The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy (Summary)

 

The Return of the Native

by Thomas Hardy

(Summary) 

Book-1

The novel opens in the middle of situation. There is a reddleman whose name is Diggory Venn. He is riding his van and is going in the direction of Egdon Heath. In the back of his van is Thomasin Yeobright whose marriage was to be performed on the same day with Wildieve at the Angleberry church but because of an error in the marriage license it could not be done. She was then alone walking her way from Angleberry church and there she met Diggory Venn and told him of her plight and fainted. Diggory Venn put her in his wagon. On the way he met one Captain Vye and told him that there was a lady in his wagon. About two years ago Diggory Venn who at that time was a dairyman had proposed marriage with Thomasin and through a letter Thomasin had politely refused. Since then he had given up his dairyman’s profession and become a reddleman who sold reddle chalk to the farmers for redding their sheep.

When Diggory Venn learnt of the romance between Thomasin and Wildieve and knew that Thomasin liked Wildieve he thought it was his duty to help Thomasin in whatever way he could to get her married to Wildieve. The cause of the failure of the marriage between Thomasin and Wildieve at Anglebury was a mistake in the marriage certificate engineered by Wildieve himself. As Diggory Venn with Thomasin in the back of his wagon was driving Mrs.. Yeobright was herself going to Wildieve’s place to bless the married couple and there on her way met Diggory Venn who told Mrs. Yeobright that he himself was going to her house and informed her of what had happened to Thomasin’s marriage and that Thomasin was sleeping in the back of the wagon. Mrs. Yeobright found Thomasin there who just woke up and she and Mrs. Yeobright leaving Diggory Venn there moved on foot to their house. On the way Mrs. Yeobright came to know from Thomasin what had happened. In the meantime Diggory Venn met Mrs. Yeobright and he offered to marry Thomasin adding that earlier also he had made a proposal to Thomasin but she had politely declined on the ground that Mrs. Yeobright would not agree to the marriage. The reddleman also informed Mrs. Yeobright that Wildieve had secret meetings with Eustacia Vye who was the grand daughter of Captain Vye who lived at Mistover Knapp.

Armed with Diggory Venn’s proposal to marry Thomasin Mrs. Yeobright who was a shrewd and intelligent lady approached Wildieve and asked him whether he really intended to marry Thomasin adding that she had another suitor for Thomasin who had sought her permission to marry her. This was done purely with the intention to make Wildieve jealous of Thomasin but Wildieve wanted a little more time to make up his mind. On the other hand the reddleman, who sincerely wanted to help Thomasin in whatever way he could, went to Captain Vye’s cottage and told him that he wanted to have a word with his grand daughter. On meeting Eustacia Vye he told her that she had a great power on menfolk of the area and that she should persuade Wildieve to marry Thomasin but she rejected the request and said that though she had power over Wildieve but she would not lower her position to favour a woman who was inferior to her in rank and position. She also informed the reddleman that she did not care for Wildieve much and would care for him less if there had been a better man than him on the heath. She also informed him that she herself was very unhappy to be on the Egdon Heath and would like to go away from there if she had any such opportunity.

The same evening Wildieve went to Mistover Knapp to meet Eustacia Vye and offered to take her to America. The offer had been made earlier also to Eustacia Vye by Wildieve and she had asked for a week’s time to think over the proposal. She had been flattered by the fact that she had been the cause of Wildieve’s not marrying Thomasin. But then Thomasin had another suitor and could be married to some other person was enough reason for Eustacia Vye to reject Wildieve. If Thomasin could reject why not she?

It so happened that the same evening after his return from a walk from the heath Captain Vye told Eustacia that Clym was coming to celebrate Christmas with her mother and cousin from Paris. Her grandfather further told her that Clym was Mrs. Yeobright’s son and had been living in Paris. This greatly excited Eustacia Vye’s curiosity about the new comer. She however, decided to have more information about the new comer on her own.

