Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Return of the Native, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Humans vs. Nature
Modernity vs. Tradition
Class and Morality
Deception
Summary
Analysis
Thomasin and Venn’s wedding is a happy event for everyone except Clym, who is too sad to attend. Instead, Clym spends his day walking near the Vye property, where he spots Charley. Charley is also still saddened by Eustacia’s death, and he asks Clym if he can have something of hers to keep. In response, Clym gives him a lock of Eustacia’s hair. At the end of the day, Thomasin comes to see Clym and tells him that she is off to start her new life with Venn. Eventually, Clym realizes his dream of becoming a preacher, though he never manages to get over the deaths of Eustacia and Mrs. Yeobright.
Clym’s ending is ultimately tragic. Though he manages to become a preacher, he cannot let go of the past or relinquish his own guilt. Though his mother and Eustacia had flaws of their own, Clym cannot help but feel that their tragic fates were avoidable. However, the novel is not without hope; Thomasin and Venn appear genuinely happy and baby Eustacia represents the new life that will populate the heath in the years to come.
Themes
Literary Devices
