Compare_the_Ways_in_Which_Thomas_Hardy’S_‘the_Withered_Arm’_and_Edgar_Alan_Poe’S_‘the_Tell_Tale_Heart_Could_Be_Considered_Gothic_Short_Stories

Hardy and Poe had different writing styles both of which were part of the gothic genre, even though both stories were written within the same century, 1843 ( The Tell Tale Heart) and 1888 (The Withered Arm) their own back rounds took a huge affect on what they had written and how. Hardy’s story was affected by the way in which it was published, whereas Poe had a troubled life. The traditional gothic elements are included, most of which are, superstition, darkness and a sense of insanity which creates the gothic atmosphere and the life that Alan Poe has experienced is reflected hugely throughout his poems and stories. Hardy however grew up with his parents in Dorchester and this is where all his short stories are based. Typical gothic settings include wild landscapes, ruined or grotesque buildings and the imagery of darkness, shadow and decay. Thomas Hardy’s ‘The Withered Arm is set in Egdon Heath, in many ways this could be considered as a perfect gothic setting in a sense that it avoids enclosure without hedges and boundaries whereas Poe’s story is set in an enclosed room with a dark presence, ‘thick clouds make the atmosphere dark and the wind howled dismally’. No boundaries has an impact on the action and can symbolise that anything can happen, this is considered as a gothic element as it produces a sense of fear. Hardy describes the town in personification as ‘whose dark countenance was visible in the distance’ this proves Hardy’s belief that ‘Environment makes character and character is fate’ therefore the surroundings a person is brought up decides their personality. Egdon seems to watch over the events of the story impassively in another word the effect on protagonists is not considered. The Tell Tale Heart has a setting in many ways the opposite to the Withered Arm. It takes place in dark enclosed room during mid night ‘his room was as pitch as black’. Sounds are described to give a sense of fear which contributes to the gothic style of writing for example the creaking of the floorboards is a traditional technique used that gives a threatening effect, ‘I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber’ the reader also knows there are shutters on the windows. There is also a bed in the room where the old man lies asleep ‘ I could see him as he lay upon the bed’ Poe doesn’t include as much detail as Hardy’s story to where the story takes place however this can contribute as a gothic element as it adds mystery to the story. In the Withered Arm Egdon could been seen as the most important character where it has an effect of everything that takes place within the story therefore decides how the people of this town are going to act. It holds ancient beliefs where little has changed in spite of the industrial revolution this has a gothic effect because makes the reader think that unfaithful actions committed by a person will cause them to be cursed which creates a dark atmosphere with fear looming and is also using the technique including a historical past. Characters in gothic stories are usually stereotypical. There is usually a dark villain, a delicate young female victim, a wise older person who will help the victim at some point in the story, and finally somebody who represents the law. Hardy’s characters give a gothic effect however are not seen as the stereotypical people that occur in dark, horror stories. Rhoda Brooks, a milk maid is seen at first as an innocent woman who has been disowned by the father of her son, however she is an outcast compared to the rest of her peers part of Egdon Heath as she committed to having a child out of wedlock which was forbidden. Rhoda is an outsider who has been accused of being a witch and Hardy describes that she is ‘fading and grey’ her colours that are of Egdon. In Poe’s story however, the main character speaks for him self due to the first person narrative and describes how he feels and what he is thinking at the time. He explains that people think of him as a mad individual however he sees him self as a normal person with strong feelings against an old man who he feared due to his ‘pale blue eye’ which he describes as a frightening sight. He mentions that the only way he could escape the eye is to kill the old man ‘the whole week before I killed him’ and this makes the reader feel he is insane. Murder is also a common gothic element as it produces that dark atmosphere and shows this character is very strange and unpredictable. Insanity plays a huge role within gothic stories which is useful as the reader will want to read on to see what they will do next. In the ‘Withered Arm’ the father of Rhoda’s son, Farmer Lodge avoids them both as he doesn’t want to be seen with the woman who had a child out of wedlock, therefore doesn’t accept that he has a child. He is in charge of Rhoda Brooks as he owns the land she works on however still avoid to acknowledge one another. This has an affect on the reader as the grudge between them both suggests that something is going to happen later on in the story to heighten the fear and tension which creates a dark surrounding. The reader observes that Rhoda envies the relationship of Farmer Lodge and his new Wife Gertrude. Where Rhoda’s love has been shattered it causes her to be angry and hurt which leads to her having a vision of Lodge’s new wife, here she grabs her arm where she observes a ring upon Gertrude’s finger and this scares her. Hardy portrays each character using colours to paint a picture