The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
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The Return of the Native
Thomas Hardy Collection
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The Return of the Native - Book Four
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A few questions on this section: 1. In this section Mrs. Yeobright warns Eustacia that she'll lose Clym's love if she shows him her temper. Do you think she is heeding this advice? Do you think that will represent a falling out of the couple, or has this already happened?
2. Who do you think Clym will blame for his mother's death?
3. At this stage of the game are the interactions of Eustacia and Damon conniving or innocent?
4. What is Diggory Venn's intention in all of his manipulations?
5. Would Eustacia be happy in Paris, or is she just a malcontent?
by the way, is it really possible to become blind by studying too much??
This was an eventful chapter! Our first death in 'typical' Hardy fashion (I can't believe 'Death' isn't a bingo square!). We can see now what the consequences of the money situation was - it was almost funny listening to Mrs Yeobright and Eustacia railing at each other. Mrs Yeobright especially was ridiculous in her warnings about Eustacia losing her temper - she seems to lack any form of self awareness. I don't think Eustacia cares anymore anyway, she hasn't gotten what she wanted from Clym and no longer cares for him. As far as I'm concerned she never actually did, she just deceived herself.
Diggory Venn is continuing to be a guardian angel to the girl who was too class concious and wasn't able to see his worth. Well she landed a prize, but like everyone else is no doubt too prideful to do any genuine soul searching and acknowlege her faults. I'm a bit worried about Venn - he's beginning to step over a dangerous line and 'Wild'eve isn't the sort of man I would want as an enemy. He's unpredictable, violent in temper and seems to have a rather wide malignant/resentful streak.
The plot still continues to be a little too contrived. The money that Wildeve gains just at the right time to make Eustacia feel that she has made a mistake - although she won't actually admit it of course.
Dianne wrote: "A few questions on this section: 1. In this section Mrs. Yeobright warns Eustacia that she'll lose Clym's love if she shows him her temper. Do you think she is heeding this advice? Do you think t..."
Mrs Yeobright is not being fair--to Clym, to herself. I am cringing as she makes all the mistakes in the book, for a mother and mother in law.
Guessing, Clym will blame himself.
IMHO, conniving. Eustacia and Damon are being led by their subconscious, or unadmitted, desires.
Diggory has a good heart. He intends for Thomasin to be Accommodated.
Eustacia is never going to be happy.
Book Four shows us who everyone really is.
Dianne wrote: "Who do you think Clym will blame for his mother's death? "Oh, himself, definitely. That's who he is.
Dianne wrote: "by the way, is it really possible to become blind by studying too much?? ."Yes. Well, not totally blind, Clym wasn't that, but yes, you can have distance vision problems from too much close work. Though it usually doesn't last a long time. But Clym might have had an underlying problem to start with, maybe needed reading glasses but didn't realize it, so overstrained the eye muscles.
I think Hardy exaggerates it quite a lot, but it can happen. My eye doctor has warned me about it with my eye problems, and I can't read or use the computer for more than about fifteen minutes without taking a break, which involves focusing on distance to rest the eyes muscles.
Everyman wrote: "Dianne wrote: "by the way, is it really possible to become blind by studying too much?? ."Yes. Well, not totally blind, Clym wasn't that, but yes, you can have distance vision problems from too m..."
My eyesight went kaput through reading/eye strain. First one eye at school and then the second during my first year of university. But it certainly wasn't as dramatic as that. I didn't even notice it when my first eye went because the other eye took over the job of seeing for two. It's very common - human eyes simply haven't evolved for reading.
I'm sure Hardy is exagerating though.
Dianne wrote: "Would Eustacia be happy in Paris, or is she just a malcontent?"Interesting question - I know not everyone is sympathetic to Eustacia but I have a lot of empathy for her. She's 19 and I can't blame her for wanting more from life than wandering around the heath, alone. She might not be happy in Paris, and she certainly seems to have built up ideals about it in the same way that she does about Clym, but she's hungering for movement, and excitement, and ideas, and society; the opportunity to grow and live and test out who she really is. Does anyone else see a touch of the Emma Bovary about her?
Mod
Clym's embrace of the rural life and physical labor reminded me of Levin in Anna Karenina. As someone who grew up in the country, I think it is usually educated city people who romanticize farm work.
Mod
Levin is one of my favorite characters of all time! :-)
I found Clym a bit boring, though. Definitely not a match for Eustacia.
Robin wrote: "Clym's embrace of the rural life and physical labor reminded me of Levin in Anna Karenina"Yes, I thought of Levin, too! Though I seem to remember him having an intellectual response to agricultural labour whereas for Clym the furze-cutting is the opposite of his intellectual ambitions.
I admire Clym's lack of commercial ambitions, but his interest in furze cutting is hard to defend. I can understand why Eustacia is bored. Hardy doesn't seem to want me to be emotionally invested in either character. It's as if there's a lull before the storm. What worse could happen besides Mrs Yeobright 's unnecessary death?
In defence of the furze-cutting: Clym can't read to pursue his teaching ambitions so chooses to do something useful that also brings in a little money and keeps him active rather than sitting around at home feeling sorry for himself.
Roman Clodia wrote: "In defence of the furze-cutting: Clym can't read to pursue his teaching ambitions so chooses to do something useful that also brings in a little money and keeps him active rather than sitting aroun..."Exactly. He doesn't particulary 'want' to do it but he thinks it's better than sitting around doing nothing and wasting his money while hopeing that his eyesight improves.
Thanks, Roman, Nicola. Clym's taking up furze cutting WHILE he waits for his vision to come back, is actually laudable. Apologies to Hardy's title character!As penance (grin), I reread the text to reacquaint myself with the many benefits of his labor:
1. Keeps down expenditures
2. Provides outdoor exercise
“I can keep down expenditures by an honest occupation? The outdoor exercise will do me good....
