.

This did not deter the ghost however, as she then entranced Meg, to haunt another man - Geoff. When Harry died, it seemed as though he took her with him: "It never came. Nobody called at all. 'Do you

think' .

.. 'aye I think we've heard the last of her.Mebbe Harry took her with him" I believe that the ghost's motive was to seek revenge on Harry because he could have saved her from her death, so she haunted him for revenge.

The ghost could have been haunting the Meg and Geoff because she did not realise Harry had left. She then tried to lead Meg to her death, because it would cause pain to another man - Geoff. The ghost story feature used here, is a ghost with unfinished business. The characters are another factor to consider.

First of all, Meg and Gertrude looking old when haunted by Agnes and Rhoda.Harry could have been as well: And yet, most of the time, we still had in our minds the fifty-year old Harry, full of life, brimming with new ideas. We couldn't do without that dark hared ghost. " "Geoff heard the line go dead again. He thought Meg looked like a corpse herself.

White as a sheet. Dull dead eyes, full of pain. Ugly, almost. How she would look as an old woman, if life was rough on her.

" There is also a love triangle in 'The Withered Arm' between Farmer Lodge, Gertrude, and Rhoda, and there is love between Reg Todd and Agnes; Meg and Geoff; and, I believe, there also seems to be love between Agnes and Harry as well in 'The Call'.This love triangle creates similarity between both stories, as it is the same love story genre. Also, the sceptics in the story are also converted into believing in the supernatural. In 'The Cal', this happens to Tom, when

Geoff rings him, he remembers something the Harry has told him a long time ago.

Tom, who it appears, did not seem the believe him then, but now actually does: " 'A lame woman. A murdering husband. Oh, my God. I'll be with you in five.

'" It also happens to Geoff, as at first he thinks that the caller is a hoaxer, but he then believes she is real: "He was terrified now.Not for the woman. For Meg. " And Farmer Lodge, in 'The Withered Arm', who now believes in witchcraft: " 'My husband says it is as if some witch, or the devil himself, had taken a hold of me there, and blasted the flesh. '" And also Rhoda, who did not, know that she had these powers, however, the rest of Wessex did: " ' O, can it be'.

.. 'that I exercise a malignant power over people against myself? '" The structure of each story is also another factor to consider. In 'The Call', the main suspense is unanswered questions. Such as where is the ghost, why are they haunting who they are, and who is he or she?At the end, when Meg is lead off by the ghost, Geoff is cut off from her - he cannot be in control of her.

In 'The Withered Arm', the main suspense is where Gertrude goes off to the conjuror, we are anxious for Rhoda as to who he says has overlooked Rhoda. Also, prolepsis and analepsis help to create suspense in both stories. In 'The Withered Arm', there is two major climaxes - the first being when Rhoda actually overlooks Gertrude, and the

second being at the end when it is found out that it is to be Rhoda's son who cures Gertrude: "...

Rhoda, in a last desperate effort, swung out her right hand, seized the confronting spectre by its obstructive left arm, and whirled it backward to the floor, starting up herself as she did so with a low cry" In 'The Call', there is only one climax which is built up to at the end, where Meg is lead to her death by Agnes: "And beyond Meg, another back, another woman's back. The back of a woman who limped. A woman with a dog A little white dog...

For some reason... nearly ten yards away. No danger.

.. a break in the white fence... limping woman turned through it.

.. nd like a sleepwalker, Meg turned to follow. "In conclusion, I think that there are many similarities and differences between the two stories, but I believe that the biggest difference is the different genres of the two.

I believe that there are two different genres in these stories, because of when 'The Withered Arm' was written. As there is no actually ghost, the story is not as effective a ghost story as 'The Call' is. This may be because of when it was written. Maybe at the time it was written, it was effective as a ghost story.