Characters Discussed
Clement Yeobright
Clement Yeobright, called Clym, a native of Egdon Heath who returns to visit with his mother and cousin after having made a career for himself as a successful diamond merchant in Paris. His success and his education make him an outstanding figure among the humble people who live scattered about the wild heath, and his return for a visit is a great occasion for them. During his stay, he decides to remain, finding that the heath and its people mean far more to him than worldly success in Paris; his intention is to become a teacher and open a school to educate the people among whom he grew up, a superstitious and ignorant, if lovable and kindly, set. A sensitive and somewhat rash young man, he falls in love with Eustacia Vye, a beautiful and passionate woman. In her, Clym sees a perfect helpmeet for a schoolmaster, but she sees in him only a chance to escape the heath and to live abroad. Clym and Eustacia Vye are married, over the protests of his mother. These protests arouse the anger of Clym, who after his marriage does not communicate with her. Disaster, in the form of partial blindness, strikes Clym, but he accepts his plight philosophically and turns to the homely task of furze-cutting to earn a living. Unhappy in her lot, Eustacia turns against him. On one occasion, she refuses to let his mother into the house, an inhospitable act that indirectly causes the death of the older woman. Stricken by his mother’s death and, a short time later, by his wife’s suicide, Clym becomes a lay preacher to the people of the heath.
Eustacia Vye
Eustacia Vye, the self-seeking and sensuous young woman who marries Clym Yeobright. Unhappy on the heath, bored by life with her grandfather, she tries to escape. First she seeks an opportunity to do so by marrying Clym. When he cannot and will not leave the heath, she turns to a former fiancé, now a married man. At the last, however, she cannot demean herself by unfaithfulness to her husband; instead of running away with her lover, she commits suicide by plunging into a millpond.
Damon Wildeve
Damon Wildeve, a former engineer, still a young man, who settles unhappily upon the heath as keeper of the Quiet Woman Inn. Selfish and uninspired, when he loses Eustacia Vye to Clym Yeobright, he marries Thomasin Yeobright, Clym’s cousin, out of spite. The marriage is an unhappy one, for Wildeve still pursues Eustacia, who is also unhappy because her husband cannot give her the life she wishes. Wildeve’s pursuit of illicit love ends in his own death, for he drowns while trying to save Eustacia’s life after she throws herself into a pond rather than elope to Paris as his mistress.
Thomasin Yeobright
Thomasin Yeobright, called Tamsin, Clym’s cousin, reared with Clym by his mother. A simple and faithful girl who loves Damon Wildeve despite his treatment of her, she is also faithful to the conventions and clings to her marriage even after it turns out badly. At her husband’s death, she inherits a small fortune left by his uncle shortly before Wildeve’s end. She finds happiness eventually in a second marriage and in her little daughter.
Diggory Venn
Diggory Venn, an itinerant young reddleman in love with Thomasin Yeobright. Once of good family and some little fortune, he has fallen upon evil days. His lonely existence gives him opportunity to act in his love’s behalf, and he tries to circumvent Wildeve’s pursuit of Eustacia Vye. Having saved up a little money, he becomes a...
(This entire section contains 939 words.)
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dairyman and presents himself, after a decent time, as Thomasin’s suitor, following her husband’s death. His patience, love, and understanding are rewarded when she accepts him.
Mrs. Yeobright
Mrs. Yeobright, Clym Yeobright’s mother and Thomasin Yeobright’s aunt. In her good sense, she opposes both their marriages, although the young people misinterpret her motives as selfish. Being of a forgiving nature, she tries to be reconciled with her son and his wife, as she became with Thomasin and her husband. Yet Eustacia refuses her overtures and is indirectly the cause of the older woman’s death; Mrs. Yeobright dies of exposure and snakebite after having been refused admittance to her son’s home.
