The Return of the Native

The native of Thomas Hardy's 1878 novel "The Return of the Native" is Clym (Clement) Yeobright, a young man who gives a successful career as a diamond merchant in Paris to return to his native Egdon Heath to become a Schoolmaster and to help educate poor and ignorant children. Clym's character is contrasted by Eustacia Vye, a beautiful young woman who longs to escape Egdon Heath for a more glamorous life elsewhere. Hearing of Clym's return she pursues him with hopes of him taking her away to that more glamorous life which she seeks. A captivating novel of the Victorian era, Hardy's "The Return of the Native" dramatically underscores the idea that regardless of our desires to shape the world as we wish; like Eustacia, we may not always be able to live our dreams.