in the readers mind as she is described as young and beautiful ‘lips and cheeks are rosy red’. Her clothing is also mentioned in great detail which proves she originates from a wealthy back round ‘ she wears soft fine silks’ however she avoids being of a stock character where she differs from the typical horrid step mother as she is kind and generous. For example she sees Rhoda’s son wearing worn out boots and offers him a new pair ‘I’ll come and bring you some better boots’. This differs from the character in Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart as the innocent old man is described only how the main character portrays him, therefore his ‘evil eye’ is mentioned continuously that doesn’t necessarily mean he is a bad character. Hardy’s creation of the rustics are seen as the simple yeomen of Egdon, he goes beyond ‘stock’ characters in many areas of the story, for example the friendship that develops of Rhoda and Gertrude which is ironic as usually a grudge would be held as she is married to the father of her son. Gothic stories usually have narratives that follow a simple pattern. Each story may include elements such as the supernatural or ghostly surroundings, also horror and terror. At some point of the story the victim may feel isolated or lonely which can create sadness as well as a sense of fear, for example Rhoda Brooks is portrayed as an outsider as people believe she is bewitched . Multiple narrators are included to vary how the story is told from different points of views. The Withered arm is written in the third person, this is useful as events that take place involve every characters’ view of a situation and the truthful actions of an individual are involved where the narrator is omniscient. This way the reader can have a clear picture to what is happening and avoids missing out on important parts of the story that effects the climax at the end. This contributes to a gothic story because it makes the story more unpredictable to where its hard to say what will happen next. In Poes story its written in the first person narrative this can have a dramatic effect as its what that one person is thinking and feeling at the time which makes the reader feel part of the situation. The Withered Arm is written in chronological order, which includes discourse markers such as ‘the next evening’ its makes it easier for the reader to grasp each event and the passing of time. In the Tell Tale Heart the isolated room gives a sense of terror and darkness, where enclosure means ‘no escape’. Near the end of Poe’s story the murderer claims he is feared when ‘there came a knocking at the street door’ the reader discovers it’s the police officers. This contributes as a gothic element as it follows the stereotypical event of the murderer being caught as it unfolds a mystery. The first person narrative within the story is also unreliable for example the main character explains he thinks he is ‘sane’ whereas the reader knows he isn’t. Hardy divides his story into nine separate chapters, this is used to heighten and manage the tension throughout. As the story grows nearer to the reader will wonder what is about to happen as each event that takes place is unpredictable. This short story includes qualities that make it a more sophisticated gothic tale than others for example high points in the story that may shock the reader, such as when Gertrude discovers that Rhoda caused her arm to become withered after Rhoda experienced her vision. This revelation takes place when Gertrude visits the Conjure Trendle along with Rhoda Brooks, ‘stood the house of the man they sought’. The reader observes that anything could happen at this point as Gertrude enters to find out who has cursed her, ‘fetching and egg prepared and broke it on the edge of the glass’. Here she discovers the face of Rhoda which shocks both her and the reader, and the tension heightens. Ironic twists are also included as forging of friendship between Rhoda and Gertrude is unexpected as the stereotypical way would involve them being enemies. Within every gothic story the style can always vary from multiple narrators , irony and the use of symbols, these elements can create dramatic effect for the reader. The Tell Tale Heart includes an insane narrator which can have an unpredictable effect on the story as events are unreliable, and heightens the drama. It is written in non chronological order as it starts in ‘real time’ then moves back to tell the tale. The language used is deep and dramatic ‘soul, heaven/hell’ this is gothic in the sense that heightens the fear and the atmosphere seems more dark. Irony plays a huge part within this story for example the murderer confesses to killing the old man, whilst taking away his heart. There is constant questioning and exclaiming which heightens tension and the use of ellipsis. Ellipsis show the reader that a sentence is incomplete therefore there is more to discover within the mystery. There is a symbolic message included in both The Tell Tale Heart and The Withered Arm. Hardy uses the ring on Gertrude’s finger to represent that her and Farmer Lodge’s love is never ending which causes hatred and jealousy in Rhoda, however the journey that Rhoda and Gertrude experience together shows that a friendship is developing and that the ending is unpredictable whereas in Poe’s story the murder results in the man to confess. Farmer Lodge has a change of heart at the end of The Withered Arm when he decides to give away his money, which is ironic as he acts the opposite in previous events for example he didn’t want anything to do with his son .