The Ruined Maid Themes
Women and Femininity
Thomas Hardy frequently talked about the role of women in Victorian society, and he never had a lot of good things to say about it. "The Ruined Maid" is one of his most famous discussions of women...
Man and the Natural World
Even though "The Ruined Maid" is a poem about two women who bump into each other in town, there are plenty of little references to the country. We've got a farm, potatoes, dirt, and references to r...
Society and Class
The social distinctions of the Victorian period were another favorite theme of Hardy's, and we see it on full display in "The Ruined Maid." A woman from the country encounters a woman who now has m...