Hardy's art of plot construction in Return of the Native

Hardy's art of plot construction in Return of the Native

Symmetry and unity
: The plots in the novels of Hardy show a remarkable unity and symmetry.Hardy’s training as an architect seems to have greatly influenced his art in the construction of hisplots. The RETURN OF THE NATIVE has a plot which admirably built and constructed. The plotlargely follows the logic of cause and effect (even though chance too plays its part) and it is freefrom any superfluities and digressions. The plot is well-knit and the various love-stories areinterwoven. The setting of the story, namely Egdon Heath remains the same, is a great unity. Inobserving the unities, this novel has the stamp of ancient classical tragedy.
A Typical Hardy-tragedy
: RETURN OF THE NATIVE is quite typical of Hardy’s peculiar geniusand fully illustrates Hardy’s view of tragedy. In considering any tragic work, whether it takes theform of a play or a novel, we have to ask the following questions: (1) What sort of persons are thevictims of suffering? (2) What are the causes of the disaster or catastrophe that engulfs them? (3)What is the emotional reaction of the audience or the readers to the suffering depicted and whatis the nature of the impact that the spectacle of human misery makes on them? (4) What is thewriter’s view of human nature in general (be it good or bad)? The NR answers all the questions.(discuss the background of the novel and the characters).
The causes of disaster in a tragedy. The clash of human wills and purposes:
as previouslystudied.
The working of fate, incidents and the hostility of nature:
as previously studied.
The emotional impact:
The tragic scenes in the novel are very powerful indeed. Hardy’sdescription of the circumstances in which Mrs. Yeobright dies is intensely moving. The effect of her death on Clym’s mind and the haunting sense of guilt which he experiences is also touching.The death of Eustacia, whether accidental or suicidal, create powerful impact on our minds. Thedescriptions of tragic happenings give rise to a wide range of emotions in our hearts – pity, fear,terror, awe, admiration etc. A “Catharsis” of the feelings of pity and fear is certainly effected, if by“Catharsis” we mean simply a feeling of relief achieved though an intense experience of the twinfeelings of pity and fear.
The essentials of the plot
: The pictorial opening of the novel is famous. It introduces EgdonHeath, which has been regarded as one of the principal characters in the novel. After dealingwith the Heath, Hardy introduces human characters. The first to appear is Eustacia Vye who isdisgruntled with life and is entangled in a secret love-affair with the local inn-keeper, Wildeve.(Give summary).
Thomasin and Reddleman essential to the story:
The main plot namely the growth of lovebetween Clym and Eustacia, their marriage, the conjugal unhappiness of the two and thedrowning tragedy follows a logical course, despite certain flaws. (Describe their love-affair andthe role of these two characters in the main story.
The role of Egdon Heath:
as previously studied
Dramatic Scenes
: describe Mrs. Yeobright’s haste towards Thomasin’s marriage, her death, theReddleman’s sudden appearance at the game of dice between Cantle and Wildeve, the bitter quarrel between Eustacia and Mrs. Yeobright are all the dramatic senses.
Faults and Lapses
: The plot construction, however, is not perfect. It suffers from several flaws.Some of the devices used by Hardy are rather crude and some of the incidents and accidents arequite unconvincing that a shrewd woman like Mrs., Yeobright could have trusted a simpleton likeChristian Cantle with a considerable sum of money. It is hard to believe that luck, at the game of dice, should first favor Wildeve and then the reddleman. The whole visit of Mrs. Yeobright to her son’s home is quite unconvincing. Another feature of the novel which could be termed as a faultis the numerous comments that Hardy makes in the course of the narrative. These comments areuncalled for and irrelevant.

