In viewing the relationship between Eustacia and Clym, an asute reader recognizes it is doomed to fail based solely on their view of Egdon Heath. Eustacia's desire to escape from the land which binds her is in stark contrast to Clym's, and Hardy's. Although Clym reveres the Heath as a paradise, readers side with Eustacia for Hardy presents Clym’s view as one who is blinded by nostalgic reverence.
Critics often compare this motif of blindness to the tale of Promethus. Clym is a modern man who has the capacity "to bring light, rather than fire, to men." His name also speaks to this interpretation. Yeobright, along with the word "bright," alludes to the concept of a yeoman, a medieval term for "one of high rank or office." Hardy's word play with this name could also refer to yeoman's later use as "one who farms or works the land."
What other ways does the theme of blindness present itself in the novel? How is Eustacia (metaphorically) blind? What hinders these main characters from seeing the truth of their situations?
Blindness presents itself in Return with a lot of the characters and their love "triangles." Eustacia is metaphorically blind because she doesn't see true love in front of her, she has three men who want to be with her, but all she wants to do is get out of the heath. She is blind to love in the novel because she ignores it out of her selfish need to just use men to get what she wants.
ReplyDeleteEustacia is hindered by her need to get out of what she has taught herself to believe is a horrible place. While two of her "lovers," Clym and Damon are blinded by land and by Eustacia. Clym is blinded by how beautiful the land is and how he needs the heath to be happy. While Damon is blinded by how he thinks he loves Eustacia, he wants her so bad and the wanting her is what he loves, so he is blinded to Thomasin and will never love her because he is blinded by Eustacia.
The characters in Return are all blinded by there own desires. They all act out there own wills, while ignoring the fact that there are many other lives which are affected by their actions. The characters, while dep in understanding of themselves, are very unnattached to each other emotionally, and do not consider their actions as they apply to one another.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dan because I too feel that the characters desires overpower their ability to see the possible affects on others. Eustacia is so blinded by her desire to travel to Paris, that love is no longer in the front of her thoughts. The character's selfish desires hinder them form seeing the truths of their situations. None of them are getting what they want because they are only worried about satisfying their wants and do not consider other factors.
ReplyDeleteWildeve's mother is blinded by her dreams for her son to be well off because she does not consider his happiness. Eustacia is blinded by her wish to escape the Heath as everyone had mentioned above because she cannot see wheteher she truley cares about anyone. Thomasin is blinded by how society will see her if she does not marry Wildeve because she is accepting that he is at times unfaithful. Eustacias grandfather is blind to everything she does. The reddleman is blind to his own desires because he puts everyone elses above his own and because he chose to fall out of society. In this novel everyone has tunnel vision, and it is this vision that blinds them from all seeing the big picture and how everything is interconnected.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katie O. Eustacia is blind because she is so convinced that there has to be something better outside of the Heath that she does not realize what she has right in front of her. Eustacia has love right in front of her but is so distracted by getting out of the heath that she ends up trapping herself by marrying Clym which consequently leads to her fated death. I also believe that Clym is blinded by the beauty of the land and starting his school that he does not contribute to his marrage with Eustacia. Both Eustacia and Clym want different things, and are unwilling to give in to the others wishes. This proves that from the very beginning Clym and Eustacia were doomed to fail based solely on their radically different views of Egdon Heath.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Dan and Shelby in the sense that the characters in the book are blinded by their own desires, and are unaware of how others can be affected. For example, Damon is so blinded by Eustacia and her love, that he continues to see her behind Clyms back, regardless of his feelings. I also thought that it was interesting when Hardy includes in the novel that Clym loses his eyesight which shows another way that blindness is presented in the novel.
ReplyDeleteI like the point that Michelle brought up, that not only are the characters being blinded by their own desires, but Hardy actually mentions that the character goes blind. It is almost as if Hardy is not only hinting at the blindness that his characters are experiencing, being so caught up in themselves and their own little love triangles, but he is actually showing the readers that they are blind. It was like Hardy was hinting at the fact that their real blindness was caused by their metaphorical blindness.
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