Egdon Heath plays a central role in Thomas Hardy's novel The Return of the Native. The heath influences the characters and their actions. It helps some characters like Venn while frustrating the plans of others, like Eustacia who sees it as her prison. The heath is also symbolic, representing the indifferent forces of nature. Events unfold on the heath, and it even contributes directly to deaths. Overall, Egdon Heath is presented as a living, influential character that helps determine the destiny and tragedy in the novel.

1. Umm-e-Rooman Yaqoob

2. 
Q: Role of Egdon Heath in
the novel “The Return of
The Native”?

4. 
Thomas Hardy, (2 June 1840 – 11 January
1928) was an English novelist and poet.
While Hardy wrote poetry throughout his
life and regarded himself predominantly as a
poet, his first collection was not published
until 1898. Initially, therefore, he gained fame
as the author of novels. However, beginning
in the 1950s Hardy has been recognized as a
major poet.
Introduction

5. The Return of the Native is Thomas Hardy's sixth
published novel. It first appeared in the magazine
Belgravia, a publication known for its sensationalism,
and was presented in twelve monthly instalments
from January to December 1878. Because of the novel's
controversial themes, Hardy had some difficulty
finding a publisher; reviews, however, though
somewhat mixed, were generally positive. In the
twentieth century, The Return of the Native became
one of Hardy's most popular novels.
The Return Of The Native

6. One of the most prominent figures in
Hardy’s The Return of the Native is not
a human character, but the physical
landmark- Egdon Heath. The heath's
central role is obvious from the
beginning. The novel opens with an
extensive description of the heath at
dusk.
Egdon Heath

7. Hardy begins by saying:
“A Saturday afternoon in November was
approaching the time of twilight, and the vast
tract of unenclosed wild known as Egdon Heath
embrowned itself moment by moment”.
Even though the main story focuses on the
relationships between Eustacia Vye, Clym
Yeobright, Wildeve and Thomasin, the heath is
the central figure. Many of the events occur on or
around Egdon Heath, and equally as important-
all of the characters have their own special
relationship with the heath.

9. In The Return of the Native, Nature becomes a
living character. The scene of the novel is black
stretch of Egdon. We see the gigantic heath in
action. It influences the characters. Eustacia Vye is
guided by hatred of it and so is Wildeve. Clym’s
main consideration of life is his love of the heath.it
helps Venn in his moves. It kills Mrs. Yeobright
while journeying across the heath by sending a
venomous adder out of its bosom. It frustrates
Eustacia’s intention of flight.
Heath as a living character

10.  It drowned both Eustacia and Wildeve in
its pool because both of them were out of
harmony with it. Thus, the heath sets the
tone of the novel which is dark and
sombre. It also sets the dimensions in
which the characters have to play their
part. It becomes the symbol of malignant
fate. It pervades the whole novel. The
tragedy enacted on its vast surface, on
which time has made no mark, would be
unimaginable anywhere else. So nature in
the novel doesn’t only form the back
ground, it also acts as a character.

12. Egdon heath plays a major role in the destiny of
the character in this novel. The characters are
related by temperament to the Heath. Their
personalities are derived from, or are reflected by
some aspect of the Heath itself. For Eustacia the
Heath is indifferent, feline and untamed, She
hates it.
She laments that:
" Tis my curse, my shame, and will be my death"
Symbolic Significance

13. Her words come true as she drowned. Inimically
she is like the heath in the utter selfishness and
indifference to others. The passage that follows
after Mrs. Yeobright lies down on the Heath to rest
is of high symbolic significance.
Here in this passage, the ants, stand for the bustle'
of worthy life. Heron, the loveliest of birds, is an
image of freedom and release from life itself. These
two images are beautifully coined by the author,
drawn with the sharply effective eye of a poet.
Only a nature-observer whose mind is harmony
with nature can write these kinds of descriptions.
Then hardy sticks most closely to strict truth of
fact, as he does here, he achieves his most moving
effects.

15. 
The Heath also plays a role in the action of
human drama. It helps Venn in his moves
against Wildeve. It killed Mrs. Yeobright and
precipitates the tragic end of the novel. The
heath, in collaboration with storm and rain,
frustrates the intentions of Eustacia and
Wildeve towards the end of the novel and
brings about their end.
It's Role in Action

16. Walter Alien calls the heath "an extended
image of the nature of which man is a part, in
which he is caught, with conditions his very
being and which cares nothing for him" .
In fact, Hardy's Egdon Heath is the symbol of
Nature and Necessity .This "untamed,
fecund, impressive force which suggests the
abiding and the eternal is the equivalent of
the "President of the immortals" of Tess .

18. 
Not only has this, but the black stretch of
Egdon Heath influenced the characters and
the action of the novel like any other human
being. Actually, heath is the real enemy of
Eustacia and Wildeve. Eustacia regards it as
her prison. She feels that she cannot be a
splendid woman as long as she lives in
Heath. She wants to escape from it, at any
cost.
Influence on characters
and actions

19. Similar is true about Wildeve. Both of them while
attempting to run away from it but they are caught
in its toils and crushed in it like insignificant
creatures.
On the other hand, Clym and Venn closely
connected with Egdon. Clym is the typical product
of it. It is Egdon Heath which has inspired him with
the idea of teaching men how to face miseries and
troubles of life.
Venn seems to be the very spirit of the Heath.
Thomasin also finds it congenial to her. She is not
afraid of it; nor does she hate it. In fact, like Clym,
she does not want to leave for city life.
So, all the characters are influenced by Egdon
Heath.

21. 
Nature, to Hardy, is abode of struggle,
competition, devastation, and destruction. It
is not full of roses but has the plenty of
thorns and shrubs. Under the influence of
Darwin’s theory of evolution, hardy took
nature as cruel and callous power. He
repudiated the theory of Words Worth,
according to which nature is sympathetic,
compassionate and pure.
Sad and gloomy vision

22. Wordsworth heart leaps up when he beholds a
rainbow in the sky; but hardy sinks into the bottom
when he looks at, the spectacle of keen struggle of
existence.
Wordsworth discovers a holly plan in nature
providing balm to the afflicting humanity: hardy
sees present struggle. the great creature feeds on a
small ones; the trees bloom on the life of small
plants; the flying insects lives on the blood of
others; the ferocious animals fatten on the flesh of
gentle ones.

23. 
 In Hardy`s view Egdon Heath is as
important for the novel as Eustacia for
Wildeve and for Clym for Mrs.
Yeobright. He has regarded Heath as a
living and acting person. And
involvement of Heath is seen in each
and every situation.
Conclusion