Compare and Contrast ‘The Withered Arm’ with ‘Indian Camp’ Essay Example

at night, with an air of uncertainty as they journey to the Indian Camp. Conversely, in 'The Withered Arm', Hardy immediately introduces noise. The rural setting becomes the central theme in this story. In 'Indian Camp', they await the rising sun, whereas in 'The Withered Arm', they await the setting sun. Hemingway establishes a serene and composed atmosphere, as "Two boats started off in the dark" and "Nick lay back".

The high points in both stories are contrasting. In 'The Withered Arm', death is the pinnacle, while in 'Indian Camp', it is birth. 'The Withered Arm' contains several moments that heighten tension, such as the dream, Gertrude's misfortune, and the unexpected twist at the end. Conversely, 'Indian Camp' only has a single moment of tension that leads to the climax of the story, which is the birth itself. The author emphasizes visual descriptions in 'The Withered Arm', using phrases like "pale silk dress," "blue eyes peered cruelly," and "features shockingly distorted."

This text examines the utilization of senses and characterization in two distinct stories, namely 'Indian Camp' by Hemingway and 'The Withered Arm' by Hardy. In 'Indian Camp', Hemingway incorporates various senses such as smell and hearing in addition to vision. He depicts a room that emitted an unpleasant odor. Moreover, the narrative primarily revolves around a few characters, with only two actively participating. All characters except for Nick are depicted in a flat manner. Conversely, Nick is portrayed as a fully developed character with deep insights into his feelings, worries, doubts, and thoughts. The reader gains access to Nick's innermost thoughts and comprehends his emotions on a profound level. On the contrary, 'The Withered Arm' by

Hardy showcases numerous characters who mainly serve as background figures contributing to the advancement of the plot.

The story focuses on two main characters, Rhoda Brook and Gertrude. Through the narrative, the reader gains a comprehensive understanding of both characters, including their insecurities, physical appearances, thoughts, and emotions. Alongside these central figures are secondary characters who contribute to the progression of the plot. These include Conjourer Trendle, the son, the hangman, and the milkmaids at Rhoda's workplace in the dairy. While these peripheral characters are not extensively developed, they fulfill important roles within the story. For example, the hangman serves as a link between Gertrude's moments of salvation and despair during her isolation. Furthermore, the milkmaids aid in establishing the setting and their gossiping acts as a warning to Rhoda regarding Gertrude—the new wife of Farmer Lodge.

Both 'The Withered Arm' and 'Indian Camp' feature a boy and his parents as central characters, demonstrating a similarity between the two. However, there are notable differences as well. For instance, 'The Withered Arm' portrays a greater number of three-dimensional characters, while 'Indian Camp' primarily showcases two-dimensional ones. Furthermore, the relationship between the boy and his father is positive in 'Indian Camp', while in 'The Withered Arm' they have no connection. Interestingly, the boy in 'The Withered Arm' exhibits delinquent behavior shortly before his demise, whereas the boy in 'Indian Camp' displays an increase in wisdom and maturity through experiences of birth and death.

The language used by Hemingway in 'Indian Camp' differs greatly from the language used by Hardy in his tale, reflecting the time period in which they were written. Hemingway's language is straightforward and concise, employing simple

nouns such as "kettle" and "quilt". On the other hand, Hardy uses numerous adjectives and fewer verbs like "cruelly", "mockingly", and "distorted". However, Hemingway relies less on adjectives and instead uses a multitude of nouns, verbs, and adverbs. This distinction is evident in the following quotes: "while his father washed his hands" and "he bent over the Indian woman".

Hemingway's sentences are shorter and simpler compared to Hardy's. There are very few sentences longer than ten words in Hemingway's writing. For example, he writes "It took a long time". On the other hand, Hardy often uses long sentences with many commas and punctuation marks. An excerpt from Hardy's work, 'The Withered Arm', demonstrates his use of complex language: "But the atmosphere there about was full of the subject during the first days of Mrs. Lodge's arrival; and from her boys description and the casual words of the other milkers, Rhoda Brook could raise a mental image of the unconscious Miss. Lodge that was as realistic as a photograph". In this passage, Hardy employs unusual language, avoiding plain nouns to describe things. For instance, he refers to "large, red, rectangular animals".

The description of a cow provided in this quote highlights Hardy's frequent use of old-fashioned and redundant language. Hardy's writing style, known for its descriptive nature, can be challenging to comprehend. In contrast, Hemingway adopts a clear and easily understandable writing style, characterized by the use of modern language. This choice enables readers to follow and grasp the content more effortlessly. While Hardy primarily employs descriptive writing rather than direct speech in 'The Withered Arm', Hemingway opts for direct speech in 'Indian Camp' to convey most of

the crucial points to the reader. Only Nick and his father, the main characters in 'Indian Camp', engage in dialogue.

In 'Indian Camp', Hemingway employs simple language and Nick, reflecting his age, speaks in a very childlike manner. An example of this is when Nick asks his father, "Oh, Daddy, can't you give her something to make her stop screaming?" The direct speech in this story consists of Nick asking his father multiple questions, to which his father provides answers. Similarly, in 'The Withered Arm', Hardy presents realistic direct speech. Gertrude, who belongs to the middle class, uses Standard English, indicating her education level. She states, "it is nothing serious, but I can not make it out", which clearly shows her higher education compared to the local natives who speak with a Wessex accent and dialogue.

