Characterization Summary Themes of the Sons Veto

Characterization: Reverend Twycott: Reverend Twycott was the vicar at Gaymead, a little village in North Wessex. Following the death of his wife, he became aware of Sophy’ s devotion and care for him. Following the sad little accident that left Sophy incapacitated, Twycott proposes marriage to her. Twycott has committed what in his eyes was â€Å"social suicide† and he moves, exchanging the charming Gaymead for dull and drab south of London. The Reverend seems to have had a poor opinion of Sophy as a manager of money and on his death allowed her only a small allowance and the use of a small house. Twycott continued to control Sophy’ s life from his grave. Twycott is a typical Victorian man who decides for others what he thinks is best for†¦show more content†¦Eventually she meets Sam again when he is transporting vegetables to Covent Garden market. She tells him she is unhappy and wishes she were living back in the countryside. Their relationship comes to life again, and Sam proposes marri age to her for a second time. She accepts in principle, even though by doing so she would lose the home and the living Twycott has provided for her. But she needs time to break the news to her son. When she does so, he forbids her to marry Sam because the shame of it would downgrade him in the eyes of his friends. Sophy asks Sam to wait, and he does so for five years, after which he repeats his offer. Sophy renews her appeal to Randolph, who is now an undergraduate at Oxford. He forces her kneel down and swear that she will never marry Sam, claiming that he does this to honour the memory of his father. Five years later Sam has become a prosperous greengrocer. He stands in his shop doorway as Sophy’s funeral procession passes by on its way to her home village. Randolph who has now become a priest scowls at Sam from the mourner’s coach. Themes: Marriage: There are any number of injudicious, difficult, and failed marriages in Hardy’s work. It was a subject dear to his heart, since he felt that his own marriage to Emma Gifford had run onto the rocks of boredom and indifference once it had passed beyond its early days of romance. Sophy at nineteen has a proposal of marriage from Sam theShow MoreRelatedSons Veto1509 Words   |  7 Pagesidea of God are some of the recurring themes we see in Thomas Hardy’s novels. Many of his stories are set in semi-fictional Wessex. Thomas Hardy’s characters struggle against adverse social circumstances, strong passions and an inexorable fate that decides the path of their life. Thomas Hardy’s works were much admired by later day writers and his position as a poet has seen enhancement in the later twentieth century. Background/Setting The story A Son’s Veto is set in rural England in its earlyRead MoreSons Veto1519 Words   |  7 Pagesidea of God are some of the recurring themes we see in Thomas Hardy’s novels. Many of his stories are set in semi-fictional Wessex. Thomas Hardy’s characters struggle against adverse social circumstances, strong passions and an inexorable fate that decides the path of their life. Thomas Hardy’s works were much admired by later day writers and his position as a poet has seen enhancement in the later twentieth century. Background/Setting The story A Son’s Veto is set in rural England in its early parts