The Return of the Native · Chapter
Through the Moonlight explained
Eustacia Vye, disguised as Charley, joins the mummers to perform the Turkish Knight in the Christmas play at Mrs.
What happens
Eustacia Vye, disguised as Charley, joins the mummers to perform the Turkish Knight in the Christmas play at Mrs. Yeobright's house. She hopes to see a man who might deliver her from her oppressive life, finding Wildeve inadequate. The mummers arrive at Blooms-End, and Eustacia performs her part, observing the scene and searching for the figure that drew her there.
Themes in this chapter
Isolation and Loneliness
Eustacia's quest for a hero to deliver her from 'a most deadly oppression' highlights her profound isolation and longing for escape.
Social Class and Ambition
Eustacia's disdain for Wildeve as 'far beneath herself in culture' and her hope to find a 'sufficient hero' reflect her social aspirations and ambition.
Characters to notice
- Eustacia Vye
Disguised as the Turkish Knight, she joins the mummers to attend the Christmas play at Mrs. Yeobright's house, hoping to find a hero who can deliver her from her oppressive life.
- Clym Yeobright
Present at the Christmas gathering, he is the man Eustacia hopes to see, though not yet directly encountered in this chapter.
- Mrs. Yeobright
Host of the Christmas party at Blooms-End, where the mummers perform.
- Grandfer Cantle
Mentioned as one of the mummers; his watch is used to check the time.
- Charley
The mummer whose place Eustacia takes; he is absent looking for heath-croppers.
- Damon Wildeve
Eustacia reflects on him as 'interesting, but inadequate' compared to the hero she hopes to find.
Key passages
“She had come out to see a man who might possibly have the power to deliver her soul from a most deadly oppression.”
Eustacia's purpose in attending the mummers' play was to encounter a man who could rescue her from her profound unhappiness.
Reveals Eustacia's motivation and her sense of entrapment.
“What was Wildeve? Interesting, but inadequate.”
Eustacia considers Wildeve merely intriguing but not enough to fulfill her desires.
Shows Eustacia's dismissal of Wildeve as a potential partner.