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Hardy's art of characterization in Return of the Native

Hardy's art of characterization in Return of the Native

In the field of characterization, Hardy’s talent, as compared with that of some great novelists, isnarrow. His memorable characters all have a family likeness, but there is no doubt about therealistic quality of Hardy’s character portrayal. He makes his characters live in almost vitalmanner. We get the feeling that we have actually met the various persons whom Hardy portraysin his fiction. His characters are made of solid flesh and blood like Clym and Eustacia. They arerecognizable human beings and their conversation, actions, irritations, annoyances and quarrelsperfectly convincing. It has been said that Hardy’s great success is with subtle characters. Butthe fact is that his men and women are the most vividly realized when they are simple, primalcharacters: rustics such as Grandfer and Christian Cantle, sturdy countrymen like Diggory Venn.;passionate wayward women such as Eustacia and plausible rogues such as Wildeve. Theportrayal of male characters are admirable, he perhaps succeeds ever better in the treatment of men than women. This choice of his characters leads him away from intellectual complexitieswhich delight most novelists. If his best characters are not subtle, the art that describes them issurely one; for he can record the minutest fluctuations of emotional experiences --- write theproblems in the relationships of the characters and discuss them--- such as incompatibility of Eustacia etc. Hardy introduces each of his principal characters with a vivid description of thepersonal appearance. The reddleman is described “
as young and, if not exactly handsome,approaching very near to handsome.
” Wildeve is quite a young man. The grace of his movementis singular. It is “
the pantomimic expression of a lady-killing caree
r.” Eustacia is “
full-limbed and somewhat heavy and soft to the touch as a cloud. She has pagan eyes, full of nocturnal mysteries.”
The portrayal of Eustacia:
RETURN OF THE NATIVE contains some of Hardy’s greatestcharacters, notably Eustacia and Clym. Her rebellious nature and force of will are for what Hardycalls her, “
the raw material of the divinity
”. She is the most powerfully-drawn woman in theHardy’s portrait-gallery. Her selfishness, her charms and beauty, her uncontrolled passions donot blind us to her celestial imperiousness. Hardy suggests that she is a goddess in her power.She has a
femme fatale
in her power to arouse passions in others and Cleopatra in her pride, her passion and her scorn of consequences. She is Hardy’s greatest creations whom no reader islikely to forget. She herself is responsible for the tragedy that befalls her. These are the factorswhich put her to tragedy: Her unsatisfied longing to be taken to Paris and her Hatred of Heath arethe main factors governing her fate. She was attracted towards Clym simply by the hope that shewould be taken to Paris. She was also aware of his deficiencies and she frankly confessed toClym that she didn’t have the makings of a good house-wife. But she also told him that she lovedhim and that she could sacrifice her dream of Paris for him, “
To be your wife in Paris would beheaven to me; but I would rather live with you in a hermitage here than not be yours at all
.” Inspite of this her desire of Paris never perished. Her reaction to Clym’s furze-cutting, her renewedinterest in Wildeve, Her failure to open the door, and her final decision and death are all thefactors which contribute to her tragedy. Eustacia’s own weaknesses and lapses play a large partin bringing about the tragedy. Her love of gaiety and fashion, her worldliness and incapacity toappreciate her husband’s lofty nature and her inconsistency are the powerful factors.
Mrs. Yeobright’s character:
Mrs. Yeobright has been vividly portrayed. Her love for her son isher most outstanding quality. With it she combines a strength and firmness of mind, ashrewdness and sagacity. She has a practical mind especially in her assessment of Eustacia.Her opposition to her son’s educational plans shows her narrow-mindedness.
The portrayal of Clym:
His portrayal is much less complex. His aversion to materialistic andfashionable life of Paris, his great love for her mother, his decision to be a school teacher andeducator and his acceptance of his misfortune all make him a convincing character. Thedelineation of his character has superbly been made by Hardy.
Diggory Venn:
In the portrayal of Diggory Venn, too Hardy is matchless. He represents thehonest, steadfast, devoted, self-sacrificing and selfless lover. Some of us remain unconvinced bythe selfless love he expresses towards Thomasin. It would be seen that he has nothing else to do but safeguard the interests of his farmer sweetheart.
Wildeve’s character:
Wildeve is the villain whose conduct arouses disgust in our minds. He isdepicted as casual, irresponsible, selfish, pleasure-loving and even callous. He plays with thehearts of girls, marries one of them and runs away. He strongly reminds us of Sergeant Troy in
Far From the Madding Crowd.
He has attractive manners and amiable nature. He partly redeemshimself by sacrificing his life for Eustacia. The character of Wildeve is convincing.
Contrasted Portrays:
One important aspect of Hardy’s characterization is the contrastingportraits of his characters. Mrs Yeobright and Eustacia are as unlike each other as any twowomen could be. The one honest and devoted; the other, unscrupulous and inconstant in love.Cly is contrasted with both Diggory and Wildeve. He portrays men though in a narrow range, buthe delineates women eminently. There are three women characters in the novel. Eustacia, Mrs.Yeobright and Thomasin (Compare them). There are only three main male characters; Clym,Wildeve and Diggory Venn (Compare them here).
The Egdon Heath:
In delineating the various characters, Hardy makes use of the naturalenvironment in which these characters live. Egdon Heath is not only the scene of the story; itdominates the plot and determines the characters. (write attitude of different characters to Heath)
The Rustic Group:
We cannot ignore the rustic group of characters. Although they appear hereas a group, yet they have been individualized too.
.........................................................