Book -II

The second book begins with Humphrey and Sam who had been called by Captain Vye to bring furze faggots and build a stack for him. It was a beautiful afternoon and Captain Vye had been talking to them while Eustacia Vye was inside the house listening to the conversation which was going on outside and was of great interest and information to her. The workers were talking about Clym Yeobright and they informed Captain Vye that Clym was a studious fellow with strange ideas and had established himself as the manager of a diamond merchant in Paris and that he was coming there to celebrate Christmas with his family. They also commented that Cylm and Eustacia would make an excellent couple as both were highly educated and talked on high subjects and ideas. All this further excited Eustacia’s curiosity about Clym. On the day Clym was to arrive Mrs. Yeobright and Clym’s cousin, Thomasin, had been excited and were making preparations to receive him. Thomasin had requested her aunt not to let Clym know about her marriage mishap. They then went to receive Clym and as it was evening time and Eustacia wanted to see the face of Clym. She was standing on their way where he was to pass from. Soon she heard the sound of two women and one man coming on the road and she slightly moved herself away from the way so that without being seen she could see the face of the new comer. As the three passed from there Clym wished good evening to Eustacia who in return made some murmur but it left a great impression on Eustacia though she had not been successful in seeing Clym’s face. Now Eustacia was very keen to see Clym closely. Soon it so happened that some of the rustics decided to stage a mummery show at Mrs. Yeobright’s house on the evening of 23rd Dec., a day before Christmas, to celebrate Christmas on Clym’s arrivaI In that show the part of Turkish knight was to be played by Charley who sentimentally adored Eustacia and so she called him and offered to pay him five shillings in case he agreed to let his part be played by her in a man’s disguise. Charley who adored Eustacia sentimentally first refused to accept the money but agreed to the proposal on condition that he would hold Eustacia’s hand for half an hour and in the end be allowed to kiss it. Finally it was agreed that he could hold her hand for fifteen minutes only and kiss it if he would not tell it to anyone else. Before proceeding to Mrs. Yeobright’s house the party wanted to rehearse in Captain Vye’s fuel house. Then the party proceeded to Mrs. Yeobright’s house and there every one performed well. At the end of the show Eustacia had a good look at Mrs. Yeobright’s house and also at Clym’s face.

When the play Saint George was over all the mummers were entertained with good food and wine. In the pantry Eustacia saw Clym talking to Thomasin and that aroused her jealousy, fearing that being in close proximity with Thomasin, Clym may be attracted to her. As the food and wine was being served Eustacia refused to eat anything though Clym entreated her much but on persuasion from Clym she agreed to have some drink from him. The mummers then went away and as Eustacia was going alone she was approached by Clym who asked her if he was not seriously mistaken that she was a woman in a boy’s disguise. Eustacia admitted it to be so and said that because she wanted some excitement she had undertaken that adventurous route.

It so happened that that very evening of the mummers show Wildieve was to meet Eustacia for his proposal of elopement. Accordingly Wildieve waited for Eustacia for a long time at the appointed place but could not see her. Being disappointed he returned while all this time the reddleman had been watching him. On her return from Mrs. Yeobright’s house accidentally Eustacia happened to meet the reddleman who informed her that Wildieve had waited for her the whole of that evening. Now Eustacia really wanted that Wildieve should marry Thomasin and so she asked the reddleman to deliver a letter to Wildieve in which she clearly stated that she was not interested in him and also returned a box with some gifts which Wildieve had given her. Wildieve accepted Eustacia’s refusal but he was puzzled to know why the reddleman was to be the man to bring the letter and the gifts because the reddleman himself had wanted to marry Thomasin. Fearing that the reddleman should succeed in winning Thomasin he himself went to her to say that he was sincerely interested in marrying her. Thomasin was very happy to hear it and accordingly informed Mrs. Yeobright of Wildieve’s decision.

When Wildieve went to Thomasin, Clym had been away for some days to meet his friend who lived a few miles away and there he came to know of the failure of Thomasin’s marriage with Wildieve from his friend. At this Clym wrote a letter to his mother why she had not informed him about it and that it was a great disgrace to the family. Thomasin now wanted to have the marriage with Wildieve performed at the earliest and in any case before Clym returned home. She also requested her aunt to remain at home and not to accompany her to her marriage. On hearing the news of Thomasin’s failure of marriage from his friend Clym thought of returning home immediately and he reached just when her marriage was being performed. On finding that his mother had not accompanied Thomasin to be given to her husband he prepared to go himself to give away Thomasin in marriage but by the time he reached the church the marriage had been over. The reddleman had persuaded Eustacia to give away Thomasin to Wildieve and Clym came to know about it only afterwards.

Book - III

The book reveals Clym’s idealism. As the true son of Egdon he found the life in Paris to be “the idlest, vainest, the most effiminate business that ever a man could be put to” and he now wished to follow some practical and fruitful career in his life. He wanted to do something for his Egdon and being of a studious nature thought of starting a school there. He thought that by some more study he would be a perfect schoolmaster. He told his mother about his plan and also that he had no interest in carrying on his business in Paris. Hearing this Mrs. Yeobright was very much grieved.

