Mood, Atmosphere and Place in The Return of the Native

1013 Words3 Pages

Mood, Atmosphere and Place in The Return of the Native

Throughout The Return of the Native, Thomas Hardy is very successful in creating mood and atmosphere. Some scenes are so descriptive that a very clear mental picture can be formed by the reader, causing a distinct sense of place. It seems that through his words, Hardy is submerging the readers into his story letting us take part only as an onlooker. It is at the beginning that the strongest mood, the heaviest atmosphere and the most obvious sense of place occurs, as once the scene is set and the characters are introduced, scenery is much repeated.

The book opens with an in-depth description of the heath. This is a perfect example of Hardy's ability to clearly describe a scene, giving us a sense of place, situating us on the heath. This heath, although seemingly merely the geographic location of the story, plays a very significant role. The role and symbolism of the heath are truly explored through some of Hardy's statements. "The heavens being spread with this pallid screen, the earth with the darkest vegetation, their meeting-line at the horizon was clearly marked". This is highlighting the vivid contrast between the ground and the sky, leaving the reader with an image of the wild expanse of vegetation. Hardy describes the nature of the heath with the words "It was at present a place perfectly accordant with man's nature - neither ghastly, hateful, nor ugly: neither... unmeaning, nor tame; but like man slighted and enduring...". This is a description of the heath, which leaves the reader with a stronger sense of place, havi...

... middle of paper ...

...uld be seen as the weakest character, Thomasin, that achieves happiness. She is the only character that ends the story well, as with the death of Wildeve she is free to leave a Marriage where she was greatly unhappy and marry the reddleman.

Hardy shows, throughout "The return of The Native", that he is successful in drawing up images inside the readers mind. He creates mood and atmosphere easily with a varied use of description and contradicting images. He gives the reader a sense of place, by which it seems that although they are there, and know what is going to happen, there is no way they can help the characters. The reader is left close enough to feel most of the action, yet are powerless to intervene. This shows Hardy to be very successful in creating mood, atmosphere and a sense of place.

Show More
Related

  • What Are the Positive and Negative Effects of the Manhattan Project?

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    As long as there is love, there will be hatred; as long as there is peace, there will be war, and as long as there is a positive side, there is a negative side. During the Second World War, the Nazis were very powerful. Due to the fear of the Nazis, Americans started a project called “The Manhattan Project" in order to build a very deadly weapon that could even blow cities apart. The allied powers were so concerned with Nazi domination, that they never considered the outcomes of creating an atomic bomb which are also positive and negative.

    Read More

  • Use of Poetic Devices in Thomas Hardy's Poem, The Convergence of the Twain

    413 Words  | 1 Pages

    Hardy uses strong meaningful diction to convey his thoughts of the sinking of the Titanic. Words such as “vaingloriousness”, “opulent”, and “jewels in joy” illustrate Titanic for the reader so that he/she can picture the greatness of the ship. Phrases such as “Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind” describe what the Titanic looked after the sinking, loosing all of its great features. Hardy’s use of strong, describing diction depicts his view of the ship, before and after.

    Read More

  • The Valley of the Ashes in the Great Gatsby

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    The valley is described as a “desolate” place where “ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills into grotesque gardens”. (21) Ashes that dominate the area take the shape of natural greenery. The term “grotesque gardens” uses alliteration, with juxtaposition; to highlight the odd pairing of ashes and greenery. Ashes are associated with death while ridges and “gardens” represent the potential to flourish and grow in the promise and ideal of equality as in “the trees that had made way for Gatsby’s house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams.” (143) The trees that once stood here were able to speak to man’s dreams, which allude to America, the land able to speak to man’s dreams and capacity for wonder. All this is replaced by grey ash that suffocates the inhabitants, restricting them to their social class. This presents a bleak image of hopelessness that surrounds the valley.

    Read More

  • old english journies

    811 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the poems “The Wanderer”, “The Wife’s Lament”, and “Cuchilainn's Boyhood Deeds” there are journeys that each of the characters go through in the poems. In The Wanderer and “The Wife's Lament” the characters are dealing with the lose of a what they called life. In “Cuchilainn's Boyhood Deeds” the young man in the poem is seeking glory and honor. The poem dapple in both a physical journey and a mental or emotional dilemma. In “The Wanderer” the warrior is sent off in exile and he dreams of finding a new lord and a new hall to become apart of. In “The Wifes Lament”, the wife is also living in exile because he husband family has separated them; she images a life where she isnt so lonely anymore. “Cuchulainn's Boyhood Deeds” is about a boy who imagines himself doing heroic deed to gain favor, honor, and to become a legend. Each of the characters has a physical journey that are in the mist of, but while in the middle of those trial they are also faced with emotional pain and longing for a better life.

    Read More

  • History Of Barbie

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    During a trip to Europe in 1956 with her children Barbara and Kenneth, Ruth Handler came across a German toy doll called Bild Lilli. The adult-figured doll was exactly what Handler had in mind, so she purchased three of them. She gave one to her daughter and took the others back to Mattel. The Lilli doll was based on a popular character appearing in a comic strip drawn by Reinhard Beuthin for the newspaper Die Bild-Zeitung. Lilli was a blonde bombshell, a working girl who knew what she wanted and was not above using men to get it. The Lilli doll was first sold in Germany in 1955, and although it was initially sold to adults, it became popular with children who enjoyed dressing her up in outfits that were available separately.

