Eustacia Vye and the Landscape of Edgon Heath

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From Book One how does Hardy link the character of Eustacia Vye with

the landscape of Edgon heath.

From Book One how does Hardy link the character of Eustacia Vye with

the landscape of Edgon heath? You should make reference of the

appearance of both and what this tells the reader about the

personality of Eustacia. The response should include a number of

quotes to support your thoughts.

I think that the first prominent feature of The Return of the Native

is Hardy’s description of the landscape. Egdon Heath is portrayed not

simply as a surroundings to the action, but a actual character in

itself, passionate, The Return of the Native it is frequently dark,

dangerous, and wilful. It is appropriate that the book opens with a

description of the heath, for the heath permeate the atmosphere of the

novel, and it shapes the lives and attitudes of its residents. The

characters themselves seem to act either as embodiments or outgrowths

of the heath itself, as Eustacia Vye’s physical appearance and

volatile emotions suggest its willful wildness. Furthermore,

Eustacia’s physical activity is characterized by lengthy periods of

indolence punctured by brief, spontaneous periods of energy, as the

heath oscillates between periods of placid beauty and savage

harshness.

Hardy’s description of Eustacia is especially telling: like the heath,

her hair is wild and untamable ("to see her hair was to fancy that a

whole winter did not contain darkness enough to form its shadow.") and

her eyes are the eyes of a pagan goddess (tellingly, they are not eyes

of placid Christian virtue). Like the heath, Eustacia holds dark

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