Studieveiledning til The Return of the Native

Clym

Clym returns from Paris hoping to teach near Egdon Heath, but an eye illness redirects him into outdoor work. His accusation over his mother's death breaks his marriage to Eustacia, and he eventually takes up outdoor preaching.

Viktige chapters: 20, 29, 38, 48

Eustacia

She leaves after his accusation about his mother's death and later dies during the river emergency.

Viktige chapters: 7, 23, 38, 44

Thomasin

Thomasin receives Venn's help after her expected wedding fails, then marries Wildeve privately.

Viktige chapters: 4, 19, 41, 48

Wildeve

Wildeve's attachment to Eustacia mixes affection with jealousy and struggles for power, yet he marries Thomasin. His later discussion of escape with Eustacia renews their connection before he dies during the river emergency.

Viktige chapters: 6, 19, 40, 44

Venn

Venn shelters Thomasin and intervenes with Eustacia on her behalf, showing a persistent wish to help. His mistaken payment of money intended partly for Clym suggests the limits of helpful intervention, though he eventually marries Thomasin.

Viktige chapters: 4, 10, 27, 48

Mrs. Yeobright

Mrs. Yeobright is Clym's mother and Thomasin's aunt, and she challenges Clym's choice of Eustacia. Her later attempt at reconciliation ends at a closed door, which she understands as rejection by her son.

Viktige chapters: 3, 22, 32, 33

Charley

Charley lends Eustacia his costume and role, then later shelters her when she is distressed. His kindness has an unintended consequence when his fire attracts Wildeve, while his response to Eustacia's keepsake shows lasting attachment.

Viktige chapters: 15, 39, 40, 48

Conflicting hopes

Clym's wish to teach and Eustacia's expectation that he will abandon that wish expose different hopes within their marriage. Her dislike of his later outdoor work suggests that attachment does not remove disagreement about what a shared life should become.

Hvor det kommer til uttrykk: chapters 20, 23, 29

Guilt and responsibility

Clym's self-blame and Eustacia's concealment show how grief becomes tangled with questions of responsibility after his mother's death. His accusation and his later guilt over Eustacia and Wildeve suggest that assigning blame does not bring emotional certainty or peace.

Hvor det kommer til uttrykk: chapters 36, 38, 44

Unintended consequences

Venn's attempt to repair a loss produces another mistake, and questions about the money lead to open conflict. Charley's cheering fire likewise brings an unexpected visitor, suggesting that helpful intentions cannot control the consequences once other people's desires enter the situation.

Hvor det kommer til uttrykk: chapters 27, 28, 40

Bonfire

Fire works as a signal that brings private desire into action when Eustacia summons Wildeve.

Chapters 6, 40

Guineas

The guineas begin as family gifts but become a source of mistakes and suspicion. Their passage through gambling and mistaken payment suggests how intended support can turn into division.

Chapters 26, 27, 28

The narrator, Chapter 7. The narrator describes Eustacia's longing amid her resentment of isolated life on Egdon Heath. The line suggests that love appeals as an imagined escape, not simply attachment to one person.

Clym Yeobright, Chapter 20. Clym explains his return while setting out his plan to teach near Egdon Heath.

Eustacia, Chapter 38. Eustacia answers Clym's accusation by admitting her initial refusal and explaining her assumption about the second knock. The line shows deliberate exclusion becoming entangled with misunderstanding.

Clym, Chapter 48. Clym acknowledges Thomasin's happiness at her wedding to Venn while remaining apart from the celebration. His words suggest acceptance of another person's renewal without claiming that his own grief has ended.