The Return of the Native · Chapter
VII: The Tragic Meeting of Two Old Friends explained
Clym awakens from a dream about his mother and decides to visit Blooms-End alone to reconcile with her, despite Eustacia's anxious objections.
What happens
Clym awakens from a dream about his mother and decides to visit Blooms-End alone to reconcile with her, despite Eustacia's anxious objections. Meanwhile, Mrs. Yeobright suffers an adder bite while crossing the heath; Clym carries her to a hut and summons neighbors who apply a folk remedy of fried adder fat while awaiting the doctor.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Sacrifice
Mrs. Yeobright's painful adder bite and Clym's physical and emotional burden in carrying her highlight the theme of suffering and the sacrifices made for family reconciliation.
Isolation and Loneliness
The remote heath setting, Clym's solitary journey, and Mrs. Yeobright's lonely plight underscore the characters' emotional and physical isolation.
Characters to notice
- Clym Yeobright
Awakens from a dream about his mother, resolves to visit Blooms-End alone, and later carries his adder-stricken mother to a hut, seeking help from neighbors.
- Eustacia Vye
Sits by Clym after his sleep, tries to dissuade him from going to Blooms-End that night, and shows deep anxiety about the consequences of the visit.
- Mrs. Yeobright
Suffers an adder bite on the heath, is carried by Clym to a disused hut, and receives emergency treatment from neighbors while awaiting the doctor.
- Sam
Identifies the adder bite, recalls the folk remedy of fried adder fat, and catches three adders (one alive) for the treatment.
- Timothy Fairway
Responds to Clym's call for help, assists in carrying Mrs. Yeobright, and tends the fire during the emergency.
- Christian Cantle
Comments fearfully on the live adder, linking it to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and expresses anxiety about ill-wishing.
Key passages
“I dreamt that I took you to her house to make up differences, and when we got there we couldn’t get in, though she kept on crying to us for help.”
Clym tells Eustacia he dreamed of bringing her to his mother's house to reconcile, but they were unable to enter despite his mother's cries for help.
Foreshadows the tragic failure of reconciliation and Mrs. Yeobright's fatal walk.
“I cannot tell you. I wish we didn’t live here, Clym. The world seems all wrong in this place.”
Eustacia evades explaining her distress and expresses a wish to leave Egdon Heath, feeling that everything is out of joint there.
Reveals Eustacia's growing despair and her sense of entrapment in the heath.
“She has been stung by an adder!”
Sam identifies that Mrs. Yeobright has been bitten by a venomous adder.
Marks the critical moment of Mrs. Yeobright's injury, which leads to her fatal decline.