"The Return of the Native" By Thomas Hardy : Important Short Questions Part III

Some Key Elements in "The Return of the Native":

👉Setting: The novel is primarily set on Egdon Heath, a wild and mysterious area in Wessex, England. The heath is depicted as a character in itself, with its gloomy atmosphere and rugged landscape playing a significant role in shaping the events and characters.

👉Characters: - Clym Yeobright: The native of the heath who returns from Paris with aspirations of educating the locals. 

- Eustacia Vye: A beautiful and passionate woman who becomes entangled in a love triangle. 

 - Diggory Venn: A reddleman, in love with Thomasin Yeobright.

👉Plot: The story revolves around the relationships and conflicts among the characters. Clym's marriage to Eustacia leads to unhappiness, while Diggory Venn's love for Thomasin complicates matters further. The characters face struggles, misunderstandings, and tragic consequences.

👉Themes: - Fate and Destiny: The novel explores the role of fate and how it shapes the characters' lives.

- Love and Desire: The complexities of love and desire are central to the story, with characters experiencing unrequited love, passion, and betrayal.

👉Writing Style: Hardy's writing style is descriptive and atmospheric, vividly portraying the natural surroundings and the characters' emotions. He delves into the inner thoughts and motivations of the characters, presenting a psychological depth to the narrative.

Short Questions

21. Why did Thomasin write a letter to Diggory Venn?

            Diggory Venn, the riddle man was once a dairy farmer. He was in love with Thomasin but despite the fact that she considered him to be a good man declined to marry him. In a letter therefore, Thomasin had candidly exclaims her position to him and urged him not to see her again. For this reason only, Thomasin, wrote a letter to Diggory Venn.

22. What was the secret of the reddleman’s deep concern for Thomasin’s happiness?

            Diggory Venn, the reddleman loved Thomasin to the core of his heart and also proposed her. Thomasin Teobrite rejected his proposal and wrote him a letter. But Venn’s love for Thomasin did not wane. He tried her best to ensure Thomasin’s happiness.

23. ‘The reddleman suggested to Eustacia that he would arrange for her escape from Egdon to Budmouth’ – How did he liked to do it? Why did Eustacia reject the suggestion?

            The reddleman’s uncle had been a trustee of a rich widow at Bud mouth for twenty five years. The rich lady lived in a beautiful house facing the sea and was looking for a young company keeper as she was old and lame. The lady would jump to get Eustacia and his uncle would arrange everything.

            Eustacia rejected his offer mainly due to her overwhelming desire of living in a gay town as a sophisticated lady according to her own tastes and interests. She rejected the offer as she would have to work and live at Bud mouth to please others which was likely to lower her present position. A girl like Eustacia is conscious of her freedom and therefore she comes to think of pleasing an old woman below her dignity.

24. Why did Mrs. Teobright tell Wildeve that ‘another man’ is interested to marry Thomasin? Who was the ‘another man’? What was the reaction of Wildeve to it?

            In order to create a sense of jeolousy in Wildeve’s heart Mrs. Teobright told Wildeve that ‘another man’ was interested to marry Thomasin.

            The another man was the reddleman, Diggory Venn.

            Mrs. Teobright tried to use Venn’s offer as a trumpcard during her interview with Wildeve. She told him that another man was interested to marry Thomasin. Without revealing his name. but Wildeve did not react as Mrs. Teobright expected. He rather coolly say that if Thomasin is interested in Marrying the ‘other man’ she must do so. 

25. Who were the two rustics building a stag of furge faggots in the house of Captain Vye? How did Eustacia get the news of Clym’s arrival?

           Humphry and Sam, were the two rustics building a stag of furge – faggots in Captain Vye’s house. On over hearing the conversation of her grandfather with the two rustics. Sam and Humphry, about the kind of life Clym, Teobright has been living in Paris, at Captain Vye’s house. Eustacia also gets its news of Clym’s arrival at Egdon – Heath.

26. Where did clym remain before his return to Egdon and in which profession?

            Clym resided in Paris before his return to Egdon and in the profession of a manager, to a diamond merchant.

27. ‘She and Clym Teobright would make a very pretty pigeon pair - who said this? Who was she? What is the meaning of ‘pigeon-pair’?

            This is told by Humphry.

            She was Miss Eustacia Vye.

It is believed that generally a pigeon lays eggs and its brood usually consists of a mate and female. So literally pigeon pair is “boy and girl twins”, also a family consisting of a son and daughter only, these are so called from a pigeon’s brood, which usually consists of a male and female. Hardy uses it more loosely to describe Eustacia and Clym as likely romantic match because they resembled each other in various ways.

28. Explain the allusion to the ‘Castle of Indolence’?

This allusion is derived from James Thomason’s Spensarian Poem: The Knight of Art and Industry, accompanied by his bard, Philomel us, frees the inhabitants of a castle ruled over by the Wizard Indolence. Hardy describes the moment when the bard plays a prelude on his harp and those bewitched by the wizard escape the enchantment and rise up.

29. Why was Thomasin willing to inform Clym of her buffed  marriage?

Thomasin was a self respected girl. She was also very conscious of her cousin’s feelings towards her. She thought that the story of her buffled marriage would trouble Clym and would be painful for him to hear such news as he had loved Thomasin once. Although the story was up in the air her closeness to Clym would avoid the tale to reach him early. She was afraid that, Clym might consider her to be his cousin. Only for this reason she was unwilling to inform Clym about it.

30. Where and when did Eustacia first meet Clym? How did it influence the girl?

Eustacia was waiting for Clym’s arrival within the heath, with her eyes starling in the direction of Mrs. Teobright’s house. After waiting for long, when she was coming back, she heard the sounds of the people and found them walking along the same path Eustacia stepped a little out of the foot back to let them pass. She found that they were two women and a man. There came to her a masculine voice, bidding ‘Good-Night’ to her. In this way, upon the heath, Eustacia first met clym.

This meeting had a great effect on her. She found him just in the position of the deaf Dr. Kitto. At the same time a riddle crossed her mind about the tastes of that man who found friendliness and geniality in those shaggy hills. A thousand of ideas passes her mind which reflected on her face. She glowed by remembering the mendacity of the imagination, she flagged, freshened, got fired and then she cooled again. It was a cycle of aspects, produced by a cycle of visions. She became very excited that she asked her grandfather the reason of their family being never friendly with the Yeobright.

 Ardhendu De

 The Return of the Native By Thomas Hardy : Important Short Questions  Part I

 The Return of the Native By Thomas Hardy : Important Short Questions  Part II

 The Return of the Native By Thomas Hardy : Important Short Questions  Part III

 The Return of the Native By Thomas Hardy : Important Short Questions  Part IV