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Book 1, Chapter 6
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
Eustacia is “the material of a divinity” with “the passions and instincts which make a model goddess” but “not quite a model woman.” She dislikes Egdon Heath, though, “since coming there she had imbibed much of what was dark in its tone.” Eustacia is originally from Budmouth, “a fashionable seaside resort” that is 20 or 30 miles away from Egdon. There, she received a good education, though she eventually had to leave for Egdon after the death of her parents. Ever since, she’s lived with her grandfather, who is one of the wealthiest people on the heath, along with the Yeobrights.
The novel often relates Egdon and its inhabitants to Greek and Roman mythology. Rather than describe Eustacia as angelic, which would befit the Christian tradition of his audience, the novel describes her as a “goddess.” In Greek and Roman mythology, gods and goddesses were often deeply flawed, and this is what this passage means to impart about Eustacia. Also like the gods and goddesses of the Greco-Roman tradition, Eustacia sees herself as above everyone else.
Themes
Literary Devices
Eustacia thinks highly of herself, as though she were goddess, and feels as though the heath is not fit for her. Eustacia’s ego isolates her from the rest of Egdon and she spends much of her time alone. Often, she wanders the heath and hopes that something or someone will take her to a more luxurious place. Furthermore, though Eustacia is not a schemer, she can scheme effectively when she wants to.
Eustacia does not appreciate the heath’s beauty, nor does she acknowledge its power. In her attempts to escape Egdon, she will make increasingly rash and desperate decisions. Although she can scheme effectively, her ego and her desire to escape ultimately prove to be overwhelming.
Themes
Literary Devices