3. Improves his attitude and lowers his stress
"when in the full swing of labour he was cheerfully disposed and calm.”
4. Alleviates his physical discomfort
5. Brings him closer to nature
6. Justifies the Simple Life
"The monotony of his occupation soothed him, and was in itself a pleasure. A forced limitation of effort offered a justification of homely courses to an unambitious man...."
Darn! Now I need to go to the gym!
Or find yourself some uncut furze...!
What is furze, anyway?
http://www.irishamericanmom.com/2015/...The above link may be helpful. Fuel, food. Prickly bushes. I just wasn't expecting yellow flowers.
LindaH wrote: "http://www.irishamericanmom.com/2015/...The above link may be helpful. Fuel, food. Prickly bushes. I just wasn't expecting yellow flowers."
Great site. It's apparently prolific and fast growing, and with high oil probably fast burning (at least in the bonfires it was), so a hut might need a lot of furze over the winter to burn to keep warm. So perhaps furze-cutting was reliable work. And with the thorns, we see why he needed the heavy leggings and gloves.
Thanks! And yes, those yellow flowers make the heath a far brighter and more colourful place than I've been imagining.
Roman Clodia wrote: "Dianne wrote: "Would Eustacia be happy in Paris, or is she just a malcontent?"Interesting question - I know not everyone is sympathetic to Eustacia but I have a lot of empathy for her. She's 19 a..."
Funny thing about Bovary--I thought she was feather-brained. I couldn't empathize with her at all. I feel more empathetic toward Eustacia.
I suppose one of the things they have in common is that sense of wanting more than their limited life currently consists of... and each time they try to grab some kind of agency, it backfires against them and binds them more tightly.
Thank you for the link on furze, whin, horse and broom, Linda. Being from the North-West of Ireland, I grew up with 'furze' though we knew it as whin. There was another very prolific and pretty shrub known as broom. The main difference I remember between whin (furze) and broom is that whin has prickly thorns while broom does not. They are both plants (probably weeds) that add beautiful deep yellow blossoms to the landscape and are not difficult to tell apart, at least close up. One of the little country roads next to my childhood home had whin (or broom) along both sides of the road. Those were the days when there was no requirement, or didn't appear to be, to keep the plants cut back from the road, so we had delightful golden plants growing wild on the roadside.
Not horse* but gorse*
I really think that Eustacia would tire of Paris very quickly. I understand her desire to see the world but she appears to be essentially an unhappy person.I love the fact that Clym is content with his furze-cutting. The envy that Wildeve felt on seeing his sleeping like a baby was palpable. Clym was experiencing the satisfaction of rest after hard physical work.
How shocking to read about the way in which Mrs Yeobright died. I always thought that while we in Ireland have no snakes (thanks St Patrick :D) England has only grass snakes. I had no idea that there were adders! I assumed that she had had a heart attack or stroke. It's so sad that she died believing that her son had refused to open the door to her. Oh Eustacia, Eustacia, what will happen when Clym finds out?!
Hilary wrote: " There was another very prolific and pretty shrub known as broom. "My father planted broom around our house in Pennsylvania because it reminded him of his time living in the Darlington area or northern Entgland.
Hilary wrote: "I really think that Eustacia would tire of Paris very quickly. I understand her desire to see the world but she appears to be essentially an unhappy person.."I see what you're saying, but I tend to disagree as long as she had enough money to patronize the cafes and night clubs and salons.
Yes, perhaps I underestimate Eustacia. Were she to gain access to an unending supply of pounds, shillings and pence she might well have made very short work of it. I don't particularly see her spending it on worthy pursuits, but rather frittering it away in record time! Would she be happy? Might I suggest not?!
Your father had good taste, Everyman. Broom would certainly help to promote cherished memories. There are, I believe, varieties of broom that have a very pleasant scent - a feast for the senses!
Mod
Yes. Well, not totally blind, Clym wasn't that, but yes, you can have distance vision pr..."
I assumed he contracted something like iritis/uveitis, an inflammation of the eye (sometimes with no apparent cause) which can cause poor vision, light sensitivity and sometimes pain. It might occur spontaneously but Clym could have attributed it to eye strain.
Mod
I agree, so sad, and sad too that both she and Clym had neglected trying to mend their differences before this time-it's tragic how many people enter into these cold rejections of family when they are disappointed by something. It is hard to think of Mrs Yeobright sitting alone for all that time because she was too proud and too angry to try and mend fences earlier with her son or her niece.
Mod
Eustacia is pretty discontented but she is also, as has been pointed out, very young. At 19 and with her temperament she must be feeling very trapped. As far as that goes I have a lot of sympathy for her. Given different circumstances and a better upbringing she might have been a better person.
Eustacia and Clym are settling in to a bizarre married life, bizarre because they have no understanding of each other or apparent ability to communicate. Clym suffers from an illness that limits his ability to see and begins work as a furze cutter (happily enough) but Eustacia still dreams of Paris. Eustacia and Mrs. Yeobright have a quarrel that results in a falling out, and when Mrs. Y later comes to visit her son and his wife at Diggory Venn's urging, Eustacia will not even open the door. Meanwhile, Eustacia and Wildeve appear to continue their fascination with each other, beginning at a dance and then with Wildeve attempting to visit Eustacia at her home. Wildeve has suddenly inherited 11,000 pounds, making him even more appealing to Eustacia. Mrs. Yeobright, returning brokenhearted to her home, and not realizing that Clym, asleep, had not been aware that she had visited, collapses from exhaustion and an apparent bite from an adder. The oblivious Clym decides to visit his mother and finds her collapsed, and all remedies are to no avail as she dies a short time later.