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Diggory Venn (The Reddleman)
Captain Vye is the grandfather of Eustacia Vye. He used to be a sailor and often entertains the locals with his stories about his former life at sea. He takes Eustacia in after both of her parents die. Although Captain Vye allows Eustacia a great deal of freedom, his blunt and unhelpful way of speaking often annoys Eustacia. Eustacia lives with Captain Vye for most of the novel until she marries Clym. After her marriage fails, Eustacia returns to live with Captain Vye, who is happy to let her back into his home. Captain Vye is one of the people who sounds the alarm that Eustacia is missing on the night of her death.
Captain Vye Quotes in The Return of the Native
The The Return of the Native quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Vye or refer to Captain Vye. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 2, Chapter 1
Quotes
“The place he’s been living at is Paris,” said Humphrey, “and they tell me ’tis where the king’s head was cut off years ago. My poor mother used to tell me about that business. ‘Hummy,’ she used to say, ‘I was a young maid then, and as I was at home ironing Mother’s caps one afternoon the parson came in and said, “They’ve cut the king’s head off, Jane; and what ’twill be next God knows.’”
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Book 4, Chapter 2
Quotes
It was bitterly plain to Eustacia that he did not care much about social failure; and the proud fair woman bowed her head and wept in sick despair at thought of the blasting effect upon her own life of that mood and condition in him. Then she came forward.
“I would starve rather than do it!” she exclaimed vehemently. “And you can sing! I will go and live with my grandfather again!”
Book 5, Chapter 1
Quotes
“But, Damon, please pray tell me what I must do? To sit by him hour after hour, and hear him reproach himself as being the cause of her death, and to know that I am the sinner, if any human being is at all, drives me into cold despair. I don’t know what to do. Should I tell him or should I not tell him? I always am asking myself that. O, I want to tell him; and yet I am afraid. If he finds it out he must surely kill me, for nothing else will be in proportion to his feelings now.”
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Captain Vye Quotes in The Return of the Native
The The Return of the Native quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Vye or refer to Captain Vye. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 2, Chapter 1
Quotes
“The place he’s been living at is Paris,” said Humphrey, “and they tell me ’tis where the king’s head was cut off years ago. My poor mother used to tell me about that business. ‘Hummy,’ she used to say, ‘I was a young maid then, and as I was at home ironing Mother’s caps one afternoon the parson came in and said, “They’ve cut the king’s head off, Jane; and what ’twill be next God knows.’”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 4, Chapter 2
Quotes
It was bitterly plain to Eustacia that he did not care much about social failure; and the proud fair woman bowed her head and wept in sick despair at thought of the blasting effect upon her own life of that mood and condition in him. Then she came forward.
“I would starve rather than do it!” she exclaimed vehemently. “And you can sing! I will go and live with my grandfather again!”
Book 5, Chapter 1
Quotes
“But, Damon, please pray tell me what I must do? To sit by him hour after hour, and hear him reproach himself as being the cause of her death, and to know that I am the sinner, if any human being is at all, drives me into cold despair. I don’t know what to do. Should I tell him or should I not tell him? I always am asking myself that. O, I want to tell him; and yet I am afraid. If he finds it out he must surely kill me, for nothing else will be in proportion to his feelings now.”
