the heath

The entire opening chapter of The Return of the Native is devoted to a lengthy description of Egdon Heath, the setting of the novel. The heath must be significant in terms of the themes and the continue progress of the novel. The author of the novel, Thomas Hardy, made the heath so significant to the point that it can be look upon as a character like any other in the novel. The heath’s constant correlation with the plot and its “personality” even transformed it into the major antagonist of the story.

In the opening chapter the heath is introduced just as how a major character of most novels would be introduced with detail. In fact, the way Hardy devoted the entire first chapter just to describe it gives it the level of importance that is over any other characters in the book. This seems to suggest that the heath is like the “ruler” of the story, it is the King, and it is more powerful than any person is. The heath demonstrates the idea that fate is more powerful than the desires of individuals. This theme can be seems throughout the novel. The biggest effect of this theme is on Eustacia. The fact that Clym delayed sending his letter to Eustacia, coupled with the fact that Captain Vye unwittingly kept the letter from Eustacia

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Egdon Heath is treated as a character in the novel. This presents the idea of Egdon Heath’s unchangeable place in time. Yeobright makes her journey is described as “a torrid attack” (260) and “the sun had branded the whole heath with its mark” (260). It is also inferred that the Heath itself creates the darkness “the heath exhaling darkness as rapidly as the heavens precipitated it” (12). The conditions of the Heath under which Mrs. The tone is ironic, because we are watching the actions of the characters with superior knowledge. Dominance of darkness is clearly ominous and Hardy also says of the heath that it could “retard the dawn, sadden noon…and intensify the opacity of a moonless midnight to a cause of shaking and dread” (11-12). We see an image of a giant creature of darkness breathing out darkness. It is possible to read this helplessness and irony as a result of the Heath's indifference to the characters. The opening chapter is without doubt the most significant in terms of showing this. Man cannot change Egdon Heath for it is indifferent to man. Eustacia’s own remark, “how destiny is against me!” (354) and “I have been injured and blighted and crushed by things beyond my control!” (354) affirm the existence of such a force, the power of fate. This description of the Heath gives it not only a human like, but in fact, a monster-like quality. “Brand” suggests pain and possibly torture and we find this is not far from the truth when Mrs.

The Heath is as hostile as it is gloomy.

Approximate Word count = 1025
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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