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Book 1, Chapter 3
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
As Olly and Mrs. Yeobright make their way toward Wildeve’s, Olly remarks that Mrs. Yeobright will miss Thomasin now that she is married because they lived together. Mrs. Yeobright concurs. Olly continues, saying that she is surprised Mrs. Yeobright ultimately accepted the arrangement. Mrs. Yeobright agrees but thinks she did the right thing by letting Thomasin choose her husband. Nonetheless, Mrs. Yeobright disapproves of Wildeve because he is an innkeeper; Mrs. Yeobright herself is one of the wealthiest members of the heath, and she thinks that marrying Wildeve is beneath her niece.
For Mrs. Yeobright, marriage is all about social advancement. She wants her family to move up in the world and away from Egdon Heath. She knows that this can never happen if Thomasin marries Wildeve, a common innkeeper.
Themes
The road diverges, and the two women split up; Olly heads home, and Mrs. Yeobright continues on to the Quiet Woman Inn, owned by Wildeve, where she expects to find her niece. When she arrives at the inn, Mrs. Yeobright finds the reddleman and his wagon. Mrs. Yeobright recognizes the reddleman as Venn, the son of a dairy-man she once knew. Mrs. Yeobright tells Venn that she going to the inn to see her niece, but Venn tells her that she isn’t there. He knows this because Thomasin is who he’s been transporting in his wagon. Venn explains that Thomasin chased him down on the road and asked him for a ride. He accepted but does not know what is going on.
Venn reveals himself to be an upstanding man who is willing to help Thomasin, even without knowing the details of her situation. Additionally, it is notable that his father was a dairy-man because dairy farmers had a considerably higher social standing than reddleman. This begs the question: why did Venn become a reddleman?
Themes
Literary Devices
Together, Mrs. Yeobright and Venn move to the back of the wagon where Thomasin lies asleep. As Mrs. Yeobright looks in to check on her niece, Thomasin wakes up, clearly distressed. Mrs. Yeobright comforts her and tells her that she is almost home. Together, the two of them start moving in the direction of the inn, leaving Venn to continue on his way. As soon as they are out of earshot of Venn, Mrs. Yeobright’s tone shifts and she asks Thomasin, “what’s the meaning of this disgraceful performance?”
While around Venn, Mrs. Yeobright acts performatively. She expresses concern for her niece, but she doesn’t express anger. However, once Venn can no longer hear them, Mrs. Yeobright immediately shows her true feelings; though she is concerned for her niece, she is equally (if not more) concerned about her family’s reputation.
Themes