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Tess of the D'Urbervilles: Hardy as a Pessimist

Tess of the D'Urbervilles: Hardy as a Pessimist
The fact that Hardy resented being called a pessimist is no reason why he should not be thus described.

Hardy was the painter of darker side of life as it was no wonder if people charged him of “pessimist”. The opinion is both right and wrong in this context. Infact, there are some factors that compels us to believe him a pessimist. He was hypersensitive; his own life was tragic and gloomy. For a speculative soul, this world is a thorny field.

The gloomy effect of his age plays an important role in his writings. Doubts, despair, disbelief, frustration, industrial revolution, disintegration of old social and economic structure, Darwin’s theory of evolution were the chief characteristics of that age. All these factors probe deep into his writings and heighten its somber, melancholic and tragic vision.

His pessimism is also the outcome of the impressions that he receives from villager’s life. They were plenty of tragedies in the life of the poverty stricken Wessex folk.

Hardy’s philosophy of the human condition is determined by his natural temper and disposition. He says:

“A man’s philosophy of life is an instinctive, temperamental matter.”

Hardy, practically, excludes from his writings the sense of splendor and beauty of human life completely. Tess’ life is totally devoid of even a single moment of happiness. He is of the opinion:

“Happiness is but an occasional episode in a general drama of pain.”

Hardy’s conception of life is essentially tragic. He is one of those who believe that life is boom. His novels concentrate on human sufferings and show that there is no escape for human beings.

Tess is worst fated to the sufferings of life. She tries her best to come out of her fated circle of misfortunes but remains fail. Throughout the novel she keeps on revolving around the predetermined circles of her cruel fate. Being the eldest child she has to go to D’Urbervilles for earning. Her seduction plays a vital role in her destruction. She is rejected by society on becoming pregnant. She goes to earn for her family to Talbothays. Her love affair, her marriage and then sudden rejection by Angle Clare, all this make her a victim of conventional social attitude. Her sufferings in winter season of Talbothays after the departure of Angel Clare and in the courtship with Alec are untold. Her murder of Alec in order to rejoin Angel and her hanging soon afterwards also show a long series of sufferings but she faces them boldly.

All this shows that Hardy’s attitude towards life is highly melancholic and depressive. He loves people but he hates life intensely. He perceives it in the hands of cruel, blind and oppressive ‘Unknown Will’.

As flies to wanton boys,
Are we to the gods,
They kill us for their sport.

Hardy’s universe is neither ruled by God, the Father, not informal by divine spirit. Men are part of great network of cause and effect which make them, almost always, a prey to the chance over which they have no control. The creator of this hostile universe is called the “Immanent Will”, the spinner of Years, Fate, Doom and sometimes God.

Being a fatalist, chance and coincidence play a key role in his novels. In real life chance may lead to success or sometimes to failure but in Hardy’s case chance always proves mishap.

