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The Son's Veto (Thomas Hardy)

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The Son's Veto (Thomas Hardy)
Q. How does Hardy make us feel sorry for the character of Sophy?
Focus points:
- Language
- Situation
- Character

Ans:
The themes depicted throughout the story are that of love, sacrifice, regret, relationship issues and most importantly class divisions that were an eminent part of the former world community, and are still visible and prominent in some areas of the world. The story is set in the 19th century, in the city of London and countryside of North Wessex. The atmosphere of the entire story is melancholic, where the protagonist Sophy who we soon learn comes from rather “humble” beginnings in a rural English village; a fact that plays a major role in her unhappiness throughout the story. There are two three other characters in the story: Mr. Twycott (Sophy’s husband- the vicar who supposedly committed “social suicide” for her), Randolph (Sophy’s son) and Sam (her lover, who disappears and then reappears later in the story). The story also has a moral: The decisions we make in today’s date come back to haunt us in the future. There are various reasons why the readers of the story might feel experience great pity towards the character of Sophy. The protagonist is a woman bound by class divisions, incapable of making her own decisions. The situations she has been put in are the main reasons for this. There was discrimination against women of that era- they were always told to control their emotions and act in the best interests of their family. They were not allowed to follow their heart and were always bound by social pressures. Women of that time, as per society, were merely present to serve their men. Their life both started and ended with their husbands and they were not supposed to have the audacity to stand up for what they believed in or criticize what was wrong in their eyes.
All in all, the audience hates the idea of a mother who is responsible for the existence of the child- being so badly insulted and ridiculed. Also, I think

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