MA English Part.1 Novel The Return of the Native Summary

 

The Return of the Native

by Thomas Hardy

Characters:

1.     Clym Yeobright: the hero of the novel

2.     Eustacia Vye: the heroine of the novel

3.     Mrs. Yeobright: the mother of Clym Yeobright and guardian of Thomasin

4.     Thomasin Yeobright: the niece of Mrs. Yeobright and cousin of Clym

5.     Damon Wildeve: husband of Thomasin and lover of Eustacia

6.     Diggory Venn: lover of Thomasin

 

When the novel begins, the reddleman Diggory Venn comes to Heath with Thomasin Yeobright sitting at the back of his wagon. Thomasin s’ marriage with Wildeve has delayed as the latter arranges an error in the marriage certificate. Damon Wildeve is not seriously in love with Thomasin Yeobright and he uses her as a device to make Eustacia jealous. When Diggory Venn comes to know the real situation, he becomes happy as he wants to marry Thomasin but is rejected as he is a poor reddleman, he never gives up.

 

The situation is totally confused and there comes Clym Yeobright who does a business in Paris. He is the son of Mrs. Yeobright and he is the man who comes to the native. Mrs. Yeobright desires to make him marry with her niece Thomasin Yeobright. When Eustacia sees Clym, she finds him as an escape from hated Heath. She gets close to him and both fall in love with each other and get married despite Mrs. Yeobright s’ strong objections.

After marrying Eustacia, Clym separates himself from his mother and starts living at another place. But soon there starts a tussle between the newlywed couple. Eustacia wants to settle in Paris but Clym denies it and wants to open a school in the local area. He wants to educate the people of his area. For this purpose, he studies deeply and his eyesight weakens.

 

When Wildeve knows the situation, he gets an opportunity to attract Eustacia. They first meet at a dance party and later he visits Eustacia at her home when Clym asleep. This all is being observed by Diggory Venn. Clym s’ mother after covering a long distance goes to Clym s’ home to reconcile the couple but Eustacia does not opens the door for fear of being caught with Wildeve. Dejected Mrs. Yeobright takes a back journey but on the way she succumbs to heat and snake bite and dies.

 

Clym blames himself for the death of his mother but when he knows the real situation, he blames Eustacia and separates himself from her. Then comes the climax of the story. Eustacia plans an escape from the heath with Wildeve. On a stormy night, she escapes and falls into a steam and drowns. Wildeve also drowns and dies while attempting to save Eustacia. Clym also falls in that stream but is saved by Diggory Venn. At the end, Diggory Venn and Thomasin Yeobright get married and Clym becomes a wandering preacher.