Emily Egbert



Emily Egbert

Dr. Karen C. Holt

ENG 333

3/26/2013

Literary Analysis: “The Ruined Maid”

Introduction

Thomas Hardy’s poem “The Ruined Maid” introduces its reader to the harsh reality of lower class Victorian Women. Critical scrutiny through a feminist lens helps widen the scope of understanding to reveal beyond the satirical irony of the writing and bring to light the deep rooted social issue of Victorian England’s paralyzing poverty and its effects on women. In Critical Theory Today feminist criticism is explained as, "...the ways in which literature (and other cultural productions) reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of women" (Tyson). “The Ruined Maid” clearly challenges society’s cruel treatment of women in the social class by contrasting two seemingly different women who in the end are more alike as victims of England’s failure than they could have imagined.

Biography

Thomas Hardy was one of the few who recognized the extensive inequalities that men held over women and then took the initiative to speak out against the issue. Hardy was born in 1840 in Dorset, England. Despite being raised in a lower income family, Hardy did all he could to take advantage of all educational opportunities. Between his father’s love of music and his mothers love for the written word Hardy developed a life-long passion for culture, music and literature, in all their different forms. While Hardy was working as an apprentice to an architect he took advantage of the culture around in the city around him, attending museums, social events and theatre, expanding his love of literature and life (Gibson).

In 1862 Hardy enrolled in King’s College in London. There he excelled in his architectural endeavors, however, Hardy never felt quite at home in London. He was acutely away of the class division and his inferiority amongst his peers. He became fascinated with the social reform in London. Becoming worried about his health, Hardy returned to Dorset to recover. This is when he began to dedicate himself to his writings.

Hardy, like Dickens, was highly critical of Victorian society. His fearlessness in challenging society was often expressed in the form of dramatic dialogues in his poetry. “The Ruined Maid” is one of his more famous examples that uses a satirical approach to bring attention to the prominent social problem Hardy saw in the poor conditions of the position of women in England and their inability to overcome their inevitable poverty during the Victorian Era (Gibson).

Poetic Devices

Hardy uses an AABB rhyme scheme all throughout the poem. This effect adds to the satire of the poem. As the poem is read a jovial undertone of an odd nursery rhyme is present because of the AABB rhyme scheme as well as the rhythm. The innocence of the rhythm and rhyme draw attention to reality of this poem and the harshness of life for women in the Victorian Era. Hardy plays with the words such as “thik oon,” (10) “t’other,” (10) and “la-dy” (15). By strategically using the sounds of the words and letters the thick cockney accent of the farm worker as she speaks to the now more proper “la-dy” is very obvious and creates a strong contrast between the two.

The varying repetition of the last line in each of the four stanzas weaves the message of the poem together. The woman in the city, though fine and soft, has been “ruined”; she boldly exclaims it five times. Hardy uses a great deal of imagery and simile through his county woman’s voice. She paints a picture of ‘Melia as she exclaims her surprise in the difference of her former co-worker.  "Your hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleak/But now I'm bewitched by your delicate cheek” (13-14). This description shows that the change of ‘Melia was quite drastic.

Background

In England the station to which one was born dictated nearly every aspect of daily life. The double standard for men and women should have been a prominent issue of the time but was ignored by both the elite and the masses. Men could have multiple sexual partners in their lifetime; women on the other hand were considered “ruined” or “fallen” if they ever had any sexual relations outside of their marriage and were then considered unfit for marriage and became social outcasts (Walkowitz). Women in the lower class had very limited options, the main being manual labor and prostitution (Wojtczak).

The speakers in “The Ruined Maid” are two women in the working class. The first is a simple country worker that has run into a lavishly changed version of her former farm working friend. The extravagantly dressed woman, ‘Melia, is quite different than our simple country woman remembers. Throughout the poem the manual laborer repeatedly exclaims at the difference in her appearance, dress, speech and actions. In reply to each of the country woman’s remarks ‘Melia tells her that is the result when one is “ruined” (4).

Literary Analysis

Great writers convey their message without bluntly stating it to their audience. Hardy’s insightful poetry conjures the minds of his audience and encourages them to reflect on how inhumane the social classes were and how poorly women were treated without every saying it. Because of its’ simplicity and relatability Hardy’s clever use of an everyday conversation between two women is more powerful than any lengthy lecture or straightforward statement he could have given.

