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GCSE: Art - Biology - Business Studies - Chemistry - Drama - Economics - English Language - English Literature - Geography - History - Information Technology - Mathematics - Media - Photography - Physics A-Level:Art - Biology - Business Studies - Chemistry - Drama - Economics - English Language - English Literature - Geography - History - Information Technology - Mathematics - Media - Photography - Physics |
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What Does The Picture of Dorian Gray Tell Us About Life & Society In 19th Century England
A Grade
Heresh Rezavandi
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde portrays a sense of life and society in nineteenth century England. Immoral and hypocritical social attitudes of the upper class are reflected along their everyday lives, both criticised and mocked by Wilde.
From Dorian Gray, Lord Henry Wotton and Basil Hallward, we can see the wealthy lives they led. Even from the beginning of the book Basil's home is described with precise detail of the luxurious and exotic things which surround it, "The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees......from the corner of the divan Persian saddle-bags...". We can also see the relaxing lives they led since Dorian and Lord Henry did not have professions and did not work, although highly educated, they inherited money and given titles. They entertained themselves by organising parities and dinners which acquaintances of the same social class were invited. Visits to the opera and theatre were also made where they would socialise, gossiping about various scandals in London and conversations about various topics, "There has not been a scandal in the neighbourhood since the time of Queen Elizabeth." stated by Lady Narborough. The country was an alternative place to relax where they would involve themselves in typical country sports such as hunting. Wilde has used Dorian Gray and Lord Henry Wotton to represent their class, describing the things and activities which many typical aristocrats got up to.
During the nineteenth century there was a very huge gap between the upper and lower classes. While the aristocrats enjoyed their rich lives, the lower classes which the Vane family represent, suffered from poverty and hardship. Their living conditions were bad and they lived in "shabby houses". When Dorian goes to this area, Wilde describes this area as "sordid shame" of the great city" full of "drunkards which brawled and screamed". Most of them went into desperate measures to make money such as James Vane who sails off to Australia, and Sibyl herself as an actor in a theatre who was not paid as she was still paying debts to the owner of the theatre. Although there is no mention of any crime, we can presume that there was and it was high, due to the area stricken with poverty. Dorian himself is nearly attacked when "two men ran after the hansom" which he was travelling in, and even nearly killed by James Vane in the East-End. Also there were many prostitutes and many brothels, although they are not mentioned, there is a deep suspicion that Wilde has hinted at this subject throughout the text. This is seen when Dorian returns from "prolonged absences that gave rise to such strange conjecture...." and the time when a women in the East-End says to Dorian "we are very proud tonight" meaning after a days work she had made a lot of money. Dorian frequently visited the East-End in search for opium which makes part of how"hideous" this area was.
The upper classes attitudes towards relationships one hundred years ago was very different to the attitudes now. Marriage and faithfulness was considered more sacred, and it was this which caused many of the scandals such as affairs outside marriages. Dorian Gray is a prime example who "ruined" so many women that he became a man "whom no pure-minded girl should be allowed to know". Lady Narborough, a friend of Dorian, "married off her daughters to some rich, rather elderly men...."which indicates that marriages of sons and daughters of upper class people were mostly arranged by their parents. Also from this we can see that marriages were kept within the classes, and what caused much scandal about Dorian's mother was that she "made all the men frantic by running away with a penniless fellow; a mere nobody." However moral marriage the upper class claimed it was, we can see how Wilde mocks their hypocritical and immoral values. When Lord Henry talks about marriage he says "I never know where my wife is, and my wife never knows what I am doing.". Marriage involves moralistic values such as faithfulness and it is clear Lord Henry and his wife disregard this fact. There was also a high degree of sexism during this era and women were treated unequally. Lord Henry says "...no woman is a genius. Women are the decorative sex. They have never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly...". This is a very harsh statement and this reflects the dominance men had over women during the nineteenth century. Furthermore Lord Henry describes Lady Narborough as a "bore" because "She is very clever, too clever for a woman. She lacks the indefinable charm of weakness.", a typical attitude towards women a century ago reflecting the attitude that women were both considered and expected to be both mentally and physically weaker than men. Homosexuality was seen as a bigger sin than unfaithfulness and this is also what caused so many scandals between Dorian and others. Before his death, Basil asks Dorian why is his "friendship so fatal to young men?", and furthermore questions the suicidal deaths of other men. This indicates the shame and negative attitudes for what was regarded as a sin during this era.