A was born before our Great Weir was built... " People in 'Indian Camp' speak in Standard English as well. In 'The Withered Arm' people have accents, in direct contrast to 'Indian Camp', where there is no sense of accents or dialects. 'Indian Camp' lacks sustained speech while in 'The Withered Arm' the speech is more prolonged. This is because it reflects the time period it was written in. In 'Indian Camp', the primary horrifying moments are the labor and birth, and the suicide. In 'The Withered Arm', the main horrifying moment is Rhoda's dream.

However, several scenes stand out as particularly horrifying, such as the jail scene, the moment of touching the corpse, and when Gertrude's arm is mentioned. In Hemingway's 'Indian Camp', he provides brief yet impactful glimpses of horror. For example, he describes a gruesome scene where "his

throat had been cut from ear to ear" and blood flowed into a pool beneath his lifeless body in the bunk. Hemingway swiftly moves on from these disturbing moments without dwelling on them. The horror in 'Indian Camp' stems from its realistic depiction, rather than any superstitious elements. This is in stark contrast to Hardy, who vividly describes horrifying moments and places a strong emphasis on superstition rather than realism.

The main focus of both stories is on the emotions and reactions of the characters to the events that unfold. Each story aims to provide a detailed account of what is happening, exploring the character's feelings and their response to these events. However, while both stories ultimately end with a death, they differ in nature – 'The Withered Arm' depicts the death of Rhoda's son, whereas 'Indian camp' portrays the death of a man who is the parent of a newborn baby.

Despite both stories concluding with a sense of calmness, there is a distinct change in mood between them. The ending of 'The Withered Arm' evokes a tragic and depressing atmosphere.

The conclusion of 'Indian Camp' leaves the reader with a comforting feeling as the protagonist expresses certainty in his immortality. The comparison between the two endings reveals a distinct disparity - Hemingway employs only two succinct paragraphs to conclude his story, whereas Hardy dedicates three extensive and elaborate paragraphs for the ending of 'The Withered Arm'. Each paragraph in Hardy's ending focuses on a specific character, outlining their individual destinies: Rhoda Brook, Farmer Lodge, and Gertrude. In both narratives, the boys serve significant roles in shaping the endings, albeit in different ways. While the boy

in 'The Withered Arm' assumes a passive role, the boy in 'Indian Camp' actively participates.

Quotes that support these claims include "the dead man was Rhoda's son" and "Nick trailed his hand in the water." One notable distinction between the two endings is that in 'The Withered Arm,' all characters reflect on their lives in hindsight, whereas in 'Indian Camp,' the characters possess a positive and optimistic outlook, eagerly anticipating the future. Both endings depict the cyclical nature of life, encompassing labor, birth, and death. Additionally, both culminate in unexpected turns: in 'The Withered Arm,' the deceased individual is revealed to be Rhoda and Farmer Lodge's son, whereas in 'Indian Camp,' the father of the newborn takes his own life just after the delivery.

The conclusion of 'Indian Camp' centers on Nick's response to the birth and death and how he handles it. There are some unresolved plot points, such as the unknown fate of the woman and her baby and Uncle George's whereabouts. In contrast, Hemingway's novel concludes with clarity, providing a complete account of all the characters' fates without leaving any lingering questions. On the other hand, 'The Withered Arm' ends in a circular manner, returning to Rhoda in the dairy milking the cows, just as it began. Overall, 'Indian Camp' contains fewer characters compared to 'The Withered Arm'.

The main differences between 'The Withered Arm' and 'Indian Camp' lie in their time settings and narrative focus. While 'The Withered Arm' takes place in the twentieth century and emphasizes male characters, 'Indian Camp' is set in a pre-twentieth century era and places a significant emphasis on female characters. Additionally, 'The Withered Arm' is a much

longer story with multiple chapters, whereas 'Indian Camp' is only a few pages long and does not require chapters.

In terms of themes, 'Indian Camp' explores the circle of life through the portrayal of labor and birth, as well as suicide and death. The story also touches upon the concepts of cowardice and bravery, as the act of suicide can be viewed as cowardly, while the doctor (Nick's father) displays bravery in performing an operation.

Nick's bravery is demonstrated in his willingness to stay and help, while the woman's bravery is evident as she gives birth without any anaesthetic. Love and respect are illustrated through Nick's relationship with his father. The theme of grace under pressure is portrayed by the doctor's calm demeanor during the operation. Another theme is Nick's mental growth. The overall theme of both stories is fate, which plays a significant role, particularly in 'The Withered Arm'. Additional themes in 'The Withered Arm' include jealousy, hatred, and the supernatural. Love/hate dynamics and class distinctions are also explored as themes.

The theme of jealousy is introduced at the beginning when Rhoda becomes obsessed with Gertrude and starts dreaming about her. Additionally, Rhoda's strong hatred towards Gertrude for taking her place is also emphasized. The supernatural theme is utilized during horrifying moments, suggesting that unexplained events are caused by supernatural forces. Class distinctions are prominent in the novel, allowing readers to identify characters' backgrounds and levels of education. As thoroughly discussed in this comparative essay, both texts exhibit numerous contrasts and similarities.

In terms of their descriptive skills, character count in their novels, and writing style, Hardy and Hemingway present distinct contrasts. Hardy's writing exhibits a descriptive

nature with lengthy sentences and archaic language that can prove more demanding to comprehend. Conversely, Hemingway adopts a concise approach employing simple and lucid words. However, despite these disparities, both authors share commonalities as they craft short stories revolving around a parent and a boy, with the boy serving as the central protagonist. Additionally, their novels culminate in death and conclude on an unsettling note of tension that ultimately evokes feelings of serenity.