We can see Tess in the light of author’s fatalistic outlook on life. The death of his father, death of “Prince”, role of nature, her birth in a shiftless family, Tess’ attempts to confess to Angel, slipping of letter under the carpet, overheard conversation, too late arrival of Angel, meeting again with Alec, are the examples of fateful incidents. It sees that as they are pre-planned.

Time, also, is used as a motif of fate. The time of joy with Angel is transitory and time of miseries is very prolonged. Love, a source of happiness is also badly fated in Tess’ case. Her love with Angle roves futile. Tess becomes an agent of her own destiny / fate. She is a manifestation of irony of fate.

“She is alone in desert island, would she have been wretched at what had happened to her?”

Fate is also revealed by means of many omens and signs. Hardy’s tragic vision has a tinge of Greek tragedy in which character is helpless in the hands of fate. Shakespeare, on the other hand, holds character fully responsible for mishap.

Tess and Jude are helpless in front of fate or destiny. But in some novels, Hardy makes characters responsible too, as in “The Mayor of Casterbridge” Henchard is somewhat responsible for his tragic life. But Tess is shown thoroughly a toy in hands of fate. In the end of the novel he says:

“Justice was done and the President of the Immortals, by Aeschelylian Phrase, had ended his sport with Tess”

This sentence represents the acme of pessimistic thinking and clinches the argument. But Hardy is not a thorough going pessimist. His pessimism is not oppressive. Bonamy Dobree observes:

“Hardy’s pessimism is not oppressive, it is not the outcome of a soul which rebelled against life. Rebellion against life itself …”

He is not a pessimist – a misanthrope like Hobbes. He is a pessimist like the classical writers who consider Man merely a puppet in hands of mighty fate. Simply he is gloomier than they are.

His pessimism is redeemed by two other ingredients in his work – his lofty view of human nature and his capability to make us laugh at comic side of things. Hardy is not a cynic by any means and his comic gift relives the atmosphere of gloom and despondency in his novels:

“To cal Hardy a thoroughgoing pessimist is to forget his conception of human nature male and female.”

Hardy himself says:

“My pessimism, if pessimism it be, does not involve the assumption that the world is going
to the dogs … On the contrary my practical philosophy is distinctly Melioristic.”

Now it is crystal clear that Hardy is a meliorist rather than a pessimist. R. A. Scott James observes:

“Hardy did not set out to give us a pessimistic philosophy … Hardy is pessimistic
about the governance of the Universe, but not about human beings.”

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Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles": Fate and Chance

Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles": Fate and Chance




Chance and coincidence play a vital role in all the novels of Hardy. While character is certainly responsible to a large extent for the undoing of human lives in Hardy's fiction, chance and coincidence often operate as the deciding factors. Hardy felt that an evil power ruled the universe, defeating every endeavour of man to better his fortune or to find happiness. He could not believe in a benevolent Providence; events were too plainly ironical, so they must have been contrived by a supernatural power. He believed that fate or destiny was sometimes indifferent, but most often hostile, to human happiness. One manifestation of the hostility of fate is to be found in the irony of circumstances that we meet with in Hardy's novels. In other words, when human beings are not themselves responsible for the frustration of their hopes, or when their own temperaments and mutual conflict do not wreck their happiness, fate intervenes in the shape of chance or accident or coincidence to contribute to, or to complete, their ruin.



Early in the story, Prince, the horse of the Durbeyfield Family is killed in an accident. Tess' father being in no condition to undertake an important journey, Tess offers to take his place. As she is driving the wagon carrying a load of beehives to be delivered in a distant market, the mail van coming from the opposite side collides against Tess' wagon and Prince is fatally wounded. This accident has a profound influence on the life of Tess. The family business having become suddenly disorganized by the death of the horse, it becomes necessary for Tess to contract the D'Urbervilles living at "The Slopes" for help, and the meeting between her and Alec which follows leads to consequences which are disastrous. Alec's seduction of Tess is a direct, though not immediate, result of the death of Prince. A sheer accident is responsible for this seduction which eventually proves the undoing of her marriage with Angel Clare.




