Short Fiction · Chapter
VIII: A Waterside Hermit explained
Gertrude Lodge visits the hangman Davies at his cottage by the river near Casterbridge jail to arrange a gruesome cure for her withered arm.
What happens
Gertrude Lodge visits the hangman Davies at his cottage by the river near Casterbridge jail to arrange a gruesome cure for her withered arm. She learns the execution is at noon, and he agrees to let her touch the corpse afterward for a fee, instructing her to wait at a wicket in the prison wall.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Secrecy
Gertrude seeks to keep her visit and the cure secret from her husband, reflecting the theme of hidden actions.
Isolation and Longing
Gertrude's desperate journey to the hangman's isolated cottage underscores her loneliness and longing for a cure.
Characters to notice
- Gertrude Lodge
Visits the hangman to arrange a cure for her withered arm by touching the corpse of a condemned man.
- Rhoda Brook
Not directly present, but her earlier advice about the cure motivates Gertrude's actions.
Key passages
“Gertrude found, on inquiry, that the Casterbridge official dwelt in a lonely cottage by a deep slow river flowing under the cliff on which the prison buildings were situate”
Gertrude discovered that the hangman lived in a solitary cottage beside a deep, slow river beneath the prison cliff.
Describes the setting of the hangman's home.
“I want to touch him for a charm, a cure of an affliction, by the advice of a man who has proved the virtue of the remedy.”
She explains she wants to touch the condemned man as a charm to cure her ailment, following advice from someone who has tested the remedy.
Gertrude reveals her purpose to the hangman.