Lord Henry is described by his uncle as a "dandy" which is a perfect description of him and his friend Dorian, who were so concerned with their appearance that Wilde describes Dorian's attitude towards Dandyism as an attempt "to assert the absolute modernity of beauty, had, of course, their fascination for him.". From this statement we can see the importance of appearance within the upper class, and furthermore their interest to influent this genre which was valued by other members of his class. This one of the factors which sustained their popularity and evidence for this is when Lord Henry openly states that "it is better to be beautiful than to be good.". Continuation of Lord Henry's statement "...than I am to acknowledge that it is better to be good than to be ugly." shows the hatred towards unattractiveness. Lord Henry's wife Lady Henry, reflects this attitude "She tried to look picturesque, but only succeeded in being untidy.". Having appropriate manners which was considered moral within the upper class was also considered very important. Evidence for this is people's refusal to "believe anything" to Dorian's "dishonour when they saw him", such as the sinful and shameful scandals which he committed. This reason for this is because of Dorian's innocent young look and his appropriate manners and respect towards his acquaintances, which is seen when Wilde describes his dinners accompanied by the "celebrated musicians of the day to charm his guests...." and Dorian's statement "It feels instinctively that manners are more of importance than morals.". Overall the upper class valued beauty and vanity more than being good and judged people by their appearances.
One of Wilde's aims in writing The Picture of Dorian Gray is too portray the hypocrisy which lied within the upper class, and to mock their morals and way of life. It can be argued that Wilde has used Dorian Gray and Lord Henry Wotton to reflect the hypocritical lives as representatives of their class. There is no doubt that Lord Henry is a great hypocrite and an example of this is when he tells Dorian that "all influence is immoral-immoral from the scientific point of view.". However in a matter of moments he gives a long speech and influences Dorian about "marvellous youth, and youth is the one worth having.", the excitement of living a Hedonistic life and the respect and pleasure he will gain out of his beauty that is "a form of genius". Also when Lord Henry is old he hypocritically says "The only people to whose opinions I listen now with any respect are people much younger than myself.". The reason for Lord Henry's blatant hypocritical statements, is to see how Dorian reacts towards them, and an opportunity, in Lord Henry's eyes, to experiment with a "pure" young man. Because people of the upper class had such relaxing, pleasurable lives, they sought to do original things, such as influencing Dandyism, and the philosophical conversations they would have at dinners and parties. Wilde describes Dorian's great wealth as "a certain element of security...". This indicates the hypocrisy, which still remains today, of the great advantage the upper class have over the lower classes. "Society, civilized society at least, is never very ready to believe anything to the detriment of those who are both rich and fascinating.", which indicates how easily the upper class could have escaped the arrest in being involved in crime, and the suspicion of doubt of others, in the endless scandals of Dorian.
From 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' we get the opportunity to get a detailed interpretation of Victorian society during the nineteenth century. Oscar Wilde has reflected the lifestyles of the upper class during the nineteenth century. The social and moral attitudes of that era allows the reader to get an understanding of disputatious subjects . At the same time Wilde has used the opportunity to describe the luxurious areas of London to the disrupt and poverty outskirts of the West End.
Does Dorian Gray Get What He Deserves?
A Grade
Heresh Rezavandi
There can be no doubt that Dorian Gray is a criminal guilty of many evil deeds both in the sense of law and moral values. The corruption of others, the killing of Basil Hallward and his hypocritical life are just some actions which made up his obscure and twisted life. Whether he deserves what ultimately happens to him is a complicated argument.
Dorian Gray had not recognised and was not aware of his own beauty until his friend Basil Hallward the painter had painted his portrait. After discovering that his "mad" wish to "always remain young and the picture that was to grow old" has been granted, instead of wisely using the painting to learn that he has committed sins and to find a way to be a better person, he takes great advantage by committing hedonistic acts knowing he will remain "pure" in the sense of physical appearance, and disregards the consequences for a simple short-term matter that "he would be safe" and it would not "matter what happened to the coloured image on the canvas". From this we can see the beginnings of his hedonistic life which did not only affected his soul but others which he used or were involved in his acts. The line "He grew more and more enamoured of his own beauty, more and more interested in the corruption of his soul" shows that Dorian had reached a point where he his hunger for pleasure lead him to use the portrait and to "examine with minute care" in order to receive a "monstrous terrible delight". An explanation for his behaviour is due to his obscenity towards a particular behaviour (in Dorian's case; hedonism) which leads him into such acts in order to sustain his pleasurable life.
