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Book 1, Chapter 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Return of the Native, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Humans vs. Nature
Modernity vs. Tradition
Class and Morality
Deception
Summary
Analysis
On a quiet, Sunday afternoon Venn walks to Captain Vye’s house to talk to Eustacia. He has time to do so because no one goes to church on Sunday in Egdon Heath unless someone is being “married or buried.” Like Eustacia, Captain Vye is a bit of a wild card, so he rarely gets visitors. Nonetheless, when Venn arrives, Captain Vye greets him warmly. Captain Vye informs Venn that Eustacia is still asleep but says he will tell her that Venn wants to speak with her. Venn waits outside and is just about to leave when Eustacia comes strolling over to him.
Unlike much of England at the time, Egdon is not especially religious. The distance between homes makes traveling to church on a weekly basis impractical, so it is a tradition that the community has largely abandoned. Meanwhile, Venn’s arrival at the Vye household suggests that he has come up with a plan to separate Eustacia and Wildeve.
Themes
Venn tells Eustacia that he is worried about the marriage that was supposed to occur between Thomasin and Wildeve because another woman is in the picture. At first, Venn does not openly implicate Eustacia. Instead, he merely asks Eustacia to do what she can to make sure that the other woman backs off. In response, Eustacia pretends not to know what Venn is talking about and claims that she has no influence over Wildeve’s affairs. This causes Venn to drop the façade; he directly accuses Eustacia of stealing Wildeve away from Thomasin.
Initially, Venn speaks subtly so as not to offend Eustacia and make her mad. However, Eustacia’s refusal to back down forces Venn’s hand.
Themes
Literary Devices
Eustacia bristles at Venn’s accusations. Although she doesn’t deny meeting with Wildeve, she thinks that she is the one who has been wronged. After all, Wildeve courted her first; Thomasin came into the picture later. In response, Venn attempts to make her a deal. He knows an elderly woman in Budmouth that needs a companion. He offers to put Eustacia in contact with her so that she can leave the heath. However, Eustacia considers herself above having to work for a living and rejects the offers. Angered, Eustacia stops the conversation before it can go any further and leaves. Venn departs, upset that his plan didn’t work. Meanwhile, Eustacia feels stronger than ever about running away with Wildeve.
Here, Eustacia is a rather sympathetic character because, as she says, she has been wronged at least as much as Thomasin. However, this does not sway Venn, who utilizes his only bit of leverage. He knows that Eustacia wants to get away from Egdon (even more than she wants to marry Wildeve), so he makes her a seemingly appealing offer. However, Eustacia’s ego will not allow her to take a job, even if the job is simply acting as an old woman’s companion.
Themes
