The Return of the Native · Chapter
A Face on Which Time Makes but Little Impression explained
The chapter introduces Egdon Heath in November twilight, portraying it as a vast, ancient, and somber landscape that seems to embody a timeless, brooding presence.
What happens
The chapter introduces Egdon Heath in November twilight, portraying it as a vast, ancient, and somber landscape that seems to embody a timeless, brooding presence. The heath is described as a near relation of night, with a dark, majestic sublimity that appeals to deeper human instincts. Its permanence and resistance to change are emphasized, contrasting with the transient nature of civilization and human endeavors. The narrative sets the stage for the novel's themes of fate, isolation, and the enduring power of nature.
Themes in this chapter
Nature and Landscape
Egdon Heath is depicted as a central, almost sentient force, with its own moods and history, shaping the atmosphere and human experience.
Isolation and Loneliness
The heath's solitary, brooding character and its 'lonely face' suggest a deep sense of isolation that permeates the setting.
Modernity vs. Tradition
The heath's ancient permanence stands in stark contrast to the 'irrepressible New' of civilization, highlighting a tension between timeless nature and human change.
Key passages
“The face of the heath by its mere complexion added half an hour to evening; it could in like manner retard the dawn, sadden noon, anticipate the frowning of storms scarcely generated, and intensify the opacity of a moonless midnight to a cause of shaking and dread.”
The heath's dark appearance made it seem later than it actually was, and it could similarly delay morning, make midday gloomy, predict storms before they formed, and make a moonless night terrifyingly dark.
This illustrates the heath's powerful influence over the perception of time and mood.
“It was a spot which returned upon the memory of those who loved it with an aspect of peculiar and kindly congruity. Smiling champaigns of flowers and fruit hardly do this, for they are permanently harmonious only with an existence of better reputation as to its issues than the present.”
The heath was remembered fondly by its admirers for its unique and fitting character, unlike cheerful landscapes that only suit happier times.
This suggests that the heath's somber beauty resonates with the more complex and often sorrowful human experience.
“The great inviolate place had an ancient permanence which the sea cannot claim. Who can say of a particular sea that it is old? Distilled by the sun, kneaded by the moon, it is renewed in a year, in a day, or in an hour. The sea changed, the fields changed, the rivers, the villages, and the people changed, yet Egdon remained.”
Egdon Heath possessed an unchanging ancientness that even the sea lacks, as the sea is constantly renewed by natural cycles, while the heath has remained unchanged through centuries.
This emphasizes the heath's timeless and immutable nature, contrasting it with the transience of other elements.