It can be argued that the "failure" of Sibyl Vane in turning into a "third-rate actress with a pretty face" was largely Dorian's responsibility. When Dorian claims that he has fallen in "love" with Sibyl Vane he openly states that he has fallen in love with her "genius" in acting and not her as a person, which can be said that his love is not genuine. Sibyl describes the result of her love towards Dorian as freeing her "soul from a prison", and it is this which ends their engagement. There can be no doubt that Dorian's treatment to Sibyl is extremely harsh and cruel accusing her of "killing" his love and being "shallow and stupid", and it his his rejection which crushes her spirit causing her to beg and to promise "to work hard" to sustain her genius and it is this which brings Sibyl's fate of suicide. Furthermore, instead of feeling guilty he tries to justify himself by placing the blame on Sibyl.
The sudden change in Dorian's nature is to be mostly blamed on Lord Henry Wotton's powerful influence even if it was the painting which sparked him into the long speech about the wonders of youth. It may be true that if this painting had never existed and Dorian had never met Lord Henry Wotton, he would never have changed into such a person with full of sin, although Dorian had the decision to remain uninfluenced. The amount of influence which Lord Henry has, is seen when Dorian decided he "would not see Lord Henry any more-would not, at any rate, listen to those subtle poisonous theories",yet in a day he is under his influence and advice, "...said Lord Henry, who found an exquisite pleasure in playing on the lad's unconsciousness egotism". Dorian is powerless to resist his control or does not attempt to restrain his friend's influence and it this major weakness which leads him to his death.
Sibyl Vane was the first person which Dorian corrupted of many other innocent people. When Basil Hallward questions about why "no pure-minded girl should be allowed to know" which we can presume that Dorian used them for his pleasure regardless about the consequences. Such behaviour led to being "so fatal to young men", that the consequences were suicidal deaths and the departure of England with "tarnished" names which resulted from shame and disgrace when their practices were revealed amongst their families and people they knew. This shows the disgrace which Dorian brought into people's lives where he did not show much concern and regardless to his own since his eternal youth saved him from the shame which was suffered by others. Again we see he tries to justify himself by questioning Basil if he taught the shamed the "vices" and the "debaucheries" and that it is the middle-class who spread such accusations and "whisper about what they call the profligacies of their betters in order to try and pretend that they are in a smart society". Dorian is never prepared to accept responsibility for deeds which corrupt others.
The murder of Basil is Dorian's only crime against the law and it is only this which puts him in danger of losing his honour and name. Having a reason for killing the painter is enough to justify himself. Before stabbing him he criticises Basil for introducing him to Lord Henry who explained the "wonders of youth" and painting the portrait which reveals his "wonder of beauty". Dorian does not make any real attempt to break his relationship with Lord Henry who is the one most responsible for the corruption of Dorian's life and does not harshly accuse him of doing so since Lord Henry is more powerful person in the sense of influence. Because Basil Hallward "worshipped" Dorian and is under his hands, Dorian feels power over him and uses him to suppress all the guilt and remorse which Dorian had been suffering. To punish him and to satisfy his anger he kills him for "which all his misery had been due".
Dorian's regret for killing Basil was not for the sake of the painter but for selfish reasons, afraid for his future where the "shadows of his crime were to peer at him from silent corners" and the fear that Basil's "disappearance" would be solved. When he sees his soul wearing away before his eyes he attempts to be "good" for the only reason for his soul (which he can visually see) to change. This explains the sudden change in his nature which is seen over his action towards the country girl Hetty. It can be argued that Dorian is a great hypocrite for expecting the painting to alter. Seeing that it only gets worse by reflecting "the look of cunning" and the "curved wrinkle of the hypocrite" he becomes outraged. Bearing no longer of the distress and agony he destroys the loathed painting, unaware that it is his own soul, dying as a "withered, wrinkled and loathsome visage" man.
