The Three Strangers Essay, Research Paper

In a distant shepherd? s bungalow in the hills of England, a jubilation of a babe? s birth unto Christ takes topographic point. With 19 or so participants, including the shepherd and his married woman, a set that refuses to halt playing, and most significantly three influential aliens, a life lesson is learned the difficult manner. With unfastened weaponries three unknown entities are allowed into the shepherd? s place at a clip when nutrient is plenty and the Mead is fluxing. The set plays, the participants dance, two aliens entertain and one suddenly runs off as if seeing a shade, but the participants pay no head. The party is, nevertheless, cut short by the sound of a distant horn, the symbol of flight. A condemnable destined to be put to decease the undermentioned twenty-four hours has escaped the warden and is on the loose among the hills of the herders. One of the aliens, handily the executioner scheduled for the following twenty-four hours, riles up the work forces for a full fledged hunt for the perpetrator, whom everyone at the party assumes is the 3rd alien, who upon traversing the threshold, caught a glance of the executioner and hence ran off. The male participants take up staffs to seek the evidences, yet the two staying aliens are able to steal away after taking a concluding mug of honey beer, and head off on their ain selfish ways. The participants finally apprehend the 3rd alien and convey him to the warden who informs them that he is in actuality non the wrongdoer, but ran off when he recognized the first alien at the party. Due to the participants? premises, the first alien, the existent sheep stealer and brother of the 3rd alien, got off and was ne’er once more incarcerated. In Thomas Hardy? s short narrative? The Three Strangers? it is communicated that looks can be lead oning when premises are made due to personal visual aspect and actions, through the devises of narrative construction and word picture.

Through the important skip of the three aliens? personal backgrounds, the reader has no pick but to presume their individualities by ocular first feelings. By analysing the information already given about the aliens, it is found that the lone spot of direct observation we receive of any of the three aliens? lives is that of, ? My tools are simple 1s, a small fibrous twine and a station where on to swing. For the husbandman? s sheep is slain, and the chap who did it ta? en, and on his psyche may God hour angle? clemency? . Therefore, the merely other footing of analysis is that of visual aspect. When the first alien walked in with boots cracked, pipe holding fallen out, and a thick northern speech pattern, despite the shepherds? married woman? s initial discontent with the soiled H2O logged alien, the participants all assumed the adult males pipe had fallen out along the dust-covered route and his

apparels were worn out from the long journey. Not giving the slightest spot of background about the uninvited invitee or his 3rd opposite number laid the foundation for pulling false decisions based on the strangers’ actions. When a individuals history is unknown they are of course more susceptible to the biass and prejudices of first feelings. This is clearly illustrated and deliberately set up by Hardy in his skip of the aliens? backgrounds.

When humanity is missing one? s personal history, false opinions based upon indirect word picture through one? s words or actions frequently take topographic point. It is said that, ? One? s guilt is measured in guilty actions? . Therefore when the warning horn was blown the action of the first alien and the executioner? s camaraderie when singing a non so gay melody, was a symbol of artlessness on both behalves. For how can anyone presume guilt from one who would merely every bit shortly put himself to decease or a adult male who has immediately connected with such a dark and blue adult male? It is most frequently the fallacious actions that go unnoticed. Whereas fright or panic, as seen in the 3rd alien, produce in the heads of others, a soundless admittance of guilt. By running off after looking in the way of the two unusual entertainers, the 3rd alien evidently had something to conceal. However, non cognizing the relation between the three aliens, led the group of guiltless participants to fall into the trap of presuming that the action of guilt was proof plenty of the condemnable history of the 3rd alien. Thomas Hardy has non merely the participants believing in the guilt of the 3rd party, but forces the readers by utilizing rhetorical devices, to besides believe that the guilty action is a cogent evidence of guilt.

Hardy efficaciously uses word picture and narrative construction to develop the subject, that doing premises based on personal visual aspects and actions are frequently lead oning when there is no past history to travel by and the lone piece of information available to garner is based upon personal first feelings. In the existent universe this thought that looks can be lead oning can be cross-applied. It was put best in the film Goodfellas, ? Never assume. Don? Ts make an buttocks out of u and me. ? There are ever traveling to be times where premises are made that terminal in calamity, catastrophe, or in abashing errors, such as the one made my the herders. How many times has person neglectfully said, ? I ne’er saw it coming, he seemed so normal? , or? She was the last individual I expected to leap, she seemed so happy. ? To avoid this sort of catastrophe world must larn to ne’er do premises, ne’er leap to any decisions, and ever acquire to cognize person? s true ego. Remember, looks are frequently lead oning when no 1 of all time bothers to look past them.