The Return of the Native · Chapter
The Journey Across the Heath explained
On a scorching August day, Mrs.
What happens
On a scorching August day, Mrs. Yeobright walks across the heath to reconcile with Clym and Eustacia. The oppressive heat and her physical exhaustion slow her journey. She follows a furze-cutter, only to realize it is her son Clym, now living as a mere laborer. Arriving at his house, she rests under a clump of battered trees called the Devil's Bellows, struggling to gather the courage to enter. She sees a second man approach the house, which both vexes and relieves her, as his presence may ease the awkwardness of her visit.
Themes in this chapter
Nature and Landscape
The heath is portrayed as a powerful, oppressive force, with its scorching heat, parched vegetation, and the symbolic Devil's Bellows trees reflecting the characters' inner turmoil.
Suffering and Sacrifice
Mrs. Yeobright endures physical exhaustion and emotional strain on her journey, while Clym's life as a furze-cutter represents a sacrifice of his former ambitions.
Social Class and Ambition
Clym's descent from a promising man to a mere furze-cutter highlights the loss of social status and the tension between ambition and humble labor.
Characters to notice
- Mrs. Yeobright
Travels across the heath under extreme heat to reconcile with Clym and Eustacia; feels physically exhausted and emotionally agitated.
- Clym Yeobright
Seen by his mother as a furze-cutter, dressed in the craft's regulation attire, deeply absorbed in his labor.
- Eustacia Vye
Mentioned as the wife of Clym; Mrs. Yeobright worries about how to approach her without causing irritation.
- Timothy Fairway
Briefly mentioned as someone Mrs. Yeobright wishes she had hired to drive her part of the way.
Key passages
“The sun had branded the whole heath with its mark, even the purple heath-flowers having put on a brownness under the dry blazes of the few preceding days.”
The intense heat had scorched the heath, turning even the normally purple heather brown.
Illustrates the extreme drought and heat, emphasizing the harshness of the environment.
“He appeared as a mere parasite of the heath, fretting its surface in his daily labour as a moth frets a garment, entirely engrossed with its products, having no knowledge of anything in the world but fern, furze, heath, lichens, and moss.”
Clym seemed like a creature of the heath, consumed by his work and knowing nothing beyond its vegetation.
Highlights Clym's complete absorption in his menial labor and his diminished world.
“The place was called the Devil's Bellows, and it was only necessary to come there on a March or November night to discover the forcible reasons for that name.”
The clump of trees was known as the Devil's Bellows, a name justified by the fierce winds that blasted them in stormy seasons.
Foreshadows the turbulent emotions and events to come, using the landscape as a symbol.