Another notable mischance that deeply affects Tess' life is her written confession, pushed by her under Angel's door, going under the carpet and not reaching Angle at all. Being an honest and conscientious girl, Tess tries her utmost to acquaint Angel with her past history, but all her efforts prove futile for one reason or another. Finally, when a chance meeting with a Trantridge man at a town inn leads to an unpleasant situation, Tess decides to take no risk and writes down an account of her experience with Alec in order to tell Angel of the secret of her life. If Angel had received this statement of the facts in time, he would have either forgiven her or would have been averted. Since he learns the secret after the marriage, Angel adopts a stiffer and more rigid attitude that he might have done if he had learnt it before the marriage. After separating from Tess, Angle goes to Wellbridge to wind up certain affairs, he kneels by the bedside and says:


"Oh, Tess! If you had only told me sooner, I would have forgiven you."
A minor mischance thus has grave consequences.


Chance and coincidence play yet another impish trick in the novel. Tess, in her misery, decides to visit Angle's parents at Emminster. After walking a distance of fifteen miles when she arrives at the Vicarage, it so happens that Mr. and Mrs. Clare are not at home. She turns away, deciding to come back after a while, but it so happens that she overhears the tow brothers of Angel talking about Angle's wife in a most disparaging manner. She feels much hurt by this conversation, but another chance now occurs. The tow brothers meet Miss Mercy Chant and all three of them comment adversely on a pair of boots which they discover behind a bush. The boots belong to Tess, and the comment hurts her still more. Tess had hidden her thick hoots behind the bush and put on thin ones of patent leather in order to look pretty to her parents-in-law. But Angel's brothers and Mercy Chant take these boots to be a beggar's. Tess' feelings are now so wounded that she changes her mind and decides to return to Flintcomb Ash without meeting Angel's parents. If she had been able to meet Angel's parents, he subsequent life would have changed of the better because, as Hardy tells us:


"Her present condition was precisely one which would have enlisted the sympathies of old Mr. and Mrs. Clare."


Another mischance that brings disaster into Tess' life is her unexpected meeting with Alec. For three or four years the two have never happened to meet on any occasion, and now, when Tess' salvation lay only in continuing to keep out of his way, she runs into him. The meeting awakens Alec's dormant lust once again; he renounces his missionary's role and pursues Tess with a doggedness that surprises her. If this chance meeting had not occurred all would yet have been well with Tess. Clare was coming to claim her and she would at least have been re-united with him to spend the rest of her life blissfully in his arms. But a chance meeting with Alec becomes fate's device for wrecking her chances of happiness.





Another circumstance now occurs to aggravate the. Tess' mother falls seriously ill and her father becomes unwell too. Tess gives up her job and rushes home. As chance would have it, her father dies while her mother recovers – contrary to expectations. The death of her father means the eviction of the family from their cottage of Marlott and their becoming homeless. The house-owner at Kingsbere, by another mischance, hands over the possession of his house to another tenant, after having promised it to Tess' mother. This misfortune is an ideal opportunity for Alec to put further pressure upon Tess who sees no way out of the predicament but to yield. Thus a number of chance happenings seem to conspire against any possibility of Tess' achieving happiness in life. Her surrender to Alec, which completes her ruin, thus comes about as a result of coincidences.


The excessive use of chance and coincidence by Hardy makes his stories somewhat implausible. It is true that chance and coincidence do play a certain role in every man's life, but this role is a limited one. There are in real life happy accidents as well as sad ones. What exposes Hardy's stories to adverse criticism is firstly that chance plays too frequent a part in human life and secondly that this part is always hostile to the characters.


In short, Hardy spoils his case by overstatement and exaggeration. He seems to manipulate fate against his characters by showing chance and coincidence at work again and again. However, in "Tess of the D'Urbervilles", the logic of cause and effect plays a greater role in the tragedy than chance and coincidence. The realism of this story is therefore not weakened by the use of this device to a large extent.

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