The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy was first published in 1878. The story takes place in the fictional Egdon Heath, a picturesque area of moorland in rural England. The tale centers around several characters and their romantic entanglements. The book also puts great focus upon Egdon Heath itself. Some have called this geographical area an additional character in the novel. 

The native of the title is Clym Yeobright. Clym, always known to be bright and different, has gone off to Paris, where he is pursuing a commercial career. When he returns home, presumably for a holiday, there is a lot going on in Egdon. Damon Wildeve is bouncing between two women:  Thomasin Yeobright, who is Clym’s cousin, and the mysterious and exotic beauty Eustacia Vye. After several near marriages, elopements and rejections, Wildeve eventually marries Thomasin. Clym and Eustacia are also attracted to one another and eventually wed.  Mrs. Yeobright is both Clym’s mother and Thomasin’s aunt. She opposes both of their marriages. Another character, Diggory Venn, known as “The Reddleman,” is both odd and virtuous.  He also wants to marry Thomasin and spends a lot of time wandering the heath at night trying to prevent the unscrupulous Eustacia and Wildeve from hurting and betraying others. 

To the dismay of everyone, Clym, who loves Egdon Heath, announces that he will not return to Paris but will instead stay in Egdon to start a school. This dismays Eustacia, who wants to escape Egdon and live a glamorous life in Paris. When an eye injury forces Clym to take on physical labor in the countryside, he actually embraces the work and takes it on with joy. This brings further consternation to Eustacia. 

The book is full of magnificent descriptions of nature. Egdon Heath, as well as animals, plants the moon, the stars, etc., are described in fantastic language.  Hardy also embodies nature with all sorts of human characteristics.  I love Hardy’s prose style. The opening description of the heath is famous but parts of it are worth quoting here. 

The most thoroughgoing ascetic could feel that he had a natural right to wander on Egdon— he was keeping within the line of legitimate indulgence when he laid himself open to influences such as these. Colours and beauties so far subdued were, at least, the birthright of all. Only in summer days of highest feather did its mood touch the level of gaiety. Intensity was more usually reached by way of the solemn than by way of the brilliant, and such a sort of intensity was often arrived at during winter darkness, tempests, and mists. Then Egdon was aroused to reciprocity; for the storm was its lover, and the wind its friend. Then it became the home of strange phantoms; and it was found to be the hitherto unrecognized original of those wild regions of obscurity which are vaguely felt to be compassing us about in midnight dreams of flight and disaster, and are never thought of after the dream till revived by scenes like this.

And a little later, 

It was at present a place perfectly accordant with man's nature— neither ghastly, hateful, nor ugly; neither commonplace, unmeaning, nor tame; but, like man, slighted and enduring; and withal singularly colossal and mysterious in its swarthy monotony. As with some persons who have long lived apart, solitude seemed to look out of its countenance. It had a lonely face, suggesting tragical possibilities.

The above contains a suggestion of melancholy, mystery and profundity that typifies the heath throughout the novel.  It is both surprising and ironic that the heath is, in some ways, drab and subdued, a place that an ascetic would feel comfortable in,  yet at the same time lending itself to such powerful description.  As the passage indicates, the intensity of Egdon lies in its solemnity. The above is also full of connections and similarities between the heath and humanity. Both human life and Egdon are “lonely” and full of “tragical possibilities.”  The landscape is more connected to the shadowy aspects of the human psyche as the above references to phantoms and dreams indicate.  I quoted just two paragraphs of description and allusion. There is much more throughout the novel. 

So much has been written about Egdon Heath. I have read a little bit online, and the consensus of opinion is that the heath is a symbol for the universe, and that the book’s characters see it as they view the universe as a whole. These views ring true to me.

A little research on my part indicates that while such heaths do exist in England, at no time was there one as large as Egdon Heath seems to be. Thus, like the human characters in the book, Egdon is a plausible but fictional creation. I would also argue that, like a well-crafted human character, Egdon Heath is a complex creation. 

Many other characters in this book are complex and interesting. Eustacia is self-centered, fickle and dishonest. Yet she is not completely malevolent, and at times the reader genuinely feels empathy for her.

Clym is an impressive figure. Though he is virtuous, he also shows some flaws and makes some serious mistakes. The Reddleman, though not really complex, is interesting because of his unusualness. “Reddleman” refers to the fact that he is a seller of red chalk to farmers for their use in the marking of sheep. The Reddleman has taken on a red complexion due to overexposure to the substance that he peddles. His behavior, though honorable, at times borders on the bizarre as he interferes in the affairs of others during his night time expeditions. 