The same evening Clym went to Captain Vye’s house on hearing that a bucket had fallen into the well. There he met Eustacia and asked her whether she was interest in teaching school children of the heath. Eustacia did not agree to it and said that she was more interested in the life of the people of Paris where she would like to go. Clym informed her that so far as he was concerned for him the heath was a very good place and that he would rather live there for the rest of his life than to think of anywhere else in the world.

When Clym told his mother that he had been to Captain Vye’s place she was naturally much troubled and said that having been to Paris and having been accustomed to see the most attractive and fashionable ladies in Paris and elsewhere how could he be so interested in a girl who lived on the heath. She even accused his son that he had been bewitched by Eustacia and that his plan to start a school was just an excuse for continuing to stay on the heath for the sake of Eustacia. Clym now almost every day went to meet Eustacia and the latter informed him that his mother would not approve of a marriage with her. But Clym said that despite all this he was willing to marry her.

Mrs. Yeobright was very unhappy at this hour because Clym was shattering all her dreams about his success. Added to this was the love affair of Clym with Eustacia which was now to result in their marriage. She fully knew that the two natures were different and that the marriage will cause unhappiness to Clym whom as a boy she had given lot of attention and care. But nothing could be done to change Clym’s mind and his plans to start a school at Egdon.

Clym’s problem was that he wanted the two opposites to meet everywhere. He could not abandon Eustacia nor his mother nor his plan to be a school teacher. Mrs. Yeobright was quite clear in her mind that the marriage with Eustacia would result in unhappiness for everyone concerned but Clym was bent upon all his plans. Clym then decided to leave his mother and find a new house for himself until Eustacia, after marriage with him, was to join him. The very next morning Clym went towards a village at Egdon to find a house for himself. Having fixed one he came back and told his mother that he would be leaving her and getting married on the twenty fifth of the month with Eustacia. After the departure of her son Mrs. Yeobright wept much and spent the whole day in walking absent mindedly down the garden Path. The next day she felt a little comforted when Thomasin paid a visit to her. After some time Thomasin said that she needed some money as her husband should not give her any. Mrs. Yeobright then told her that she had a hundred guineas which were to be equally divided between Thomasin and Clym and that the time had come that it should be so distributed. Clym’s marriage day came but Mrs. Yeobright was sitting at her home very much unhappy.

The same evening Wildieve paid a visit to Mrs. Yeobright and told her that Thomasin was expecting something from her and that if she so wished he could carry it to Thomasin. Wildieve then went away and Mrs. Yeobright summoned a boy name Christian Candle and handed over a bag to him to be delivered to Thomasin. When the boy was going to Thomasin’s place Wildieve himself met the boy and tempted him to play with him with money that Mrs. Yeobright had handed over to him. When all the money had been lost to Wildieve by the boy, he consoled himself with the idea that ultimately it had gone to Thomasin’s husband. While the game was going on in the light of the lantern, Diggory Venn, the reddleman, had been hiding himself behind a bush and when the boy had gone he came out from the bush and because he had heard the boy say that the money was meant to be handed over to Thomasin he now invited Wildieve to gamble with him and so the game between them began.

For the first few minutes the game was equally divided between them but soon thereafter Diggory Venn started winning. When Wildieve had lost sixty guineas to Diggory Venn he became greatly upset and at that very time the lantern light in which the dice was being cast went out. Frantic as Wildieve was at his loss, he gathered some glow-worms and in the light of them the dice was now cast. Ultimately Wildieve lost all the hundred guineas which he had won from the boy.

The next day when Diggory was standing there Clym and Eustacia were returning from their marriage at the church and seeing them he asked Eustacia about Thomasin who told him that she was coming seated in Captain Vye’s carriage. Soon Thomasin came there and the reddleman gave her the money telling her that Mrs. Yeobright had sent that money to her. Thomasin, when she opened the bag, was greatly surprised to find so much money in it.

 

Book-IV

After a few weeks of his marriage Clym thought about his new profession seriously. But the marriage had been with contrary aims and ideas. Though Eustacia had earlier declined to be a teacher, Clym had secretly thought to himself that after the marriage she would agree to be a school teacher while Eustacia had agreed to marry him with the secret hope that once married she would prevail upon Clym to return to Paris with her.

