The Withered Arm

The Withered Arm is a short story written by Thomas Hardy, first published in 1888. The story is set in the rural English countryside and revolves around three main characters: Rhoda Brook, a lonely and impoverished milkmaid; Gertrude Lodge, a young and beautiful woman who is newly married to a wealthy farmer; and Farmer Lodge, Gertrude's husband.The story begins with Rhoda Brook, who is haunted by a dream in which she sees Gertrude with a withered arm. Rhoda and Gertrude have never met, but Rhoda becomes obsessed with the idea of the withered arm and becomes convinced that it is a sign of Gertrude's evil nature.As the story progresses, Gertrude's arm does indeed become withered, and she becomes increasingly desperate to find a cure. She seeks the help of a local conjurer, who tells her that the only way to heal her arm is to touch the neck of a hanged man.The story takes a dark turn as Gertrude and Rhoda sneak into a graveyard to try and touch the neck of a hanged man. The ending is shocking and unexpected, as the truth about Gertrude's withered arm is revealed.The Withered Arm is a haunting and atmospheric story that explores themes of jealousy, superstition, and the power of the supernatural. It is a classic example of Thomas Hardy's skill as a writer and his ability to capture the essence of rural English life in the late 19th century.She did nothing for months, and patiently bore her disfigurement as before. But her woman's nature, craving for renewed love, through the medium of renewed beauty (she was but twenty-five), was ever stimulating her to try what, at any rate, could hardly do her any harm. 'What came by a spell will go by a spell surely, ' she would say. Whenever her imagination pictured the act she shrank in terror from the possibility of it: then the words of the conjuror, 'It will turn your.blood, ' were seen to be capable of a scientific no less than a ghastly interpretation; the mastering desire returned, and urged her on again.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original wor