The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy and The Schoolteachers Guest by Isabelle Allende Essay Example

together?" and "Why did the relationship come to an end?" The emergence of Rhoda's twelve-year-old son shortly after this conversation leads to the question: "Could this boy be the result of the relationship between farmer lodge and Rhoda?" This question is answered by Rhoda, stating: "Your father brings home his young wife tomorrow."

Rhoda instructs her son to gather detailed information about Farmer Lodge's new wife, including her background and physical characteristics. Hardy foreshadows Rhoda's growing obsession with Gertrude, Lodge's wife, by showcasing her desire to know everything about her. Rhoda becomes fixated on Gertrude to the point where she cannot stop thinking about her even while performing everyday tasks. In Chapter Three, "A Vision," Rhoda is visited by an incubus who embodies the Gertrude of her desires, contrasting with the reality of Gertrude's appearance. The incubus thrusts Gertrude's wedding ring in Rhoda's face and taunts her with what she has but Rhoda wants. This creates a powerful image in readers' minds of what might be happening in the room.

Rhoda, feeling distressed, grasps the arm of the incubus and hurls it to the ground. Initially, she believes this to be a mere dream - a notion shared by the reader - until her son hears a loud thud emanating from her bedroom. This revelation not only surprises Rhoda, but also keeps the reader engrossed as it lends credibility to the previous night's events. In response to her son's inquiry, Rhoda nervously asks whether he heard anything fall and at what time. This incident continues to weigh heavily on her mind. Shortly thereafter, Gertrude arrives at Rhoda's doorstep. Despite her aversion towards Gertrude, Rhoda refrains from expressing

any overt hostility, merely stating: "I told you never go near that place."

As Gertrude approaches, Rhoda imagines her as she appeared the previous night with "shockingly distorted" features, causing Rhoda to want to hide or leave her home. Despite her desire to escape, Rhoda opens the door to find Gertrude looking sweet and innocent, causing Rhoda to feel guilty for harboring bad feelings. The two become good friends after their initial meeting and during a conversation, Gertrude reveals her withered arm, which surprises both Rhoda and the reader.

In 1793, Gertrude remains afflicted with the withered arm and seeks the solution offered by a conjuror - to touch the neck of a recently executed man. This leads her to visit the county jail, where Hardy carefully builds up tension by describing in detail each step of Gertrude's trembling journey across the inner paved court beyond the gatehouse.

Gertrude appears anxious as she touches the neck of a young man, not realizing that the man is Rhoda Brook's son. This revelation shocks both Gertrude and the reader. Adding to the surprises, Rhoda later arrives with a drawn face and red eyes from weeping. To further complicate matters, Gertrude's husband is also

present behind Rhoda.

Hardy skillfully employs fate to bring the characters together in an engaging finale. The coincidences are explained as Gertrude dies from the stress of recent events and her blood has become too much, with irony prevailing as Rhoda gave Gertrude her ailment and Gertrude tried to cure it with Rhoda's son's neck. Farmer Lodge seeks to make amends with Rhoda while also passing away and leaving most of his money to a boys' reformatory and a small annuity for Rhoda out of potential guilt. Rhoda ends up with little, just as she began, and rejects the annuity left for her by Farmer Lodge. As readers, we feel satisfied with the outcome but melancholy over Gertrude's death, as she remained a pure and kind character who did no wrong. We are also pleased that the Farmer understood his responsibility to Rhoda even if it was late in the day.

The hindering effect of Victorian class on genuine relationships is a widely acknowledged fact in Thomas Hardy's work. Rhoda and Farmer Lodge's inability to be together is a prime example. In contrast, Isabel Allende starts off her short story 'The Schoolteacher's Guest' with a shocker - the protagonist informing her partner that she has slain a boarding house guest. While Allende hooks the reader from the start, Hardy chooses to establish the setting before revealing the murder. The reader has no idea why the murder took place at this point.

The intimacy between Ines and Riad is apparent, as evidenced by the fact that she confides the news of the murder to him first. Allende cleverly implies the depth of their friendship through this exchange, with

Riad's reaction indicating his trust in Ines. This trust, which is a crucial element throughout the story, is further highlighted through the use of a flashback to illustrate the length and strength of their relationship. Allende illustrates that their bond extends far back into their shared past with the statement, "The two had known each other so long...".

... a person of Arab origin who possesses a forged passport from Turkey...

Within the text, there is a portrayal of a young woman who possesses firm hips and proud shoulders. The approach used by Allende in introducing the protagonist's history is similar to Hardy's method, slowly revealing it through the use of flashback. This technique helps engage readers and draw them into the fictional town of Agua Santa, where the story takes place. Agua Santa, being set in a foreign and quiet town, adds credibility to the narrative, with hints of it possibly being located in South America on the jungle’s edge. Additionally, Ines’ actions are shaped by her surroundings, with scenes such as girls bringing their boyfriends for approval only made possible by the setting of her story.

She assumed the roles of counselor, arbiter, and judge for all issues within the town.

In Agua Santa, Ines possesses a certain authority that demands respect and causes people to value her opinions more than those of the priest, doctor, or police. As the sole teacher in the area, Ines has taught everyone in the town, making her highly respected. Allende's use of fate as a primary reason for Ines' act of murder is similar to Hardy's approach in his work. While such narrative elements may seem unrealistic in a

modern British setting, they are more acceptable within the cultural context of Agua Santa. Ines herself acknowledges the role of fate in her actions, stating "I had to do it, it was fate."

The way fate is portrayed differs between Allende and Hardy. Allende has Ines explicitly mention fate while Hardy does not mention it directly, but the reader understands its role in explaining certain events, particularly the murder. The ending of the narrative sees the death of Ines, the schoolteacher, which finally allows the townspeople to reveal the secret of the murder they have been keeping. Allende changes her narrative style from second to first-person, making it seem as though she witnessed the events firsthand: "the death of the schoolteacher freed us, and now I can tell the story". The use of present tense throughout the story helps to immerse the reader into the events taking place in Agua Santa.

Overall, both Hardy and Allende are successful in their use of technique. They both establish convincing settings that create a sense of verisimilitude for the reader. Hardy's characters are given context within Britain a century ago, which allows for actions that might otherwise seem unbelievable. Meanwhile, despite being set in a more contemporary time period, Allende's characters are made believable by the strength of their cultural and geographic settings. It is this attention to detail that allows both authors to captivate their readers, despite the 100-year age difference between them.