Having waited for a few days after sending the money through Christian Candle Mrs. Yeobright got a note from Thomasin thanking her for such a big amount but she received no such acknowledgement from Clym. In that state of uncertainty Mrs. Yeobright decided to go to Clym’s house herself to inqure about the money but as she reached there she found there Eustacia only and asked her if she had received some amount of money from Wildieve. Eustacia thought that Mrs. Yeobright wanted to insult her by implying that she still received gifts and money from her former lover. Eustacia thereupon became furious and charged her of injuring her marriage and reputation. Mrs. Yeobright, after the quarrel with her daughter- in-law, came home. Eustacia then complained about it to Clym about his mother’s insult to her and asked Clym again to take her to Paris but Clym outright refused.

The weakening and loss of Cylm’s eyesight was immensely depressing to Eustacia. Clym now for his earnings had to take up the job of a furze –cutter but the way he took to it so lightly and without any sense of humiliation was almost stinging for Eustacia. At this time Eustacia suffered from a lot of depression and was looking for some opportunity to lessen it. Towards the end of August a village festival was being held at East Egdon and Eustacia asked her husband to go to see the fair but Clym refused. Thereupon Eustacia herself went there where a dance performance was being held and young men and young girls were fully enjoying themselves as dancers. Surprisingly Wildieve was also there and coming to Eustacia he proposed to her to dance with him. After some reluctance Eustacia agreed. The reddleman was also around and he had seen the two dance together. After that the reddleman went to Mrs. Yeobright and told her that Wildieve was bent on ruining Thomasin and also Clym’s marriage by meeting Eustacia secretly. He also suggested that Mrs. Yeobright should get reconciled to her son and daughter-in-law to which she agreed.

Being tired of Diggory’s efforts to destroy his plans to meet Eustacia secretly Wildieve decided that as her brother- in- law he would boldly go to Clym’s house to meet Eustacia. When Wildieve knocked at Clym’s door, Clym at the time was sleeping soundly and Eustacia opened the door and admitted him in the house. She took him into another room away form the one in which Clym had been sleeping. Just then Mrs. Yeobright reached Clym’s house and knocked at the door. Eustacia then looked out of the window and finding that there was her mother-in-law knocking she was greatly disturbed because of Wildieve’s presence there. Mrs. Yeobright had seen Eustacia looking at her through the window but as Eustacia sent Wildieve from the backdoor of the house which caused much delay Mrs. Yeobright concluded that her son was not inclined to meet her. Having waited there for some time and feeling much tired she went away and, on her way, back sat down to have some rest. There she was bitten by a serpent and was lying there in a painful condition.

When Mrs. Yeobright was returning from her son’s house she had met a boy Johnny Nonsuch and Mrs. Yeobright wanted him to move with her as she was very much tired and told him that she was a “totally broken lady having been discarded by her son in her old age.”

At about two in the afternoon Clym woke up from his sleep and told Eustacia that he had seen a dream about his mother and that he would immediately go to Blooms Berry to see her. When he had travelled about three miles or so he heard the sound of someone breathing and moaning from a nearby spot and out of curiosity moved in that direction. Reaching there he found that an old lady had been moaning there and coming close to her he found that there was his own mother in a miserable condition and perfectly unconscious. He immediately lifted her and placed her in an abandoned cottage and went to the nearby village to call for some help. The villagers applied some ointment on the swollen foot of Mrs. Yeobright but nothing could be done to save her and she died.

When Clym had gone to see his mother Eustacia’s grandfather paid a visit to her and informed her that Wildieve had received a fortune of eleven thousand pounds left to him by one of his uncles who had been living in Canada. Eustacia was much surprised by this fact because last time when Wildieve had met her he did not tell her about it. Wildieve was now a rich man and that made great impression on Eustacia.

Book - V

After his mother’s death Clym had been seriously ill and he blamed himself for being the cause of his mother’s death. One day after about a month Christian Candle came to inform Clym that Thomasin had given birth to a girl child. There Clym asked some questions from him concerning the circumstances of his mother’s death and from the reply he received it became necessary to collect some more information. But the reddleman had gone away from the heath for some months. When the reddleman returned and met Clym he informed him that it was on his suggestion that Mrs. Yeobright had gone to his house for reconciliation. It now became all the more necessary for Clym to find more details form Johnny Nonsuch and on meeting him he got the information that on the day Mrs. Yeobright had knocked at his house he had seen Clym getting into his house and after a little while he saw another man for whom Eustacia had opened the door and he also got in and when Mrs. Yeobright knocked at the door Eustacia had peeped out from the window but did not open the door. Finding no response from the house his mother returned very weak and tired and asked him to accompany her for some distance. Clym was greatly puzzled regarding the identity of the other person who had entered the house after him when he had gone to sleep.