Captain Vye
Captain Vye, Eustacia Vye’s grandfather, a retired seaman who brings his granddaughter to live on the heath with no thought of how such a place will affect her. He is a self-contained old man with little knowledge of the intense personality of his charge; therefore, he makes no effort to prevent her tragedy.
Johnny Nunsuch
Johnny Nunsuch, a little boy who plays upon the heath and unwittingly becomes involved as a witness to the fate of the Yeobrights, Eustacia Vye, and Damon Wildeve. His testimony concerning Mrs. Yeobright’s last words brings about the separation of Clym Yeobright and his wife.
Mrs. Nunsuch
Mrs. Nunsuch, Johnny’s mother. Convinced that Eustacia Vye is a witch who has cast a spell upon the child, Mrs. Nunsuch, an uneducated, superstitious woman, resorts to black arts to exorcise the spell. On the night of Eustacia Vye’s death, she forms a doll in the girl’s image and destroys it in a fire.
Granfer Cantle
Granfer Cantle, an ancient,
Christian Cantle
Christian Cantle, his elderly youngest son,
Olly Dowden
Olly Dowden,
Sam
Sam, a turf-cutter,
Humphrey
Humphrey, a furze-cutter, and
Timothy Fairway
Timothy Fairway, residents of Egdon Heath. They voice much of the rural wisdom and observe the folk customs of the region.
Characters
Hardy's exploration of human character in this novel presents a theory of behavior that is somewhat unconventional for him. Additionally, the portrayal of various peasant class characters highlights Hardy's perspective on traditional, rural culture. Much insight can be gained from examining the three main female characters and the enigmatic figure of Diggory Venn, the reddleman-turned-dairyman.
Mrs. Yeobright and her niece exemplify a thesis-antithesis dynamic of Victorian propriety. Hardy depicts Mrs. Yeobright as an arrogant and domineering figure who expects everyone to comply with her wishes. This expectation may stem from her social status as a relatively wealthy woman in a rural community or from her innate pride. To contemporary readers, she appears as a rigid, proud micromanager of her son’s and niece’s lives. Even before the main story begins, she creates a scandal by publicly opposing Thomasin's wedding during the reading of the banns in church, which becomes a standing joke among the peasants of Egdon Heath. Despite Thomasin having no other suitor and being infatuated with Wildeve, her aunt imposes her will on Thomasin’s future happiness. Mrs. Yeobright then interprets Wildeve’s subsequent failure to obtain the marriage license as a deliberate insult to her family. Disappointed by Clym's decision to become a teacher, she reacts even more negatively to his relationship with Eustacia Vye, partly because Captain Vye is "beneath" the Yeobright family and partly because she senses the dark passion and independence Eustacia embodies. Feeling defied by her son and niece, she tells Venn, who tries to intercede on Thomasin’s behalf: "She and my son disobeyed me in marrying; therefore I have no interest in their households. Their troubles are their own making." Hardy quickly notes that Mrs. Yeobright might be putting on a show for Venn. While she feels compassion for her son, she dismisses Thomasin harshly: "I never expected much from her; and she has not disappointed me." Pride, typically the downfall of a tragic hero, usually manifests in grander forms such as rage against fate or defiance of social or moral laws, rather than mere resentment over someone resisting micromanagement. Although King Lear’s pride initially appears similarly petty, it signifies a deeper kind of hubris that leads to his madness and death. In Mrs. Yeobright’s case, her pride remains petty and arrogant, and her death, though sad, lacks the grandeur of tragedy. She fails to gain any self-awareness or understanding of the human condition through her suffering. Biographer Michael Millgate suggests that Hardy based this character on his own mother; if true, it is not a complimentary portrayal.
