Tony Kytes, the arch deceiver

THOMAS HARDY & THERESA TOMLINSON RAISE SIMILAR ISSUES BUT IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

A study of 'Tony Kytes, the Arch Deceiver' by Thomas Hardy and

'The Oakum Room' by Theresa Tomlinson.

'The Oakum Room' by Theresa Tomlinson is clearly a feminist story where the female characters stand up for themselves and unite in protest. At first reading, 'Tony Kytes the Arch Deceiver', instead seems to mock women, portraying them as weak, desperate and gullible. Although, upon re-examining we see that Tony does not have a flattering description either, giving us the impression that Hardy may not have been as chauvinistic as he first appeared.

Both short stories are about a man choosing a wife and the power he has over the women when doing this. In each the man attempts to choose a woman from a selection and the women have no say in the matter. However, the women in 'Tony Kytes the Arch Deceiver' appear to be quite manipulative as they are in competition and it is often difficult to decide who is being more devious, Tony or the girls. Tony seems to be less in command of the situation than any of the women, as he is continually acting on impulse. The girls on the other hand are acting with the clear intention of securing Tony for a husband. 'T

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Tony then asked Unity but she had to regrettably decline also out of pride, dignity and self-respect. Perhaps his reason for decribing the women superficially as stereotypes of manipulative yet weak and gullible wiles was so that the majority of his readers and critics (mostly male at the time) would not react badly to his work. The same is true in 'The Oakum Room' although the women have more cause to strive to gain a husband, as their current circumstances are horrendous, 'no money for medicine, no money even for food. This difference can be put down to the obvious contrast between the authors. They both describe how people act irrationally when in competition for something society expects them to want or need. Both are about how women are treated in society, although the principal difference is that the women in 'The Oakum Room' rebel briefly and do not follow the rules laid out for them. ' Normally the women were all very close to each other as they had all been through the same experiences as it explained in the exposition. '

Theresa Tomlinson varied the standard structure of her story so that it was more gripping so the reader became instantly involved. According to society Hannah could not disobey her father and so had to decline the offer. However, the story was set in the 19th Century so that Theresa Tomlinson could make the point that women have always been treated the same but can always be strong no matter when or where they are.

Upon close examination it is clear that both stories aim to show the wrongness of society. Even so, the themes of the two stories still have relevance today as although, there is less pressure, there is still the underlying opinion from society that women will marry. He could see how society turns one person against the other and so took advantage of this and turned it into a comical story. By doing this, each woman rediscovered some pride and so does not feel regret.

Approximate Word count = 1238
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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