Dorian did in fact deserve his death particularly for the hypocritical reason for attempting to change his sinister nature. No one was ever more responsible than Dorian for what ultimately happens to him. No one forced him to make that "prayer" and his gradual obsession for hedonism. If he had truly wanted to become "good" he would not have expected any change in his portrait.
What Does Miguel Street Tell Us About Life & Society In 1940s Trinidad?
A Grade
Heresh Rezavandi
The short stories of Miguel Street gives one a vivid insight of life and society in 1940s Trinidad. We see poverty, inertia, ignorance, emotional and physical cruelty to women. On the other hand, we also see a cooperative Trinidadian community which enabled the people to have dignity, creativity, an ability to dream, a remarkable tolerance for human limitations, and patience to live in an island full of inertia.
As in many undeveloped countries, Trinidad had a male dominated society. They would have social gatherings where they would drink and gamble and bring in "the odd stray woman" seen in Bogart's home. They expected their wives to be both obedient and loyal otherwise "set straight" by being beaten. The idea of manliness came from drinking, fighting and crimes such as theft. This is seen when Popo's wife leaves him and as a result he drinks, fights and steals which "made him an accepted member of the gang". This shows that there were many men who had similar problems like Popo. Since there was such a substantial amount, these factors evolved into characteristics which made a "man". We see the domination of the man in Trinidad, most of them did not have jobs or were not persistent with their jobs, which meant they were short of money, such as Popo who was making "the thing without a name". It was his wife who was prepared to work showing that it was the women who made the money. Furthermore, Popo states that "Women and them like work. Man not make for work" which can be argued that Popo is representing the common man in Trinidad and is justifying himself and other men for not working. It can be argued that Naipaul incorporating so many tales of wife-beating in order to emphasise the deeper fact that men did not only beat their wives to establish a sense of authority, but also a way to express and release their anger due to hardships of life.
It is clear that Trinidad was a poor country and so were many of its people, which was partly due to their lack of education. It can be argued that colonies, such as Trinidad, are very backward since their rulers are not concerned for the welfare of that nation but only for themselves. Therefore they do not build schools or provide teachers, hence many are uneducated and therefore can only look for manual jobs which are very low-paid. The large families of a Trinidadian society are also responsible for the poverty since they all need to be cared for. This is seen with Laura's family who had "so many mouths to feed". The Siesta culture may also be responsible for their poverty meaning there are less working hours therefore smaller wages. One could be misled in thinking that many people starved although this is proven wrong when the narrator states clearly that "no one starved" showing the limits of poverty in Trinidad. However, one of the main reasons in which Naipaul is blaming for the lack of motivation in Trinidadian society and to a larger extent for tropical Third World countries, is the lack of motivation in which the people suffer from. The downfall of Miguel Street is seen where many of the men such as Popo and Bogart are not persistent in their jobs. However we also see that it was not specifically the lack of motivation, but also the limited number and the standard of the schools in Trinidad, where a simple man such as Titus Hoyt was running. Therefore we could also blame the colonists of this island in being responsible for the poor standards of education in Trinidad.
The women are seen only in the sphere of the home, playing the role of mother, mate, and angel. Hat summarises one attitude towards women shared by men when he teaches the boy that "woman these days funny like hell. They go run after a dwarf if he got money". The narrator says; "I don't believe you," and the narrator opines in a condescending manner, "I was very young at the time." Hat is attempting to initiate the boy, and we see from the narrator's voice that he is successful. Nevertheless, the boy is made aware of the dual role that women play in Miguel Street: mother and "free" woman. It is after all his mother who handily negotiates with bribe a scholarship for him to study abroad. The Trinidadian male is not so comfortable with the arrangement The young narrator decries Nathaniel's behaviour, declaring "we are none of us chivalrous but Nathaniel had a contempt for women which we couldn't like". The fact that he says "couldn't" suggests that though we see a great deal of cruelty in Miguel Street, Trinidad society generally understands it to be degenerate behaviour. Furthermore it is the woman which brings and sustains the power for the husband. This is seen when Popo's wife leaves him and as a result breaks down and begins to drink.
