A Free summary of Goody Blake and Harry Gill

The narrator expresses a wish to know what the matter is

The narrator makes a rhetorical remark implying that there is nothing that does not hurt Harry Gill

We learn that Harry Gill's teeth always chatter. Even with a waistcoat of very good quality over his body his teeth still chatter because he is cold. He has a blanket on his back and puts on enough coats what can kept nine individuals warm.

We are told that throughout the whole year, whether rain or shine, be it in March, December or July Harry Gill's teeth still chatter because he is cold. His neighbours testify that his teeth still chatter.Throughout the whole day his teeth still chatter.Under the sun or moon there is no change for Harry Gill. We learn that when Harry was young he was stout and a lusty drover, thus Harry was now old. He had very red cheeks and a very deep and loud voice. "Auld Goody Blake was old and poor"-----was Auld part of Goody Blake's name since it makes no sense to say that she was old and repeat the same thing shortly afterward or was it done for emphasis, to stress the point that Goody Blake was very old? Goody Blake was also poor. Goody Blake was also ill fed and thus Mal-nourished and tinny. Any individual that passed by her dwelling observed how poor she was.

Goody Blake spent all her day time spurning and then three hours at night spurning as well. The narrator claims that it is pointless stating the above point since what Goody Blake earn from her work could not even afford her candle light. Why was this case? Was it because she was too slow because of her age and thus could not make enough of what is spun to earn sufficient money to buy a candle or was it that no one purchased what she spun? Goody Blake dwelt on a cold hill side in Dorsetshire. Coal was expensive in Dorsetshire since it was imported from faraway places by ships, ie overseas. The narrator tells us that two old dames(women) in Dorsetshire would usually boil their pottage by the same fire and share one dwelling as well, however Goody Blake lived alone, why was this so? Was she despised by others or was there no one to pair with her? didn't she have any family what so ever? We can however confirm that Goody Blake was a woman and not a man. The narrator tells us that it was also good when it was summer since Goody Blake could sit at her door.

We are told that there was joy for her when in winter the winds at night where strong and had uprooted or brought together many wood or sticks. However never in her entire life whether well or sick as everyone who knew her would testify had she ever gathered enough wood or sticks to last her Three daysWe learn that Goody Blake endures the cold in winter up to a time and could do so no longer because it made her bones to ache. The narrator uses a rhetorical remark to tells us that at the point when Goody Blake could bear it no longer an old hedge would definitely attract her attention. From time to time when she was cold she went to the hedge of Harry Gill to take some sticks from his old hedge.

Harry Gill we are made to know has for a long time suspected that Goody Blake has been cutting his hedge and promised to take vengeance on her if he catches her. Very often he would leave the confront of his dwelling to spend time in frost and snow to see if he could apprehend Goody Blake. One day behind a rick of barley Harry Gill stood looking into the open. The moon was full and shining clearly. He hears a noise and tiptoes down the hill and softly creeps to find Goody Blake Cutting his hedge.

We learn that Harry Gill was delighted to find her there pulling out sticks from the hedge. He waits behind a bush of elder till she had filled her apron with sticks, then when she turns around to leave, with a shout he sprung on Goody Blake.Regardless of her age and condition Harry Gill fiercely took hold of her and shook her and then he remarked "I've caught you then at last" Then Goody Blake who had nothing to say tohim knelt on the sticks she had picked and prayed instead to God who according to her was Judge of all. While kneeling with her arm held by Harry and the other to the sky, she prayed to God asking that never should Harry Gill be warm in his life. After hearing what Goody Blake had said Harry Gill leaves her and goes away, thus we can conclude that even though Harry Gill was cruel he was definitely not an atheist.

Harry Gill spends the whole of the next day complaining that he was cold and very chill his face was gloom and he was sad because on that day even though he wore a riding coat he did not feel a bit warm. He ordered for another coat on thrusday and by saturday/Sunday------the sabath depending on you, can be either a Saturday/Sunday-------- he had three riding coasts. All of this yielded no positive result and Harry was still cold even with blankets pinned all over his body,his jaws and teeth kept on chattering. His skin deteriorated and all who saw him came to the Conclusion that he would never again in his life get warm. Harry utters no words to anyone regardless of age or personality but only to himself he mutters "Poor harry Gill is very cold" The narrator ends by advising the farmers who he is telling the story, to bear in mind the story of Goody Blake and Harry Gill, thus teaching them to be selfless and tolerant to each other.

Was Harry Gill cold because he had spent so many nights out in the cold trying to catch Goody Blake “destroying his hedge” or was it because of Goody Blake’s curse?