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Book 4, Chapter 6
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
Clym wakes up from a dream about his mother. He bemoans the fact that she still hasn’t come to see him. Not wanting to admit what she has done, Eustacia keeps quiet about the events that transpired earlier in the day. Deciding that he cannot take it anymore, Clym decides to visit his mother. Eustacia begs him not to go and even offers to go herself, but Clym won’t listen. On his way to his mother’s house, Clym finds her lying in the grass. Concerned, he carries her to the nearest houses he can find, which happens to be where Sam, Fairway, and Humphrey live. Sam quickly deduces that Mrs. Yeobright was bitten by a snake. He tells Clym that until they get a doctor, the best they can do is to rub the fat from other snakes on the wound. They do so, but Mrs. Yeobright’s condition doesn’t improve.
Eustacia doesn’t want Clym to see his mother because she knows that Mrs. Yeobright will tell her son that Eustacia refused to let her in. However, though Clym ignores Eustacia, he may be too late; Mrs. Yeobright was already exhausted and dehydrated, and now she’s been bitten by a deadly snake. Additionally, because this is Egdon Heath and doctors are not readily available, all Clym can do is wait and hope someone will come soon.
Themes