The poem is opened by a country woman discovering a dramatically changed woman that used to work beside her in the fields with her. She immediately begins to exclaim her surprise in the changed appearance, “And whence such fair garments, such prosperi-ty?" (3). The town’s woman, ‘Melia, is finely dressed and has the appearance of being well off. ‘Melia’s response to the country woman is, “"O didn't you know I'd been ruined?" said she.” (4) The word “ruined” during the Victorian Era was the politically correct way of saying that she had chosen a life of prostitution (Walkowitz). Her naïve friend continues to be fixated on the fineness of the woman and compares her new found luxuries to her former lifestyle. “You left us in tatters, without shoes or socks/Tired of digging potatoes, and spudding up docks” (5-6). Hardy is eloquently leading his audience to examine the uncomfortable reality that these two women represented all women in Victorian England’s lower class. When a woman was born into the low station of life she had two options. She could spend her days in the field performing backbreaking work or she could deny the convention moral codes of the times and “ruin” herself.

Each woman is condemned to life of demeaning labor, one in the fields and one in the streets. The first comparison made between the women is in their dress. The country woman’s surprise to her new apparel shows how differently the two women live. “You left us in tatters, without shoes or sock/And now you’ve gay bracelets and bright feathers three!” (6-7). The country woman is still living the life ‘Melia has left behind and is still dressed in the “tatters” (5).

The next comparison is focused on the speech of the two women. “Your talking quite fits 'ee for high compa-ny!" (11). This line of the poem does two things. First it states ‘Melia’s speech is more refined and polished. Second it clearly displays the thick cockney accent of the country woman, starkly showing the contrast between the two women’s speech. Compare this to ‘Melia’s response, "’Some polish is gained with one's ruin,’ said she,” (12). While the content of ‘Melia’s response is about her choice to turn to prostitution she tries to show that she’s better than her former colleague by being careful in her pronunciation and abandoning her old way of speech. We know that she hasn’t truly as “polished” (12) as she claims due to the betrayal of her unrefined language in the end of the poem. “You ain’t ruined,’ said she” (24).

The country woman reveals a third contrast examined through the physical appearance of ‘Melia in comparison to her former complexion and structure. “Your hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleak/But now I’m bewitched by your delicate cheek” (13-14). ‘Melia’s response is once again defensive as she exclaims, “‘We never do work when we’re ruined,” said she’” (16).

The final difference between the “old” ‘Melia and the “new” is focused on her attitude towards life. The country woman reveals to the reader that ‘Melia used to be complaining and depressed. “And you’d sigh, and you’d sock; but at present you seem/To know not of megrims or melancho-ly!” (18-19).

A shallow reading of the poem would leave a reader thinking that Hardy was trying to say that prostitution gave women a better life than that of a common farm worker. However, close reading and special attention to the final stanza reveals Hardy’s true intentions. The naïve country women expresses her desire to be like her friend, "I wish I had feathers, a fine sweeping gown/And a delicate face, and could strut about Town!" (15-16). Her puerile wish is one of innocence; she simply doesn’t understand the full gravity of being “ruined.” ‘Melia’s response is the key to the poem. “’My dear — a raw country girl, such as you be/Cannot quite expect that. You ain't ruined,’ said she” (23-24). Hardy’s satire is most apparent here as the poem’s irony presents prostitution to be the better option while reality weaves a drastically different tale. While ‘Melia is subtly debasing her simple, unsophisticated her friend the snide comments make a profound statement about Victorian society. Both women are caught in a life of demeaning work. In ‘Melia’s response to her friend’s wish she states that a “raw country girl” (23) couldn’t expect the “feathers,” (21) “fine sweeping gown,” (21) and “delicate cheek” (14). Her statement suggests that it is better to be “ruined” (24). While ‘Melia has escaped the hard farm work she will never be able to escape her social class as she has convinced her friend she has. Her outward appearance would suggest a good life, however her “job” reveals the harsh reality. She is condemned to a situation much lower than the “raw country girl.”

Conclusion

This was the reality of women in the 19th century. The poem purposefully leaves its’ reader in an uncomfortable state of despair. Realization that the unfairness in life for women went far beyond such thing as women’s suffrage or the power to divorce, comes through powerfully. Survival meant compromising one’s soul. Hardy’s poem set out to expose the inequality of rural and impoverished women. The success of the simple dialogue is astonishingly compelling as captivates the reader’s emotion and conjures a deep desire to act.

Works Cited

Gibson, James. Thomas Hardy: A Literary Life. London: Macmillan, 1996. Print.

Hardy, Thomas All Poetry. “The Ruined Maid.” 2012. Web. 15 Feb 2013.

Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today. New York: Taylor & Francis Group. 2006. Print

Walkowitz, Judith R. Prostitution and Victorian Society: Women, Class, and the State Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1980. Print

Wojtczak, Helena. The Victorian Web. “Women of the Lower Working Class” 2000. Web. 27 Mar 2013.

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