In contrast, Thomasin embodies the compliant and submissive Victorian heroine found in both popular romance and serious literature. She unconditionally adores a man whom Hardy describes as clearly unworthy of her, while remaining oblivious to the genuine affections of the reddleman, who truly loves her. This blindness to Venn's admiration may stem from the rigid class structures of Victorian society. Even as it becomes apparent that Wildeve has not moved past his initial attraction to Eustacia, Thomasin steadfastly clings to her love for him, even going so far as to lie to Venn to protect her husband. Her brief moments of independence include her resolve to marry Wildeve despite her aunt's disapproval (though only after Mrs. Yeobright concedes to the inevitable) and her decision as a wealthy widow to marry Venn despite Clym's warnings about Venn's lower social status.
In stark contrast to Thomasin's submissiveness and far more captivating is the novel's heroine, Eustacia Vye, in The Return of the Native. Her development in Hardy's narrative reflects the artistic growth he was experiencing at the time. Readers who have encountered the book are unlikely to forget her enigmatic, dark, and restless presence as she stands alone on a Celtic barrow, illuminated by a Guy Fawkes bonfire, gazing through a telescope over the heath she views as her prison. Eustacia is the first of Hardy's series of passionate, mysterious female protagonists, a line that would later include Sue Bridehead (Jude the Obscure) and Tess Durbeyfield (Tess of the d'Urbervilles). The creation of such powerful and enigmatic women is an achievement any novelist would envy. In many ways, Eustacia is the most enigmatic and unforgettable of the group.
Her compelling power over readers paradoxically stems from her roots in folklore and Hardy's modifications of those conventions to humanize his initial enchantress figure, reminiscent of John Keats's "La Belle Dame Sans Merci." Scholars John Patterson and A. Walton Litz concur that Eustacia originates from the "demonic" figures common in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British novels and folk ballads. Patterson suggests that the narrative was inspired by a ballad-like tale of a ruined maid and her demonic adversary. In crafting Eustacia, Hardy emphasized her seductive and enchanting presence, imbuing her with qualities of the archetypal and folkloric witch-figure, some of which appear in his later works. In chapter V, the peasant Timothy comments on her solitary watch by the bonfire, calling her "that lonesome dark-eyed creature up there that some say is a witch." Additionally, Susan Nunsuch stabs Vye in church to prove she is a witch and later practices sorcery on an effigy of Eustacia she creates. Wildeve feels compelled to respond to Eustacia's signal, a compulsion that recurs a year later and leads to catastrophe. Finally, Eustacia herself compares her ability to charm Wildeve to the power the Biblical Witch of Endor had over Samuel.
Litz, Patterson, and the majority of Hardy's biographers concur that the most significant transformation between the 1878 serialized version of the novel, the 1895 edition, and the 1912 "Wessex" edition was a gradual evolution in Eustacia's characterization. She transitions from a folkloric enchantress to a troubled, vibrant, passionate woman with an insatiable craving for sophistication and meaning in her life. As Litz convincingly argues, she becomes less "Byronic" and more human through Hardy's major revisions of the text. However, her proximity to fire throughout the narrative continues to evoke associations with the classical tragic figure Prometheus. More closely linked to Hardy's text is the tradition of nineteenth-century passionate, tragic women who manipulate and use others—often men entranced by their beauty and charm—to pursue the lives they desire: Gustav Flaubert's Emma in Madame Bovary and William Makepeace Thackeray's Becky Sharpe in Vanity Fair.
Eustacia's fervor for life is arguably the most unforgettable aspect of this novel. After her marriage to Clym falls apart, she considers becoming Wildeve's mistress to escape the heath and her unhappy marriage, viewing it as a "humiliation" driven by her poverty. This makes her more self-aware than any other female character in the book, and probably more self-aware than Clym as well. As she grapples with the decision to flee with Wildeve, she acknowledges that he is not "great enough for me to give myself to" [emphasis Hardy's]. Earlier, when Wildeve laments the decline of their marriages, Eustacia recognizes that she wants "unreasonably much" from her life and her marriage. Her self-aware, unreasonable desire for an exciting life starkly contrasts with Clym's mundane, albeit noble, aspiration to return home and educate the youth of the heath. Their marriage is truly a union of opposites. Furthermore, her passion for a richer life is the antithesis of both Mrs. Yeobright and Thomasin, who, in different ways, embody a parochial loyalty to their homelands, but not one that reflects a philosophical consideration of the virtue of such loyalty.
