Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver – Thomas Hardy

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Overview and Setting

  • Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver is a short story by Thomas Hardy, published in 1894 as part of the collection Life's Little Ironies.
  • The story is set in Upper Longpuddle, a fictional village in Wessex, and is told through the recollections of a carrier (the narrator) to a group of villagers.
  • The narrative is framed as an oral tale, with the speaker addressing Mr. Flaxton, the parish clerk, and other listeners.
  • The story explores themes of love, courtship, deception, and rural customs in 19th-century England.

Character of Tony Kytes

  • Tony is described as having a 'little, round, firm, tight face' with smallpox scars, but still considered attractive to women.
  • He is serious-looking and unsmiling, yet he is a 'women's favourite' and 'loved 'em in shoals'.
  • Tony is indecisive and easily swayed by the attention of women, leading him to make promises he cannot keep.
  • He is referred to as the 'Arch-Deceiver' due to his manipulative and dishonest behaviour towards the three women.

The Three Women

  • Milly Richards: Tony's fiancée, described as 'a nice, light, small, tender little thing'. She is gentle and obedient, but also proud.
  • Unity Sallet: A 'handsome girl' and former sweetheart of Tony. She is bold and assertive, challenging Tony about deserting her.
  • Hannah Jolliver: A 'much more dashing girl' than Milly, and Tony's first love. She is independent and initially plays hard to get.
  • All three women are attracted to Tony and are willing to marry him, which leads to the central conflict.

Plot Summary: The Waggon Journey

  • Tony is driving his father's waggon home from market when he meets Unity Sallet, who asks for a lift.
  • When Milly is seen approaching, Tony persuades Unity to hide under the tarpaulin in the back of the waggon.
  • Milly then rides with Tony, but when Hannah Jolliver appears at a window, Tony persuades Milly to hide under the empty sacks in the front.
  • Hannah joins Tony, and he flirts with her, eventually promising to 'throw over Milly' and marry her.
  • The hidden women overhear and react: Milly screams and later confronts Unity, leading to a quarrel.
  • Hannah discovers the women, and in the confusion, the horse bolts, tipping the waggon and throwing all three women into the road.

Themes: Deception and Self-Deception

  • Tony's deception is central: he hides Unity and Milly to avoid conflict, and lies to Hannah about ferrets to explain the noises.
  • He is also self-deceived, believing he can manage multiple relationships without consequences.
  • The story satirises rural courtship and the fickleness of young love.
  • Hardy presents deception as both comic and morally revealing, exposing Tony's lack of integrity.

Themes: Love and Marriage

  • Marriage is presented as a social and economic arrangement as much as a romantic one.
  • Tony's father represents practical wisdom, advising him to stick to Milly because she did not ask for a ride.
  • The women's willingness to marry Tony, despite his behaviour, highlights the limited options for women in rural society.
  • The ending, where Tony marries Milly, suggests that fate or social expectation ultimately determines the outcome.

Structure and Narrative Technique

  • The story is told in first person by an unnamed carrier, creating a conversational, oral tone.
  • The framed narrative adds realism and a sense of communal memory.
  • Hardy uses dialect and colloquial language to characterise the rural setting and speakers.
  • The plot is episodic and builds towards the climax of the waggon accident.
  • Comic timing and dramatic irony are used effectively, as the audience knows the women are hidden while Tony does not know they can hear him.

Language and Style

  • Hardy employs humour and irony to expose Tony's flaws.
  • Dialect words such as 'nunny-watch' (meaning a predicament) and 'swound' (swoon) add local colour.
  • Similes like 'his jaw hanging down like a dead man's' and 'looking like a tree struck by lightning' vividly convey Tony's shock.
  • The narrative voice is warm and amused, inviting the reader to laugh at Tony's predicament while recognising its seriousness.

Context and Hardy's Concerns

  • Hardy often set his works in Wessex, a fictional region based on south-west England.
  • The story reflects 19th-century rural customs, including courtship rituals and the importance of banns.
  • Hardy explores gender roles and the double standards applied to men and women in relationships.
  • The tale is part of Life's Little Ironies, a collection focusing on ironic twists of fate.

Key Quotations for Analysis

  • 'He was quite the women's favourite, and in return for their likings he loved 'em in shoals.' – Highlights Tony's popularity and fickleness.
  • 'I've got rather into a nunny-watch' – Tony's admission of his predicament, using dialect.
  • 'Take her leavings? Not I!' – Unity's proud refusal, showing her self-respect.
  • 'It do seem as if fate had ordained that it should be you and I, or nobody.' – Tony's resigned acceptance of marrying Milly.
  • 'She's as sound as a bell for me' – Tony's defensive claim about Hannah's virtue, revealing his superficiality.

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Câu hỏi luyện tập

Xem trước miễn phí — 8 trên 49 câu hỏi. Đăng ký để xem tất cả.
  1. 1.In 'Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver', who is Milly Richards?

    Easy
    • AThe woman Tony is engaged to marry
    • BThe first woman Tony fell in love with
    • CHannah Jolliver's aunt
    • DTony's sister
  2. 2.In 'Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver', why does Tony ask Unity Sallet to hide in the waggon?

    Medium
    • ABecause he sees Milly coming and does not want her to see Unity with him
    • BBecause Hannah Jolliver is looking out of a window
    • CBecause his father is approaching across the field
    • DBecause he needs to hide the corn sacks
  3. 3.In 'Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver', why does Tony ask Milly to hide under the empty sacks?

    Medium
    • ABecause Hannah Jolliver is looking out of a window and he fears her temper
    • BBecause Unity Sallet is already in the waggon
    • CBecause his father is coming to speak to him
    • DBecause it is almost Christmas
  4. 4.In 'Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver', who is Hannah Jolliver?

    Medium
    • AThe first woman Tony had fallen in love with
    • BTony's cousin
    • CThe woman Tony is engaged to
    • DMilly Richards' sister
  5. 5.In 'Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver', what does Tony's father advise him to do about the women?

    Medium
    • AMarry Milly Richards
    • BMarry Hannah Jolliver
    • CMarry Unity Sallet
    • DMarry none of them
  6. 6.In 'Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver', what causes the waggon to tip and the three women to fall out?

    Medium
    • AHannah lets go of the reins and the horse turns too quickly at a corner
    • BTony deliberately tips the waggon to stop the quarrel
    • CThe horse is startled by a mouse
    • DThe waggon hits a bramble bush
  7. 7.In 'Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver', why does Hannah refuse Tony when her father asks her?

    Medium
    • APartly because her father is there and partly because of the discovery and the scratch on her face
    • BBecause she loves another man
    • CBecause Tony has already married Milly
    • DBecause she is angry that Tony did not ask her first
  8. 8.In 'Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver', why does Unity Sallet refuse Tony's proposal?

    Medium
    • AShe says she will not take Hannah's leavings
    • BShe is already engaged to someone else
    • CShe is angry that Tony hid her under the tarpaulin
    • DShe loves Tony's father

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