On reaching home Clym was extremely furious and wanted to know why Eustachia had not opened the door to his mother when she had come to their house and asked her who the other man was who had entered the house soon after he had gone to sleep. He also said that the other man could not have been anyone else but Wildieve and that she was still having attachment with him and not being faithful to her husband. Eustachia was not the kind of woman who would hear so much reproach from anyone and so she decided to go away from him to her grandfather’s house by terminating all her relationship with Clym. On reaching her grandfather’s house Eustachia’s first thought to shoot herself with her grandfather’s pistol but soon Charley was there and she dropped the idea of shooting herself. There to please Eustachia Charley one evening lit a bonfire at the same place where Eustachia used to lit whenever she wanted Wildieve to meet her. When Eustachia saw the fire from her window she immediately came out of the house and asked Charley to put out the fire at once. But Wildieve in the meantime had seen the bonfire and took it as an invitation from Eustachia to meet her. As she was standing there she heard the sound of a stone falling into the nearby pond which was a signal that he was there at her call. Soon Wildieve moved towards Eustachia. She told him that the fire was lit by Charley without her knowledge and also asked him to take her to Budmouth and from there she would manage to go to Paris alone. Wildieve agreed to the proposal and said that he would be ready whenever signaled by her exactly at eight o’clock so that he would be ready with his cart and horse to take her to Budmouth.

Eustachia was now determined to leave for Paris while all this time Clym had been expecting her to return to his house. After some days he wrote a letter to her inviting her to return to him. On the sixth of November the signal came to Wildieve from Eustachia to leave for Paris at midnight. He took the lamp and got the horse and carriage ready. Just at that time Thomasin came to Clym and told him that her husband had drawn a very large sum of money from his drawer and was keeping the horse and carriage ready and it seemed that he was going out on a long journey without informing her. Clym then went out in search of Wildieve near Eustachia’s place where the reddleman happened to be there already.

At that very moment there was a sound in the dark of someone falling into the weir and Wildieve saw that it was Eustachia. He also jumped into it to save Eustachia from drowning but they were both carried away by the current of the stream. Diggory Venn immediately rushed to the nearby village and called two swimmers from there. Clym himself entered the stream from the other end but he too was swept by the current of the stream. Soon Diggory Venn asked the two swimmers to rescue the bodies of the drowned persons and they brought out two bodies of Wildieve and Clym. While Wildieve had lost his breath Clym was still breathing. Soon the swimmers entered the stream again to save the third drowned body and they succeeded in getting the body of Eustacia who had died.

 

Book - VI

Originally the novel was to end after book V only but the Victorian public made a hue and cry that the novel must end on a happy note and Hardy was compelled to add one more book to give it a happy ending.

Thomasin at this time was greatly unhappy because her husband had not been faithful to her. She now paid her best attention to her little daughter. Clym thought himself as the murderer of two ladies and there were severe dents on his body though his grief was internal. Thomasin had now to stay with Clym. When Clym had somewhat recovered from his grief and illness one day Diggory came to his place as a completely changed man. The red colour of his body had disappeared and he informed Clym that he had taken again to dairy farming.

One day Thomasin herself told Clym that she was thinking of marrying Diggory Venn to which Clym after some thought agreed. While Thomasin was one day going for her walk in the evening she happened to meet Diggory. During the conversation Thomasin told Diggory that he was a self-sacrificing person whose exterior was not as deep as his heart. Diggory then said that Thomasin had become greatly rich because of Wildieve’s money to which Thomasin replied that she had written all her money to her daughter keeping just enough for herself. To this Diggory said that he was much relieve to hear it and added that in that case it would be easier for him to be friendly with Thomasin. At this Thomasin blushed but after that every evening Thomasin met Diggory at the end of the Roman Road. Finally Thomasin was married to Diggory Venn.

Clym had now nothing to do. His passion to be a school teacher had revived but instead of starting a school he decided to be a preacher. At the end of a week on Sunday a strange sight was seen. Just where Eustacia used to stand at that very spot stood Clym surrounded by men and women to listen to his first lecture. Clym had now become a moving open-air preacher. The novel ends with the following remarks by the novelist.

“Some believed him, and some believed not: some said that his words were commonplace, others complained of his want of theological doctrines while others again remarked that it was well enough for a man to take to preaching who could not see to do anything else. But everywhere he was kindly received, for the story of his life had become generally known.”