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Book 2, Chapter 2
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
Still excited by Clym’s impending arrival, Eustacia spends time near the Yeobright property, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man from Paris. However, it looks as though no one is home, so she decides to head back. Just then, she hears the Yeobrights and, shortly afterward, passes them on the road. As she does so, the Yeobrights greet her, and the sound of Clym’s voice excites her. However, she keeps her head down during this brief exchange and therefore does not get a chance to see Clym. Nonetheless, this interaction is still enough to get Eustacia to fantasize about Clym for the rest of the day.
Eustacia spends her day looking for Clym only to ignore him when she finally crosses paths with him. It is not clear why she does so. Perhaps it is because she is not friendly with the Yeobrights, or perhaps she is too nervous and excited to think clearly. Regardless, her first interaction with Clym is over before it even begins.
Themes
Eustacia heads home and asks Captain Vye why they aren’t friendly with the Yeobrights. Captain Vye doesn’t give a clear answer, though he does tell her that she would not like them because they are simple country people. This confuses Eustacia, who thinks of Mrs. Yeobright as “a lady-like woman.” Captain Vye then tells Eustacia that Mrs. Yeobright was born rich but married a dairy farmer who was well below her social standing.
More than anything else, this passage is an important and easy to miss bit of character development for Mrs. Yeobright. Despite insisting that Thomasin marry someone who is at the very least her social equal, it seems that Mrs. Yeobright herself married below her social standing. This opens up a number of questions about her character. Does Mrs. Yeobright regret her choice? Is she acting hypocritically?
Themes
After her conversation with her grandfather, Eustacia goes to bed and dreams about a “man in silver armour” who takes her magnificent places and dances with her. However, the man never removes his helmet, and Eustacia never sees his face. She wakes up frustrated that her dream concealed the face of her knight in shining armor. As such, Eustacia spends her days walking around the heath, hoping to catch a glimpse of Clym. However, after several days of doing so, she has no luck and eventually gives up on this plan.
Eustacia literally dreams of Clym as a knight in shining armor. This is a highly romanticized depiction of a man who Eustacia still has not even met. Thinking of him in such a high regard can only lead to disappointment, though this is a lesson that Eustacia has yet to learn.
Themes
Literary Devices
