Friday, October 11, 2019
Hardys dramatic dialogue Essay
Denying the harsh moral codes set upon you can at times improve your material circumstances; however it can reduce you to a situation lower than poverty. Hardyââ¬â¢s dramatic dialogue ââ¬Å"The Ruined Maidâ⬠attempts to portray the injustices and ironies of Victorian morality. Hardy is able to achieve this through his elaborate control over language. The class distinctions and moral codes placed upon women in the Victorian era have a large degree of irony. In the first stanza Hardy introduces two women: an unnamed, impoverished farm maid and a relatively wealthy ââ¬Å"ruinedâ⬠woman. The fact that the farm maid is unnamed shows her relatively insignificant life in comparison to the ââ¬Å"ruinedâ⬠woman who is named. The ââ¬Å"ruinedâ⬠woman (ââ¬ËMelia) is said to have acquired ââ¬Å"fair garmentsâ⬠, illustrating her affluence as the adjective ââ¬Å"fairâ⬠suggests her clothes were of great beauty. The farm maid also wonders how ââ¬ËMelia has come across ââ¬Å"such prosperi-tyâ⬠emphasising her newfound wealth. ââ¬ËMelia states that she has acquired this wealth as she has ââ¬Å"been ruinedâ⬠. By crossing the Victorian morality line and selling herself she has been rewarded instead of being looked down upon. In the second stanza Hardy contrasts the two womenââ¬â¢s lifestyles to illustrate their vast differences. Hardy uses negative diction such as the noun ââ¬Å"tattersâ⬠to describe the poverty-stricken woman clothing which contrasts to the description of the wealthier woman in the first stanza. Hardy also contrasts this in the second stanza where Hardy uses positive diction with vibrant connotations such as ââ¬Å"gay braceletsâ⬠and ââ¬Å"bright feathersâ⬠to again describe the ââ¬Å"ruinedâ⬠womanââ¬â¢s clothing. The use of juxtaposition between the poverty of one woman and the relative wealth of ââ¬ËMelia emphasises their class differences. The ââ¬Å"ruinedâ⬠woman, obviously gaining from her denial of normal moral codes, states ââ¬Å"thatââ¬â¢s how we dress when we are ruinedâ⬠. This illustrates that all women in her profession wear wealthy clothing, portraying the ironies of Victorian moral rectitude. Restrained in the entrenched Victorian class system with its moral and economic confines women at times have to escape in order to improve their situation. In the third stanza Hardy illustrates the ââ¬Å"ruinedâ⬠womanââ¬â¢s original poverty. She is described to have had a ââ¬Å"home in the bartonâ⬠, illustrating her initial lack of wealth through the use of the noun ââ¬Å"bartonâ⬠. ââ¬ËMelia is said to have in the past used archaic, colloquial language such as ââ¬Å"theeâ⬠and ââ¬Å"thouâ⬠portraying her earlier impoverishment; only those of the lower classes would have used these words. However Hardy contrasts this with the womanââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"talkingâ⬠which now ââ¬Å"fits ââ¬Ëee for high companyâ⬠, again emphasising her gain from selling herself. ââ¬ËMelia says that ââ¬Å"some polish is gained with oneââ¬â¢s ruinâ⬠. The noun ââ¬Å"polishâ⬠suggests the woman has gained refinement by becoming ââ¬Å"ruinedâ⬠, illustrating the potential gains from defying Victorian moral codes. This can also portray the hypocrisy of Victorian society as pure, virginal women are approved of; however happen to live depressing, miserable lives. In the fourth stanza Hardy again contrasts the womanââ¬â¢s current position with her past one, describing how she used to have ââ¬Å"pawsâ⬠and a ââ¬Å"face blue and bleakâ⬠. The fact that her hands are said to have been ââ¬Å"pawsâ⬠illustrates the strenuous work she had to endure. The adjective ââ¬Å"bleakâ⬠is an example of a synecdoche as it is used to illustrate ââ¬ËMeilaââ¬â¢s former emotions. However she is now said to have ââ¬Å"little glovesâ⬠and a ââ¬Å"delicate cheekâ⬠portraying her dramatic improvement both in her occupation and emotionally. The last line: ââ¬Å"we never do work when weââ¬â¢re ruinedâ⬠emphasises her lack of taxing labour after becoming ââ¬Å"ruinedâ⬠. Crossing the morality line can at times result in improvements to oneââ¬â¢s position economically. By defying Victorian morality oneââ¬â¢s situation is condemned to being lower than the poverty of those who are pure and righteous. In the fifth stanza Hardy again uses negative diction to describe ââ¬ËMeliaââ¬â¢s past position. Hardy illustrates that she used to view her life as a ââ¬Å"hag-ridden dreamâ⬠portraying her past depressive outlook on life due to her previous poverty. She is said to have ââ¬Å"sigh[ed]â⬠and ââ¬Å"sock[ed]â⬠emphasising her negative view on life. However now she ââ¬Å"know[s] not ofâ⬠¦ melancholyâ⬠. This shows her emotional improvement as a result of becoming ââ¬Å"ruinedâ⬠. In the last stanza the farm girl says she wished she was like her former friend and ââ¬Å"had feathersâ⬠and a ââ¬Å"fine sweeping gownâ⬠. This illustrates her misunderstanding of ââ¬ËMeliaââ¬â¢s new profession due to her poverty. She is unable to see through the vivacious fai ade of ââ¬ËMeliaââ¬â¢s wealthy clothing in order to see the realities of her occupation. ââ¬ËMelia however separates herself from her former friend stating that she is but a ââ¬Å"raw country girlâ⬠. The adjective ââ¬Å"rawâ⬠again emphasises the girlââ¬â¢s righteousness and innocence contrasted to the other womanââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"ruinedâ⬠morality. The two women are completely different due to the chasmic nature of the Victorian class distinctions and ââ¬ËMeliaââ¬â¢s decision to sell herself. ââ¬ËMeliaââ¬â¢s also denies the farm maid of her dreams stating that she ââ¬Å"cannot quite expect thatâ⬠. Although she wishes she could become wealthy she canââ¬â¢t escape the class which she was born into. ââ¬ËMelia says that ââ¬Å"you ainââ¬â¢t ruinedâ⬠showing that to become rich after being born into the lower classes you must become ââ¬Å"ruinedâ⬠. However this could also be seen as a warning to the other woman to hold on to her maidenly modesty due to its huge worth in Victorian society. Furthermore Hardy uses the colloquial expression ââ¬Å"ainââ¬â¢tâ⬠to show the reader that the ââ¬Å"ruinedâ⬠woman hasnââ¬â¢t escaped her poor origins. Women of the Victorian times held a very insecure position in society; one which could change dramatically just by defying ironic moral codes. In ââ¬Å"The Ruined Maidâ⬠Hardy attempts to show the ironies and injustices place upon women in the Victorian era. He shows that although one may improve their economic situation by defying the moral codes of their society they are condemned to a fate worse than poverty.
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