As Hardy completed the novel through three major revisions, he emphasized the human mystery of Eustacia rather than the enchantress. While her influence over three men (Wildeve, Clym, and Charley) showcases her enchanting and manipulative powers, Hardy begins to view her as an "Olympian girl" rather than a witch, enhancing the novel significantly. His omniscient narrator describes her as a "proud, fair woman" as she wrestles with the realization that Clym can find happiness in his reduced circumstances as a furze-cutter, with no grand social ambitions compared to her own. Hardy's most revealing description of his heroine, however, highlights her ruthlessness alongside her social sophistication: "As far as social ethics were concerned, Eustacia approached the savage state, though in emotion she was all the while an epicure." There is something both refined and ruthless in her nature.
In her final moments, Eustacia appears as a desperate yet highly self-aware character. She understands that escaping with Wildeve won't fulfill her hopes and ambitions. However, she has faced bitter disappointment after winning Clym, only to see her dreams for a better life shattered by his humanitarian goals. She believes her marriage has fallen apart because Clym blames her for his mother's death. This combination of factors drives her to a reckless, desperate gamble that ultimately costs both her and Wildeve their lives. Embittered by her fate, she laments her efforts to become a "splendid woman," only to be thwarted at every turn. She sees herself as a victim of a malevolent fate, yet readers sense she is fully aware of the risks she is taking. The slim hope for a better life in Budmouth, as opposed to remaining a spurned wife on the heath, seems to her worth the gamble of risking death in the attempt to get there.
Eustacia remains one of Hardy's most fascinating characters, embodying great passion and despair. Her adversary is the equally enigmatic "reddleman" Diggory Venn. Initially intended as a choric figure, Venn becomes deeply involved in the narrative due to his profound love for Thomasin, prompting him to protect her within her marriage to Wildeve and beyond. Venn serves three central functions in the novel: his actions exemplify the ideal definition of romantic love; he represents a link to the rapidly disappearing agrarian past; and he possesses an almost divine instinct for intervening at critical moments to prevent the worst outcomes. This last trait connects him with magic, mystery, and good fortune, a rare phenomenon in the novel.
In the "Aftercourses" section, we discover that Venn successfully transitions from traditional British agricultural life to modern agri-business. He has abandoned "reddling," purchased several dairy farms, and launched a promising venture. This demonstrates that his life as a reddleman is partly by choice, not necessity. Unlike many other characters in the novel, Venn has options. Until Wildeve's death, he chooses to remain a reddleman, despite the social marginalization that comes with it—handling ochre for sheep care has stained not only his clothes but also his skin. Early in Book 1, Johnny Nunsuch fears Venn as a "bogey" who kidnaps peasant boys, and at a peasant dance, Michael Fairway mistakes the reddish man for "the devil" or the "red ghost." Venn's decision to stay in the reddling business is Hardy's clearest connection to a disappearing culture. By implication, certain virtues specific to that culture are preserved in this survivor: honesty, love for the land and its people, constancy, and selflessness. Similar to William Faulkner's sewing-machine salesman V. K. Ratliff in The Hamlet (1940), The Town (1957), and The Mansion (1959), Venn symbolizes a constant in a changing world, embodying ethics rooted in traditional agricultural values. The narrator mourns a lost "poetry of existence" that Hardy links to a "class rapidly becoming extinct in Wessex," a "nearly perished link between obsolete forms of life and those which generally prevail." Hardy often praises Venn's virtue, with the narrator describing him as "an agreeable specimen of rustic manhood."
