Comparison of ‘The Withered Arm’ and ‘The Three Strangers’ by Thomas Hardy

Short stories have limited characters (as protagonists) and the introduction of them into the story is swift and quite brief but very precise. Also the atmosphere is quickly established. The narrative is tight and carefully dovetailed. There is always a beginning, development then denouement. The plot is mostly compressed and has a definite time scale. Hardy distinguishes his short stories by using strong poetic language to enhance his description. As poetry was his first love, he uses figurative language naturally to present credible characters and situations. His description of landscape uses an almost cinematic technique, while his themes are often dominated by the influence of fate.
The characterisation in ‘The Withered Arm’ is quite limited. There are only two central characters, Rhoda Brooks and Gertrude Lodge, and the story is written around their past and present actions. The other characters, (the farmer, Rhoda’s son and Conjuror Trundle) are important more as devices ...