Miguel Street also focuses on the role of education in society. Many people in Trinidad were uneducated and even illiterate. This was mostly made up of the older generations and it was only the younger generation which had the chance of going to school. This is seen through the narrator who is asked by his elders to write out signs for their shops such as Popo the carpenter and Bogart the tailor. People who were educated were highly respected and admired by others in the community. We do not experience the young narrator in the traditional school community. Titus Hoyt, I.A. faces a challenge to educate himself and receive the stamp of approval. Naipaul's intent is to show the ineffectiveness of striving for education in this situation of disorder of an environment exiled from the larger community. Much power is ascribed in the Trinidadian schoolmaster trained by the "mother country" to educate her colonists. In rebellion, Titus assumes the role of teacher for himself and the boys to get that same power without being formally educated. It is difficult to dismiss Mr. Hoyt as absurd. He skilfully defies the narrow boundaries that have been set for him, for he truly enjoys learning and teaching, as well as the mental contortions of conjugating Latin, a dead language, useless in the middle of a poverty stricken community, a slum. Another reason for Titus Hoyt's attempts to educate the boys is to give them potential in future life particularly due to the fact he cares, and in a way is frustrated to see many of his fellow folk uneducated and without that sense of security and pride.
The community of Miguel Street was very cooperative where everybody would look out for each other and give support and give advice when one was in trouble, such as the narrator's mother who comforts Mrs Hereira when she is beaten by her husband. The people were also well informed about the "goings on" in their street and were always eager to know more, such as the reason why the "beautiful" Mrs Hereira lived with a drunk, unpleasant, wild man, which was on the minds of the men for so many weeks. Respect to the elders was seen very moral and the youngsters were willing to do almost anything their elders wanted. Such an example is the narrator himself who even obeys to "strip a bamboo" to be beaten with after he has a fight with his peers, which reflects the youngsters attitude about discipline. We must not forget, however, that the boy cannot rebel to refuse any demands made by his elders, because of the culture in which he lives. As it is on Miguel Street, so it is in the larger society. Children are to look and learn and not be heard. We also see the factors leading one to becoming an outsider in a Trinidadian community. An example is Errol associating himself with the "Yankee invaders" who are despised by the Trinidadians and as a result he is rejected by his community. Although when he faces hardship he is once again accepted as one of them. Another reason why he is rejected is that he is different and does not face hardship since he worked for the "Yankee dollar". When he is let down by the Americans and loses his job, he is accepted by his community since he is similar to the poverty stricken companions. Naipaul has used Errol as an example of a minor "tragedy". Naipaul is trying to get the message across that in a backward and poverty stricken society, the people do not have anything to live, but for the warm and cooperative communities they live in. Once they banish themselves the only way they can return is too seek penance and hope that their community accepts them again.
There was a huge gap between the lower classes and the upper classes in Trinidad. It is clear that Miguel Street consisted of lower class people and it is only clear that there were wealthy places in the Port-of-Spain until Eddoes a man with a scavenging truck visits St Clair. We know that this area consisted of wealthy people when a woman threw a away a radio which caused amazement amongst the men who asked questions such as: "You mean these rich people does just throw away things like that?". Statements made by the people such as: "propaganda? Is a German thing?" is enough for us to presume that people were not well informed about the incidents outside their country. An explanation could be that many were uneducated and the fact that Trinidad was ruled by the British empire which could have suppressed any information getting through to the island, and even brainwash its people. We see that Bolo was aware that his country was suppressed by its rulers that he refused to believe any news about the outside world, "It was not until 1947 that Bolo believed that the war was over.......Is only a lot of propaganda. Just lies for black people", a form of a rebellious attitude. The amount of corruption in Trinidad was great such as the bribing of the police on many occasions by people such as George who opens up a brothel. Surprisingly we also see that the narrator himself bribes an important and wealthy man to give him a scholarship to study abroad. This shows that bribe was not an act done by only criminals or wealthy people. We also see the limits of official authority in Miguel Street. There is also a sense of more natural justice than the law which is seen when Toni becomes to "wild" is beaten up by men part of the community to "straighten him up".