Beyond his unusual complexion and his role as a representative of the "old" virtues of a fading England, Venn's almost magical presence in the novel is one of Hardy's rare attempts at plot manipulation. While Chance usually disrupts the characters' plans ominously, Venn has an uncanny ability to appear at the most critical moments. The book begins with him bringing a disgraced Thomasin home from a failed elopement, where Wildeve had either conveniently or foolishly brought an invalid marriage license. This scene introduces two key patterns involving Venn: he often intervenes to assist Thomasin, at one point possibly saving her life during the storm that leads to Eustacia's and Wildeve's drownings, and his presence frequently feels providential.
One of his most significant interventions occurs when Christian Cantle is on the verge of losing Clym's and Thomasin's inheritance to Wildeve. By sheer luck, Venn witnesses the gambling and, through his skill, outplays Wildeve. In this scene, Hardy rather bluntly contrasts the two rivals vying for Thomasin's affection. Wildeve behaves "like a madman ... reckless, frantic, exasperated," while Venn remains composed, "impassive," a "red automaton," winning methodically and calmly as Wildeve becomes so desperate that he bites one of the dice in half. Despite the fortunate outcome of preventing Wildeve from keeping the inheritance he won from Cantle, Venn, unaware of the consequences, exacerbates tensions on the heath by giving the entire sum to Thomasin.
Beyond his role as an overseer and his symbolic representation of older virtues, Venn also serves as an ideal lover within the novel. In fact, he can be seen as embodying Hardy's concept of love in the self-centered world depicted in the story. Eustacia's affections for Clym and Wildeve are shown to be self-serving; she values them for their potential to help her escape an oppressive environment. Even Clym, the protagonist, is somewhat self-centered in his love, as he never considers that Eustacia might not happily accept the noble role of a schoolmistress he envisions for her. He dismisses her social ambition to move to a fashionable city and assumes that, as the intellectual and her husband, he should make all significant decisions. By contrast, Venn seeks Thomasin's hand in a traditional manner, directly asking Mrs. Yeobright for permission to court her niece. Mrs. Yeobright uses his proposal to pressure Wildeve, believing that the failed elopement has irreparably tarnished Thomasin's reputation and that only marriage to someone she despises can restore the family's honor. Throughout the novel, Venn adopts the role of the noble lover, consistently working to prevent Thomasin and Wildeve's marriage from falling apart. Recognizing that Wildeve still harbors feelings for Eustacia, Venn offers to help the unhappy woman secure a position with a wealthy acquaintance in Budmouth. Eustacia finds his definition of love touching but ultimately absurd. When he tells her that although he would prefer to marry Thomasin, if he cannot, he will do everything in his power to ensure her happiness with his rival, Eustacia gains an insight that sheds light on the notion of love as it pertains to Hardy's primary characters: "What a strange sort of love, to be entirely free of that ... selfishness which is frequently the chief constituent of the passion." Transitioning from Vye's perspective to a judgment of it, the omniscient narrator slyly notes that the "reddleman's disinterestedness was so well deserving of respect that it overshot respect by being barely comprehended; and she almost thought it absurd."
Clearly, Venn's love is far from "absurd." His unwavering commitment to Thomasin's happiness reflects Hardy's portrayal of traditional, noble love. Venn intervenes with Mrs. Yeobright when Thomasin's marriage falters, engages in pranks like setting a snare to trip Wildeve on the path, and even resorts to threats of violence, such as firing a rifle, to deter Wildeve from re-entering Eustacia's orbit. It's conceivable that Venn's attempts to intimidate Wildeve were so effective that they led to tragedy; frightened by the growing threat, Wildeve might have decided to escape with Eustacia to avoid the relentless pursuer who had escalated from tripping and hitting to shooting. Even if this were the case,
Venn as a character cannot be blamed for the choices Wildeve makes in reaction to Venn's efforts to keep the woman he loves married to another man.
