ADAM BEDE

In her novel 'Adam Bede' Eliot has

presented a love
triangle of Hetty, Adam and Arthur. Adam Bede is the
protagonist of the novel, after whom the novel is named. Hetty
Sorrel the pretty milkmaid he woos, is attracted towards Captain
Arthur Donnithrone, the heir to a local estate. Hetty is a beautiful
virtuous' teenage girl of village, is the heroine of the novel,
she is liked by almost all the men of the village. She is the
centre of attraction.
Arthur leaves the village and joins his regiment. After
some time Hetty discovers that she is pregnant with Arthur's
child. She runs away to meet Arthur but finds that Arthur's
regiment has been called away. She gives birth to a child in a
lodging owned by a widow, Sara Stone. She is an immature
teenager and with the society and the laws being against the
unmarried mother panics and buries the child in the fields and
abandons the dead child to eventually come back to the place
of her crime as the mother's heart in her is still wanting to be
with the child. Here she is found by the police and the trial
against her begins. She appears to be a depressed and
distraught person. She has a stony blank look on her face
through the entire proceedings except at Oldings evidence
when there is fright in her eyes and when final Judgment of "to
be hanged by neck till death" is passed against her, when she
screams and faints.

Sarah Stone in her testimony says that on Saturday

evening the prisoner came at her house holding a basket in
her arm and asked for lodging. But as Sarah did not take
lodgers Hetty was refused. To this Hetty started crying telling
that she was really very tired and wanted a bed for one night.
Feeling sorry for this obviously pregnant distraugnt an
misguided girl Sara gave her shelter for a night. On being
 her friend's
Hetty replied that she was going to
questioned
journey and she thankfully gave shilling
a
home and had long
a
then told that at night the child was born.
When
for bed. Sarah
said that she
asked for the name of her friend Hetty
Sarah
inform her friend afterwards.
As Hetty's fever was not
would woman
Sara decided to consult an older experienced
reducing when she returned she
her and went to fetch one But
for with her
had left without her basket along
found that Hetty
not inform the police as Hetty had the right to
child. Sarah did
go away.

is the labourer who has discovered the child

John Olding
evidence he describes his first sight of Hetty
in his feilds. In his
which she moves
the haystack and the agitation with
sitting by
His attention is arrested by strange
a
away on his approach.
searches around for the
source.
is it that he
cry. So peculiar work. But
he goes away in a hurry to finish his
Seeing nothing, cannot
back when he reaches the same spot he
on his way
make another search.
Quite suddenly
resist the curiosity to To his
round and whitish holds his eyes.
something He finds
realizes that it is a little baby's hand.
consternation he
to hide it
in a hole and an attempt been made
a child placed
timber chopping over it. He takes the
turf and
by placing some sure that the baby
to his wife who declares it dead. He is
baby had met previously. He reports
to the girl whom he
belongs returned
to the police. In the morning when they
the discovery
where he has found the child, the girl is sitting
to the spot
there with a big loaf of
bread on her lap.

medical science had not advanced

It is sad to note that
was a clear case
of depression
enough to realize that the girl
treatment not capital punishment. Infact Olding's
and needed
and even Adam, her lover's mind
testimony made the Court's
poor
The realizations sent a pang through
that she was guilty.
has been presented.
Adam's heart. The case of the prosecution
9
Law Revision-ENGLISH-I
The defense now called upon Mr. Irwine to give testimony to
Hetty's unblemished character and virtuous life in the parish
in which she lived. No one expected this evidence to turn the
verdict in her favor but at least it might influence a plea for
mercy as some g0od souls wrongly hoped.

Adam supports her even through her trail. After listening

to witnesses Sarah Stone and John Olding, as Adam realizes
He
that Hetty is the culprit he gives a despair.
groan of hides
his face as it is the supreme moment of his suffering. Hetty
was guilty and Adam silently calls God for help. With the
shuddering horrorAdam feels the pain his love is going through;
he cannot look at Hetty or be attentive for the rest of the trial.
Adam is the true lover who detects the soft heart in the
seemingly heartless Hetty. Even after realizing that his beautiful
Hetty (he can still see the beauty where the difficult times have
robbed away the youthful charm) has actually killed her child,
he does not stand on judgment and reaches out to her as she
faints after hearing the capital punishment.

In England, the poor laws of 1576 punished the parents

of illegitimate children. As the mother in most of the cases did
not reveal the name of her lover, she faced the trial alone.
Such laws therefore encouraged unwedded mothers to conceal
their pregnancy and even commit infanticide as abortions were
not permitted. Today in the twenty first
century the laws have
advance considerably. It is not a crime to have an
illegitimate
child, infact DNA tests can diagnose and detect the true father
of the child and he can be
legally enforced to support the