Naipaul's writing skills and use of language are effective in many ways. He is very direct and opens each story by describing the main character of that story; "Big Foot was really black, and everybody in Miguel Street was afraid of him", which in effect sets the scene. Naipaul does not describe the atmosphere of Trinidad in direct form. However, we get an idea of what Miguel Street looks when the narrator is describing one of his memories, "When I think of her house I see just two colours. Grey and green. The green of the mango tree, the grey of the house and the grey of the high galvanised-iron fence". It can be argued that Naipaul has not described the atmosphere of Miguel Street directly since his intention of writing the stories was not to achieve in portraying the physical appearance of Miguel Street, but to portray the interesting and colourful members, despite having individual hardships. He concludes each story by describing the character's life many years onwards incorporated with a moral message. An example of this is Eddoes who feels his life is almost destroyed when his wife leaves him, but manages to cope in finding somebody else; reflecting the message of "life goes on". Another technique in which Naipaul manages to reflect moral and philosophical values is through those numerous calypsos in which the people of Trinidad use to explain and reflect their problems; "Is love, love, love, love alone / That cause King Edward to leave the throne". Naipaul has narrated in narrating simple language; "He got two of those big black Grenandian small-islanders". Is it because he wants to get the moral and philosophical implications to be straightforward and understandable to the reader?
It could be argued that Naipaul has attempted to balance the scale between men and women in a Trinidadian society. In describing the punishment meted out to the women, it appears that women punish in self-defense by running away. It was only until the generation of the narrator where they took greater concern to education since it was an element of security. And it was the community which held the people together, giving them hope and joy within their daily lives of hardship, enabling them to "survive".
What Do You Learn About Rural Life In 19th Century England From The Short Stories Of Thomas Hardy?
A Grade
Heresh Rezavandi
The two short stories of Thomas Hardy (The Withered Arm and The Son's Veto) give one a vivid insight of life of the rural working class during 19th century England and their involvement with the upper classes throughout the country. Their hardships, superstitious beliefs and their attitudes towards women are displayed along with their lifestyle in the historical southern county of Wessex, allowing one to get different perspectives of the class and their personal prejudices against each other.
During the Victorian era there was a great social divide between the upper and lower classes both financially and in the attitudes towards each other, which is seen all over England from the countryside of Wessex to the city of London. The only common relationship they had amongst one other was strictly business which is seen when Farmer Lodge had employed a "troop of milkers, regular and supernumerary". Other relationships such as marriage and sexual affairs were clearly frowned upon especially by the upper classes who were afraid of being "ashamed" "degraded in the eyes of all gentlemen of England" which was clearly stated by Randolph as being a good example of class discrimination which existed during that time. If two people with a great difference in class were to be married, the partner from the upper class was aware of the consequences which lied in the future, was prepared to have "committed social suicide" by this step which is seen when Mr Twycott an upper class vicar proposes to Sophy a lower class servant. This shows that a minority of people during the Victorian era did go against moralistic marriage standards of that time.
It is evident that superstition held an important place in nineteenth century rural life which is widely seen in 'The Withered Arm': we get the first glimpse of superstition when Rhoda Brook curses Gertrude Lodge in her sleep and this is explained in such depth that we get an impression that Hardy has not interpreted superstition as a folly as we do in modern-day society. He has reflected superstition through the eyes of typical working class country folk, where he incorporates a superstitious curse in the story (Rhoda's curse on Gertrude) to "prove" that superstition exists. Many people especially those of the working classes all believed in superstition to an extent. Gertrude Lodge who once considered superstition as "folly", changed into a "irritable superstitious women" desperate to cure her arm. Furthermore she even visits a conjuror to heal her arm. Even Farmer Lodge disapproved who her of using "apothecary messes and witch mixtures", feared that his wife was infertile since it may have been a "judgment from heaven above" showing that even people from the upper classes believed in superstition to an extent. Superstition was so widely believed as people were not educated and had limited sources of scientific knowledge, hence blamed their problems or incidents on superstition. Another reason is that their religion of Christianity had interacted with the died out religion of paganism which was full of these superstitious beliefs. There is evidence that people in England were Christian for the fact that there was a church built in Farmer Lodge's village; "...and started him off for Holmstoke church". Gertrude Lodge eventually dies in attempting to cure her arm as her blood " "turned" indeed- to far" by touching Rhoda's (the curser's) son. It can be argued that this is a message from Hardy himself, warning people that it is dangerous to interact with paganism, and if they do they will be punished by death.
