The Return of the Native · Chapter
She Goes Out to Battle Against Depression explained
Eustacia, feeling trapped and depressed by Clym's blindness and their reduced circumstances, decides to attend a village dance at East Egdon despite Clym's reservations.
What happens
Eustacia, feeling trapped and depressed by Clym's blindness and their reduced circumstances, decides to attend a village dance at East Egdon despite Clym's reservations. At the dance, she encounters Wildeve, who persuades her to dance with him. Their dance rekindles old emotions, and on the walk home, Wildeve accompanies her. They are met by Clym and Diggory Venn, who suspects the encounter was not innocent.
Themes in this chapter
Isolation and Loneliness
Eustacia feels profoundly isolated in her marriage, lamenting 'two wasted lives' and seeking solace in the dance.
Love and Marriage
The chapter explores the disillusionment in Eustacia and Clym's marriage, contrasted with the rekindled tension between Eustacia and Wildeve.
Social Class and Ambition
Eustacia's shame at Clym's furze-cutting and her longing for the glamour of Paris highlight her thwarted social ambitions.
Characters to notice
- Eustacia Vye
Feels trapped and depressed by her marriage to Clym, seeks escape at the village dance, and dances with Wildeve.
- Clym Yeobright
Now blind and working as a furze-cutter, he tries to cheer Eustacia but feels like a burden; he goes to meet her after the dance.
- Damon Wildeve
Appears at the dance, dances with Eustacia, and walks her home, leading to a tense meeting with Clym and Venn.
- Diggory Venn
Accompanies Clym to meet Eustacia; his keen eyes notice Wildeve's presence, raising suspicion.
Key passages
“Two wasted lives—his and mine. And I am come to this! Will it drive me out of my mind?”
Eustacia feels that both she and Clym have squandered their potential, and she fears her despair will overwhelm her sanity.
Reflects Eustacia's deep depression and sense of hopelessness.
“I'll be bitterly merry, and ironically gay, and I'll laugh in derision.”
She resolves to mask her pain with forced cheerfulness and sarcastic humor.
Shows Eustacia's defiant but fragile coping mechanism.
“How near she was to Wildeve! it was terrible to think of.”
Eustacia is acutely aware of the physical and emotional closeness to Wildeve during the dance, which disturbs her.
Highlights the dangerous attraction and moral conflict.