On a personal note, I grew in a rural area. When I was young, I spent a lot of time wandering around isolated places at night. Much of the narrative also involves characters doing the same. The atmosphere that these passages exude seems realistic and comforting to me. If I lived in Egdon, without a doubt I would also have loved the place, and I would have found a lot of enjoyment in nighttime forays. 

This book is worthy of its classic reputation. It has a compelling plot, and it is filled with superbly drawn characters. At the same time, this story and character development all take place under the grand backdrop of Egdon Heath. This amazing, fictional landscape, is one of literature’s greatest creations. 

Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy’s Far From The Madding Crowd is a classic novel first published in 1874. It is the story of Bathsheba Everdene and Gabriel Oak. The book is set in nineteenth-century England in the fictional county of Wessex. 

Bathsheba transcends gender roles. She is a young woman who shows confidence and competence, often to the surprise of the book’s other characters. Upon the death of her uncle, Bathsheba inherits a large farm. She forgoes choosing a male farm manager and instead decides to run the entire operation herself. Though initially met with skepticism, Bathsheba’s proves herself to be strong and capable, and habits lead her to success. 

Most of the narrative consists of Bathsheba being wooed by three different men. Oak, who is meant to elicit the most sympathy from the reader, is stoic and is always in control of himself.  William Boldwood is a prosperous farm owner who is outwardly a paragon of respectability. Frank Troy is an amoral adventurer who is skilled at manipulating his romantic interests.

As the story progresses, Oak loses the farm that he owns, falls on hard times, and he eventually goes to work for Bathsheba. Though she respects him, she does not love him. He watches the other two men romance her as he exhibits calmness and patience. When she marries the irresponsible and unethical Troy, he watches as the adventurer begins to ruin Bathsheba emotionally and financially.

There is a lot going on in this book. The characters are so well drawn that they are a pleasure to read about. I could devote an entire post to any of the four major characters. 

Bathsheba is a great literary creation. She is simultaneous strong and vulnerable. She is portrayed as an intelligent and capable woman who runs into misery by falling in love with the false charmer Troy. She is self-aware and understands that her emotional reactions are causing her self-harm. 

Boldwood is another well crafted character. He is a bastion of society. Though he is stiff and serious, he initially acts honorably and displays kindness to others. Despite his outward strength, he falls apart when Bathsheba chooses Troy over himself. Later, when Troy disappears and is assumed dead, he begins to act obsessively and becomes terribly overbearing in his treatment of Bathsheba.

Troy, though mostly petty and wicked, reacts oddly when a girl whom he took advantage of in the past, dies, partially as a result of his actions. Uncharacteristically, he descends into a spiral of regret and self-recrimination. 

Though I found Oak to be a little simplistic and too good to be believable, he is interesting to read about. Though he loves Bathsheba, he is rejected by her and must watch as she marries a scoundrel. Yet, he shows remarkable sereneness and strength of character. In the end, his character is integrated into one of the book’s major themes; that long term, realistic love is far superior to quickly developed passionate love. 

In addition to the impressive characterizations, there is something special and important about Hardy’s descriptions of natural scenes. The novel is packed with images of nature. Diverse landscapes, plants, animals, weather events and many more natural features and events are described in great detail using grand prose. These descriptions are often related to the plot or particular characters in symbolic ways. 

One very distinctive passage takes place when a terrible storm strikes the farm. Troy and the farm workers are passed out drunk while Bathsheba and Oak struggle to protect the newly harvested crops from the deluge. The imagery is described in magnificent prose. 

“It sprang from east, west, north, south, and was a perfect dance of death. The forms of skeletons appeared in the air, shaped with blue fire for bones — dancing, leaping, striding, racing around, and mingling altogether in unparalleled con- fusion. With these were intertwined undulating snakes of green, and behind these was a broad mass of lesser light. Simultaneously came from every part of the tumbling sky what may be called a shout; since, though no shout ever came near it, it was more of the nature of a shout than of anything else earthly. “

The fury of the storm seems to represent the tumultuous relationship between Bathsheba and her suitors. It also seems to represent something about human existence in general. The violence of the weather is contrasted to human problems,

“but love, life, everything human, seemed small and trifling in such close juxtaposition with an infuriated universe. “

This novel is filled with such passages. The prose is so well written. As these descriptions are often tied to the novel's themes and underlying messages, the book is pulled together in an aesthetically magnificent way. 

There is so much that is good about this novel. There are interesting and important themes relating to gender, passionate love verses long term love, urban verses rural attitudes and more. The characters are skillfully crafted.  The story is interesting and engaging, to name a few more of the work’s virtues. This book rightfully deserves to be called a classic.