Compare and contrast the main female characters in The Withered Arm

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Compare and contrast the main female characters in The Withered Arm and Turned. You should also refer to the position of women at the times these stories were written. The position of women has changed greatly over time, but women were, and still are seen as the weaker more inferior sex. ‘The Withered Arm’ was written in the 19th century by Thomas Hardy, and the story is set in the English countryside. The story reflects the different attitudes expressed against women in the biased society of that time. There are two main female characters, which are totally different from each other. Gertrude Lodge, is a character that represents Madonna, on the other hand there is Rhoda Brooks who is seen as the whore. Society at the time lived totally by paradoxical opposites. Women were either good or bad, nobody was in-between, and if somebody did not fit into a certain category then they were considered different and as a result they were outcast. The main reason for this being that people do not like what they do not understand. ‘Turned’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was written a century a later this story also focuses on the role of women in society. It shows how women have developed and the two main characters, Mrs Marroner and Gerta Petersen, are fairly similar to the characters in ‘The Withered Arm’. At the time the two stories were written, women had virtually no rights and they were seen as second class citizens. Education was not seen necessary for women and instead they would be taught ‘accomplishments’ like singing, embroidery, painting, and the art of conversation. Women were made to think that their only goal and ambition in life should be to attract a wealthy husband. Women were totally submissiv... ... middle of paper ... ...er because she still prefers to stay at home instead of working. Gerta Petersen is sort of the typical women of her time because although she is not dependant on any men, she still let a man take advantage of her. Like many other women however she did become strong minded and chose to bring up the child on her own with out the help of the father. She also took the advantages of getting a good education. Both the stories that I have analysed are very female orientated and they bring forward ideas and themes to do with the power, intellect, and creativity, of women. Both stories outline the pressures faced by women and although these stories were written a long time a go, women in the world today still face important issues. Life may be a lot better for women today but sexism still exists and stories like these are inspiring to read and even learn from.

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