دكتور في جامعة البعث
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اشترك في: 07 نيسان 2011
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المواضيع: 9
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المشاركات: 32
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القسم: اللغة الإنجليزية
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لا يوجد لدي مواضيع بعد |
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Jealousy in "The Withered Arm"
One of the main themes in "The Withered Arm," by Thomas Hardy, is jealousy which forms a vital issue that leads to tragic results. By highlighting this social issue, Hardy wants us to understand that jealousy, like fear and love, is something that springs from within not from without. Moreover, Hardy introduces jealousy as a psychological condition – a disease - that one can not keep secret from others no matter how hard he/she tries. In bringing to our notice the negative consequences of jealousy, Hardy is not original a hundred percent because jealousy, as something disliked, was known throughout history. For example, The Old Testament tells us about the first jealousy known to mankind. That is, Cain, the eldest son of Adam and Eve and the brother of Abel gets jealous and, as a result of his jealousy, he kills his brother (Abel). Abel, we are told, was a shepherd, and his older brother, Cain, cultivated the land. Both brothers made an offering to God: Abel offered the firstborn of his flock, and Cain gave the first fruits of his harvest. But when Cain's offering was rejected, he became jealous and killed his brother, Abel (Genesis 4:2- 16).
Jealousy, sometimes, results from one's feeling that he/she is being rivaled or outdone by others. In "The Withered Arm," we find that Rhoda Brook's jealousy intensifies after she hears that her husband, Mr Lodge, has brought a new wife to Holmstoke. When on the dairy, Mrs. Brook overhears one of her fellow milking –women saying: "He do bring home his bride tomorrow" (p.25) and that she was "years younger than he," (p.25)she starts to save no pains to know everything about her new rival – Gertrude. Resuming their conversation, the milking-women draw our attention to the fact that Rhoda Brook has been dumped and neglected by Mr. Lodge for years. They, foreseeing what troubles and suffering Brook will experience as a result of the above marriage, voice their sympathy and encourage us, as readers, to be of the same sympathetic attitude. "'Tis hard for she," one of the above milking-women says. A second one answers: "He ha'n't spoke to Rhoda Brook for years." (p.26). From the above conversation, we realize that Rhoda Brook is going to suffer a lot not because she is not happy at her work, but because she has to struggle against that "supernatural force," jealousy, which is going to be a nightmare for her.
Due to her getting jealous of Gertrude, the younger rivaling wife, Rhoda Brook forgets everything about her daily life and becomes obsessed with one thing only which is how to know every thing about Gertrude. "They've just been saying down in barton that your father brings his young wife home from Anglebury tomorrow" (p.26), She addresses her son. Motivated by her jealousy, Rhoda orders her son to get her all wanted details about Gertrude. "Yes … You can give her a look, and tell me what's she's like." (p.26). Rhoda, consciously or unconsciously, tries to hide her being jealous of Gertrude, but her powers fail her. What she tries to keep hidden comes out when she insists that a full image of Gertrude is presented to her. Thus, she urges her son to go and "see if she is dark or fair, and … if her hands be white; … see if they look as though she had ever done housework, or are milker's hands like mine." (p.27). Gertrude and her countenance become the major subject of Rhoda's conversation with her son.
Once Rhoda makes sure that her rival is not tall but short, she becomes a little bit relieved and she breathes out her satisfaction. When the boy carries on describing how beautiful Gertrude is, Rhoda stops him because she does not want him to tell her displeasing news. Thinking so much of Gertrude, Rhoda sees her in a midnight vision. To her happiness, the visitor is ugly and old. That is, Rhoda sees that Gertrude is of "features shockingly distorted, and wrinkled as by age…" (p.31). When, later on, Gertrude starts paying visits to Rhoda's house, the latter turns out to a sympathetic figure and by that she wins us to her side. Being suspicious, Gertrude comes down to find out about her rival. She claims that she is calling on them – Rhoda and her son – to bring the son the boots she promised him before. In fact, bring the boots is no more but a superficial justification. The real reason behind her visits is her being jealous of Rhoda Brook because the latter has two things – a child and health - she does not. That is, Gertrude, losing her beauty which is her main source of strength, starts to have nightmarish thoughts about her marital life. She fears that she is going to lose the fight for winning back her estranged husband. Being nervous and jealous, both Rhoda and Gertrude do things against their own wills. They resort to supernatural forces – magic and superstition – to put an end to their jealousy-motivated fears.
Jealousy, or the struggle for domination, is introduced by Hardy as a disease that needs to be eradicated. It is jealousy, Hardy wants us to understand, that brought these two women to their tragic ends. They tried hard to lessen the tragic consequences, but they could not hold to that undeclared reconciliation between them. What they try to keep undercover comes to light at the very end of the story. Here, we find that Rhoda Brook pours her curses on Gertrude not for nothing but because she accuses her of being the reason why she (Rhoda) loses her husband and son. Likewise, Gertrude discovers that she is going to lose Mr. Lodge for good.
Finally, and as to bring this essay to a conclusion, I find it worth mentioning that jealousy originates form selfishness and the lack of will on the part of those who suffer from it. It has been known throughout history and it is going to be there for all the years to come regardless of all the remedies prescribed to get rid of it. People of different nations know that jealousy is a burden that, in one way or another, leads to the suffering, if not the killing, of the one who gets afflicted with it. It is jealousy that made Hagar, the concubine of Abraham and mother of Ishmael, suffer. Hagar was the handmaid of Abraham's wife, Sarah, who, because she was barren, gave Hagar to her husband in the hope of producing heirs. When Hagar conceived a child, however, Sarah became jealous and regretted her decision. As a result of jealousy, Sarah persuades Abraham to drive Ishmael and his mother away to wander into the desert for a time. This same jealousy appears as a major theme in Shakespeare's play, Othello, where it is described as a "green-eyed monster." It was dealt with in many literary works from the classical time down to our modern age. It is the same thing which our prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessing of God be upon him) referred to when saying: "Your mother – Aisha- became jealous" after he received some food from one of his other wives. |
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