Venn fulfills another crucial role for Hardy, serving as a somewhat impartial observer of the Yeobright family's turmoil. He provides Clym with the initial comfort he needs to move forward after his mother's tragic death. With the simple words, "Yet I know she quite forgave ee," Venn lays the groundwork for Clym's painful journey towards self-forgiveness. Moreover, Venn saves Clym from drowning in the pool where Eustacia and Wildeve perish, as Wildeve symbolically drags Clym down even in death by clinging to his legs. After the calamity, Venn places a traditional memento mori interpretation on the passionate struggles of Eustacia and Wildeve while acting in the best interests of the widow he loves deeply. His virtue injects a glimmer of hope into an otherwise somber cast of characters; yet many readers feel that as a character, rather than a symbol, he is less vivid and memorable than the passionate woman whose life and death lend the novel its haunting quality.
In the "Aftercourses" section, Venn returns to the Egdon scene as a transformed man; having abandoned reddling for dairy farming, he has shed his old work clothes and the ochre stains on his skin have faded. Hardy's little joke is that when Thomasin first sees the new Venn, she thinks he is "the ghost of yourself." Now a successful rural businessman, Venn also enacts a rustic version of the Elizabethan ideal lover, playing a glove game at the maypole to signal to Thomasin that he still wishes to marry her. Their marriage represents the "happy ending" of the novel, a traditional reward for virtue. The problem is that Hardy didn't favor this ending any more than many modern readers do.
Characters
Christian Cantle
Christian is a timid, ineffectual young man who feels uneasy around women. On Clym's wedding day, he is tasked with delivering a gift of one hundred guineas, meant to be shared between Clym and Thomasin. Unfortunately, Christian loses the money to Wildeve in a dice game.
Grandfer Cantle
Grandfer, a local term for "Grandfather," embodies the vivacious spirit of the simple rural folk. Nearing seventy, he is still enthusiastic about dancing, singing, joking, and sharing embellished tales.
Charley
Charley is a local man who looks after Eustacia. After Eustacia quarrels with Clym and returns to her grandfather's house, Charley tends to her needs. He makes a fire and provides her with food. Noticing her sorrowful gaze at the pistols, he sneaks in through a window to hide them.
Olly Dowden
Olly is a local woman who makes besoms. One night, Wildeve brings a bottle of wine to her sick husband, using the visit as a pretext to see Eustacia.
Humphrey
Humphrey is a furze-cutter. When Clym decides to start cutting furze, he borrows Humphrey's old tools.
Johnny Nunsuch
Johnny is a young boy living near Captain Vye. Eustacia pays him to tend the bonfire she uses to signal Wildeve. He sees Wildeve talking to Eustacia and informs Venn. Later, Johnny accompanies Mrs. Yeobright after she leaves Clym's cottage at Alderworth.
Susan Nunsuch
Susan is Johnny's superstitious mother. She believes Eustacia is a witch and blames her for her children's illnesses.
Diggory Venn
Venn is a local man who has been in love with Thomasin since childhood. He often works behind the scenes to protect her and ensure her happiness. Known as the "reddleman" because he deals in reddle, a dye used by sheep farmers, his clothes, skin, and belongings are all dyed red, giving him a devilish appearance. Venn brings Thomasin back to town after her marriage to Wildeve is postponed. Learning of Wildeve's relationship with Eustacia, Venn pressures Wildeve to marry Thomasin, believing it best for her reputation, even though it means he cannot have her for himself. Additionally, he offers to arrange a job for Eustacia so Wildeve will return to Thomasin and make her happy.
After Wildeve wins the money Christian was supposed to deliver to Clym and Thomasin, Venn wins it back and gives it to Thomasin. When Wildeve elopes with Eustacia, Venn assists Thomasin in finding them. He also saves Clym's life by pulling him out of the water. Once he has saved enough money, Diggory Venn leaves the reddle trade and buys a dairy farm. Eventually, he proposes to Thomasin and they marry.
Captain Vye
Captain Vye is the grandfather of Eustacia.