Attitudes to women during nineteenth century rural life would be considered very sexist now, but at that time women were considered weaker both physically and mentally. When Gertrude Lodge fails to produce any children and loses her beauty, Mr Lodge "was usually gloomy and silent", showing that women were considered, nothing more than breeding machines who were expected to regenerate their husbands family. We also see that the idea "love", which is the key element of marriage, was not the main factor in which two people got married, which is seen when Sophy Twycott agreed to marry Mr Twycott because she "had a respect for him". Another discrimination against women is their lack of rights when claiming wills. When Sophy's husband dies "she was left with no control over anything that had been her husband's beyond her personal income" which is an example of the lack of freedom and rights women had when their husbands died. It can be argued that Thomas Hardy has deliberately emphasised women's weakness and their downfall in Victorian society in order to make the readers aware (particularly men), the hardships of being a women at this time. An example of this is Hardy specifically describing Sophy's rights over her dead husband's will.
Thomas Hardy has mainly focused the story on the rural working class. It is evident that the rural working class had hard lives, working for long hours whether they were in the fields or milking the cows, until they were too old. Many of the workers worked for a landlord, such as Farmer Lodge, who would belong to the upper classes who would live nearby in a wealthy house, or would pay them rent for their "milchers" or the cottages "built of mud-walled", which indicates the country folk's living conditions. It is not clear that there are any schools in the village where Rhoda Lodge lived or any nearby, which is enough to presume that most of the rural workers received little or no education. Therefore they remained workers like the rest of their family and their generation, hence another reason for their superstitious beliefs, whereas the few upper class people which existed in the country had none of these troubles and lived quite comfortably earning their living through their employed workers. The country-folk described their wives as "white skinned" indicating that the upper class did not work.
The southern English dialect spoken by the characters is difficult to remain unnoticed. Since they lived in isolated areas of the country amongst a small population they received hardly any influence from the industrialised parts of the country. As a result dialects evolved in each rural society and words such as "chimmer" or "milcher" were common words of the country folk in Wessex. Also there was a lack of communication between the country and the large towns since it travelled very slow since sources of transport were limited as well as technology. When Randolph harshly corrects his mother's grammar, "Has, dear mother - not have!", we see he is clearly embarrassed that his mother's grammar is incorrect. It can be argued that the reason for his action is that his mother's background will be revealed to acquaintances nearby who have a high status in society, indicating that the way you talked revealed your position in society, reflecting aspects of the amount of education you received and your wealth. Since Randolph's mother had a country accent it revealed that she was poor, uneducated and was brought up by a working class family. Since Randolph's father was upper middle class and his mother working class, many upper class people would have found this immoral that two people of very different status class should be married, which is the reason why Randolph is so embarrassed.
Thomas Hardy's writing skills and use of language are effective in many ways. He opens each story with a vivid description of the scene using rich and sophisticated language, introducing the atmosphere almost at once, "It was an eighty-cow diary, and the troop of milkers, regular and supernumerary, were all at work; for, though the time of year was as yet but nearly April". Most interestingly he manages to introduce the characters without directly describing them and achieves in reflecting their sex, class, wealth and even the description of their clothes, for instance "the black beaver hat surmounted by its tuft of black feathers", by judging that it is a lady's hat and is expensive we see that the character is a woman, wealthy and belongs to an upper class status. And " 'A was born before our great Weir was builded, and I hadn't a man's wages when I laved water there" makes it immediately clear that the character is a man, belongs to the working class due to the way he speaks and that he worked and received a wage. Furthermore, he washed in a river. Hardy's technique in ending the story is also effective and at the same time very different to his typical style of describing events in great detail. He has described the consequences of Gertrude's obsession in attempting to heal her arm in a mere paragraph, and furthermore follows and describes the lives of the main characters in a period of perhaps half a decade to conclude the story. Thomas Hardy has reflected the moral values of that era by incorporating it with the consequences of the stories. This is seen in 'The Son's Veto where the consequences of two members of very different classes intermixing in terms of marriage, which Randolph sees as immoral (a common attitude of that time) resulting in great complications and even death. We also see that the short stories even have significance to this day, since the sexism towards women survives and so do the complications of marriage. It can be argued that Hardy is successful as a writer and reflecting the characters so descriptively since he may have encountered people which influenced his characters, and the fact that he lived in Wessex where many of the characters are from.