The Son’s Veto Analysis
Setting One of the ways Hardy evokes a sense of contrast between the two settings with the use of triads. Evidence for these can be seen when he describes the Initial setting, with trees and shrubs and globe”.
He then goes one to describe the second setting, the more Industrial of the two as a “… Vista of sotto trees, hazy air, and drab house- facades”.
This helps the reader to visualize and compare the two settings, for example, when he describes the Initial setting as having “trees” whilst the second setting, he describes as having “sotto trees”, making It easy for the reader to work out he differences and contrasts between the two settings.
Hardy also uses personification to enhance the Image In the readers mind. He describes the village as ‘pretty, as well as referring to the city as having a ‘drab house-fade”. This allows to reader to visualize, compare and contrast the two settings, the village and the city. The descriptive diction used also helps create a sense of contrast.
This Is the case when Hardy writes about the “.
.. Pale light of the evening” in the village and the ” hazy air” of the city, both of which can be described of opposites to each other. Reading a further sense of contrast. Character Reverend Tycoon, the Vicar at Gammed, was presented as a sympathetic man, who was willing to take drastic measures to get his apology through to others. When Soppy breaks her ankle on the way to serve Reverend Tycoon his food, Tycoon proposes to her out of pure apology, when he exclaims, “No, Soppy; lame or not lame, I cannot let you go.
You must never leave me again! ” He Is also portrayed as a man who will do everything to escape the social seclude he committed at Gammed, as he as an upper class woman and Soppy was in the middle class (“Mr.. Tycoon knew spotless character”), eventually making a move to London at Soppy expense, leaving behind “pretty’ Gammed for “drab” London, as he appreciated Loon’s “freedom and its domestic privacy’ Reverend Tycoon despite the sympathetic light the author portrays him in, is also a man that likes to listen only to himself, and does what he thinks is best.
Essentially, the Reverend, out of apology, proposes to Soppy, and then takes her to London, where Soppy “was left with no control over anything. ” Nearing is death, Tycoon “purchased for her use, a semidetached villa”, resulting in Sophie being trapped all by herself in a house, Just waiting for her son to come visit during vacation. As a result, Reverend Tycoon can be said to be controlling Soppy life from the grave.
Soppy, the main character of the story, as well as the character that the author creates sympathy for.
Starting off when she was nineteen, in the village of Gammed, Soppy had the Job of being a server/caretaker for Reverend Tycoon, but her life took ill twist of fate, as she “twisted her foot that she could not stand”. Soppy was a woman of a lower class, and to have to opportunity to marry someone of a higher class, she took it without much deliberation, her reason being that “even if she had wished to get away from him she hardly dared refuse a parsonage so reverend and august in her eyes. As a result of this, the reader can conclude that even though Soppy is an attractive, simple lady, she does not know what is best for her. Soppy is also expressed as being inferior to her son, which is apparent when he corrects her, “Has, dear mother – not have! ” in a tone that was almost harsh. This results in the deader arriving at the fact that she has very little say in the upbringing of the child and that she is neglected by him only because the son views her as a liability to his social prestige.
Towards the end of the story, this is more apparent, when Soppy request to marry Sam is harshly rejected by her son, “l am ashamed of you! It will ruin me! ” further implying the sense of neglect her son has for her. The reader can now conclude the even though Soppy dedicated her life for the upbringing for her son, she was not decisive enough to stop the boy from completely rejecting her. Randolph, the son of Soppy and the Reverend, is a boy that has been brought up by expensive education, therefore adapting an upper class mindset, which is what his parents were aiming to do.
Evidence of this is abundant, when Hardy writes, “her only child, on whose education no expense had been and would be spared” and his upper class mindset can be found when the author writes about Randolph, “aristocratic school-knowledge”. As a result of the fact the Randolph mom belongs to the lower class, whilst all his friends at parents who were, “.
.. Proud fathers and mothers; but ever a poor mother like her. ” (Her meaning Soppy).
As a result, the reader can conclude from the evidence that Randolph is an upper class boy whose parents had sacrificed wealth and time to bring up, only for the mother to be neglected by him due to her lower class statues.
Later in the story, Soppy asks Randolph if she can marry the man she has always loved, Sam. Quite unsurprisingly, Randolph rejects the idea, as having 2 parents in low classes in the hierarchy would be a liability to his profile in the upper class. However, Randolph injects venom into his rejection, saying, l am ashamed of you!
It will ruin me! A miserable boor! A churl! A clown! It will degrade me in the eyes of all the gentlemen of England! ” (You being Soppy). It can now be fully interpreted, that Randolph is a member of the upper class, who is selfish Sam, a faithful gardener who was of Soppy equal class, and would’ve gained her hand in marriage if it weren’t for the unfortunate incident that caused her to become lame, resulting in Reverend Tycoon asking and attaining her hand in marriage.
Cam’s faith is evident from the series of quotes the author writes “faithful Sam”, “The man alongside was, as she had fancied, Sam Hobnobs, formerly gardener at Gammed, who would at one time have married her. ” From this, we can arrive at the fact that Sam is a determined and faithful man, who was robbed by destiny from the woman he wanted to marry.
Later in the story, Sam is revealed to have worked in a fruit store.
He crosses paths with Soppy again, and once again, asks for her hand in marriage. He is denied by Soppy son, Randolph, who thinks of Sam as a low class specimen, Just like his mother, and vigorously rejects the proposal, “l am ashamed of you! It will ruin me! ” Sam tries hard to move up the ranks in order to impress Randolph, eventually becoming the manager of the fruit stall, but his attempts are in vain as Randolph will always think lowly of him.
It can be interpreted from the evidence that Sam is a loyal, faithful and hard-working man who is determined to get Soppy hand in marriage, but ultimately failing. Theme Class division and inequality is a recurring theme in The Son’s Veto. Immediately from the start, it can be seen, when Soppy rejects Sam, who is of the same class as re, only to accept Reverend Tycoon’s proposal, simply because he is of a higher class, and not because she loved him, which can be seen when Hardy writes, “Soppy did not exactly love him, but she had a respect for him.
.. This shows that back then, to move up a class was more important to following the path of one’s heart, which may have been what Hardy was trying to imply. Another part of the story which expressed the theme of class divisions and inequality was when Randolph rejects Soppy idea of marrying Sam, her ideal husband, only due to the fact that Sam is of he same class as Soppy, both of whom are in a much lower class than Randolph.
Evidence can be found when Randolph exclaims, “l am ashamed of you! It will ruin me! A miserable boor! A churl! A clown! It will degrade me in the eyes of all the gentlemen of England! ” The harsh tone in which Randolph expresses his rejection can be interpreted as the class divide, and how the upper class looked down at the be interpreted as that people try very hard to move up classes, even sacrificing what they love in order to move up a hierarchy, in order to have a good name.