Eustacia Vye
Eustacia is a prominent local woman and a central character in the novel. She is exotic, stunning, ambitious, and desperate to escape Egdon Heath. Much of the story's drama stems from the fact that men are unusually drawn to Eustacia, leading to rumors that she might be a witch. Raised in the seaside resort of Budmouth, Eustacia's father was a musician from Corfu, an island in the Ionian Sea. She grew up in a cosmopolitan setting, but after her parents' deaths, her grandfather brought her to Egdon Heath.
She seeks the excitement she desires through her relationships with men. She has an affair with Wildeve but ends it when he breaks off his engagement to Thomasin. She becomes infatuated with Clym before meeting him, primarily because of his successful career in Paris. While courting, Clym insists on staying in the countryside to open a small school, but Eustacia believes she can change his mind later. When Clym takes a job cutting furze, Eustacia becomes resentful.
Shortly after their marriage, Wildeve inherits a fortune, making Eustacia feel she has married the wrong man. This feeling grows stronger when Clym blames her for his mother’s death. Wildeve offers to take her away, but Eustacia remains committed to her marriage vows. She does accept a ride to the port town, but tragically, she drowns in the reservoir, raising questions about whether her death was a suicide.
Damon Wildeve
Wildeve is a reckless young man. Engaged to Thomasin, he has a longstanding affair with Eustacia. He decides to leave Thomasin for Eustacia, but Eustacia ends their affair, prompting him to marry Thomasin. Unsurprisingly, he is not a good husband. As Eustacia grows increasingly dissatisfied with her marriage to Clym, Wildeve inherits a fortune. They reconnect at a dance and rekindle their excitement for each other. When Eustacia separates from Clym, Wildeve offers her everything his money can buy, but she refuses. At the novel's end, he drowns in the reservoir while trying to save her.
Clemson Yeobright
The “native” referred to in the novel's title, Clemson (known as Clym), is a local man who returns to Egdon Heath after a successful career in Paris. Tired of city life, he looks forward to starting a local school. Shortly after his return, he meets and marries Eustacia. He believes Eustacia supports his plan to start a school and is shocked to discover she does not. While studying to become a teacher, Clym injures his eyes and, unable to read until they heal, takes a job cutting furze like many local men.
Following his mother's death, he is overwhelmed with guilt and self-blame. Upon discovering that Eustacia had denied his mother entry because she was conversing with Wildeve, he accuses his wife of infidelity and holds her responsible for his mother's demise. After Eustacia passes away, he moves in with Thomasin and contemplates marrying her. However, realizing she would be happier with Diggory Venn, Clym transitions into an open-air preacher and gains fame by speaking to field workers in a language they understand.
Clym Yeobright
Refer to Clemson Yeobright
Mrs. Yeobright
Clym’s mother, Mrs. Yeobright, embodies traditional Victorian values in the novel. For instance, when Wildeve delays the wedding, she believes Thomasin’s honor is jeopardized and urges Wildeve to honor his promise to protect her niece’s reputation. Mrs. Yeobright also disapproves of her son Clym marrying Eustacia, whom she considers a “bad girl.” She does not attend their wedding but gives Clym his inheritance as a gift. When she receives no acknowledgment for it, she assumes Wildeve handed the money to Eustacia. When Eustacia denies any knowledge of it, a confrontation ensues between the two women.
In an effort to reconcile with her son, Mrs. Yeobright travels to Clym’s house, but due to a misunderstanding, she is not let in. Feeling rejected, Mrs. Yeobright heads home and is bitten by a snake along the way. That night, Clym finds her dying on the path.
Thomasin Yeobright
Thomasin is Clym Yeobright’s cousin. She is enamored with the charming Wildeve and is heartbroken when he postpones their wedding. She considers marrying Diggory Venn, the reddleman who loves her. Despite his devotion, she takes it for granted and remains drawn to Wildeve. Eventually, she marries Wildeve, but their marriage is unhappy. After Wildeve's death, she marries Diggory Venn, who has since become a prosperous dairy farmer.