There is something of a paradox in the title is we take maid to mean maiden in the virginal sense and assume that

ruined means sexually impure.

Superficially, the greeting implies intimacy but the poem reveals little affection between the two.

The Ruined Maid

CONTEXT: Hardy, in his writing prose or poetry frequently questioned Victorian attitudes towards sex and women and the hypocrisy that allowed men to avoid becoming social outcasts despite their dalliances. With this in mind, we may well see ruined as having more to do with society and social attitudes than the maid herself.

O Melia, my dear, the does everything crown! Who could have supposed I should meet you in Town? And whence such fair garments, such prosperi-ty? O didnt you know Id been ruined? said she.
The images of hardship reflect the poverty rife in Victorian England, city and country.

Most of what we learn about the history of the ruined Maid comes from the first speaker who dominates the dramatic dialogue. Her counterpart is enigmatic, by contrast.

- You left us in tatters, without shoes or socks, Tired of digging potatoes, and spudding up docks; And now youve hay bracelets and bright feathers three! Yes: thats how we dress when were ruined, said she.
Repetition of we here and elsewhere dislocates the 2 speakers

The rhyming couplets reflect the forced gaiety of the first speaker. The second speaker does not complete the second couplet. Beneath the surface lightness, both women suffer. Dialectic contrasts with the more eloquent language of line 12, raising the issues of what social etiquette, propriety and goodness mean

Descent into dialect implies first speaker adopts air and graces elsewhere (has the second speaker done this for the same reason?)

- At home in the barton you said thee and thou, And thik oon, and theas oon, and tother; but now Your talking quite fits ee for high compa-ny! Some polish is gained with ones ruin, said she.
Transient improvement in appearance

Witches reflect rural belief in the supernatural. More mundanely both women are made by society into witches; farm workers (appearance), prostitutes (evil). Hardy invites the reader to consider whether the farm worker or the prostitute has the harder life. More widely, his sympathies lay with both.

Your hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleak The Hyphenation may reflect But now Im bewitched by your delicate cheek, pomposity in the first speaker. It certainly sets up a rhyme And your little gloves fit as on any la-dy! which is resisted by the we never do work when were ruined, said she. second, thus creating tension. You used to call home-life a hag-ridden dream. And youd sigh, and youd sock; but at present you seem To know not of megrims or meloncho-ly! True. Ones pretty lively when ruined, said she. - I wish I had feathers, a fine sweeping gown, And a delicate face, and could strut about Town! My dear a raw country girl, such as you be, Cannot quite expect that. You aint ruined, said she.
The refrain is the only pure constant: it emphasises, by repetition, that the maids status is unchangeable she confirms otherwise Repetition of this word in various forms intensifies the likelihood that Hardy is using it ironically. The speaker may be echoing the ridicule of others, her casual tone concealing bitterness. The second speaker takes a second line here and concludes the dialogue and adopts the first speakers My Dear, perhaps in mockery. Her use of you be and aint seem to support this but also underline that they share tragic lives

Full stops break the rhythm of the poem and alter the mood.

Thomas Hardy 1840-1928

Key Language: connotation, imagery, metaphor, simile Structure and form: stanzas, type, patterns, contrast, juxtaposition Poetic methods: alliteration, caesura, assonance, rhythm, rhyme Character and voice: who is speaking and to whom? Tone of voice Links: comparisons to other speakers, methods and themes

Glossary: Barton meadow or lands of the manor (the latter implying a feudal system. Megrims here, depression or migraine.