    Read More

  • Homelessness

    601 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jobs are already scarce in Oregon’s timber economy but Oregon continues to outsource its timber. Roy Keene, reporter for the Register Guard reports, “Log and chip experts, consulting a third of Oregon’s annual timber harvest are outsourced and thousands of domestic manufacturing jobs as well” (p1). Exporting our logs and chips to other countries such as China, Russia, and Japan who can process them with cheap labor costs, then sell them back to the United States, at a cheaper price then it would cost Oregonian ...

    Read More

  • Armed and Prepared: An Age of Defense

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    The sign on a college campus reads: “No weapons allowed on campus.” The majority of people would look and the sign and feel safe when they enter. But when you ask the students of Virginia Tech if they feel secure and protected every day, they would answer the exact opposite. Thirty-two people were killed on a terrifying day in April 2007. What did they learn? Criminals don’t need permission to bring weapons to school, so what’s the point in the rule against it? More than likely, a college campus is more worried about what might happen if they allowed guns than generating an answer that will stop the violence altogether. David Burnett, the president of Students for Concealed Carry, agrees by claiming, “Rather than considering that criminals fear armed victims more than rules, colleges peddle imaginary problems as an excuse not to implement real solutions.” It is logical to view the issue this way, but the fact is allowing licensed carry is more lik...

    Read More

  • The Style, Point of View, Form and Structure of Native Son, by Richard Wright

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his novel, Native Son, Richard Wright favors short, simple, blunt sentences that help maintain the quick narrative pace of the novel, at least in the first two books. For example, in the following passage: "He licked his lips; he was thirsty. He looked at his watch; it was ten past eight. He would go to the kitchen and get a drink of water and then drive the car out of the garage. " Wright's imagery is often brutal and elemental, as seen in his frequently repeated references to fire, snow, and Mary's bloody head.

    Read More

  • The Eagle Takes Flight

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    to peer pressure, as many other large “empires”, namely England, Spain, and Russia, had already

    Read More

  • Analysis of Ah, Are you Digging on My Grace?

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    Clarke, R. (n.d.). The Poetry of Thomas Hardy. rlwclarke. Retrieved February 1, 2014, from http://www.rlwclarke.net/Courses/LITS2002/2008-2009/12AHardy'sPoetry.pdf

    Read More

  • Depiction of Class in Tess of the d’Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy

    2548 Words  | 6 Pages

    Hardy originated from a working class family. The son of a master mason, Hardy was slightly above that of his agricultural peers. Hardy’s examination of transition between classes is usually similar to that of D.H. Lawrence, that if you step outside your circle you will die. The ambitious lives of the characters within Hardy’s novels like Jude and Tess usually end fatally; as they attempt to break away from the constraints of their class, thus, depicting Hardy’s view upon the transition between classes. Hardy valued lower class morals and traditions, it is apparent through reading Tess that her struggles are evidently permeated through the social sufferings of the working class. A central theme running throughout Hardy’s novels is the decline of old families. It is said Hardy himself traced the Dorset Hardy’s lineage and found once they were of great i...

    Read More

  • Barbie As A Role Model

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    Barbie was created in 1959 by Ruth Handler. Ruth stumbled upon the idea while watching her daughter, Barbara, act out real life situations with her dolls. Ruth suggested the idea of an adult sized doll to her husband the co-founder of Mattel Toy Company. Her husband wasn’t thrilled with the idea and didn’t approve. In the late fifties and sixties it was very unusual for dolls to have breasts, most dolls then were infants or children, in fact research was done and came with the results that Barbie wouldn’t sell because she had breasts. However, that didn’t stop Ruth, while on a trip in Germany, she found a doll named “Bild Lilli”. She bought one back to the states with her and changed a few things about her and presented Barbie. There wasn’t a doll on the market that had the figure of a real woman, until Barbie. She was created for the same reason any other toy was created, to be played with, but over the years she has been the center of a steaming controversy, whether she is a fitting role model for girls. A role model is often imitated. Her make-up and outfits are chic, “but some girls may interpret these outfits as a sign that you need to look a certain way in order to be allowed to step into roles previously held only by men” (Lee 53). When Barbie was first released many mother’s refused to buy the beloved Barbie’s for their daughter’s, they would sought out to buy them Barbie’s younger sister Skipper, who lacked Barbie’s wom...

    Read More

  • How Thomas Hardy Presents Women in His Short Stories

    3768 Words  | 8 Pages

    Thomas Hardy wrote about society in the mid 1800's and his tales have rural settings in the fictional name he gave to the South-West of England, Wessex. The short stories reflect this time and the author also demonstrates the class division in rural society - rich and poor - and the closeness of the communities. Almost everyone belonged to the 'labouring classes' and worked on the land.

    Read More

  • Plot of The Return of The Native

    977 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Reddleman accidentally learns of the meeting between Eustacia and Wildeve. The Reddleman then purposely overhears the conversation of Wildeve and Eustacia the next time they meet. Then he tries to get Eustacia to help Thomasin, and finally tells her that he knows about the meeting between her and Wildeve. He also tells Mrs. Yeobright that he wants to marry Thomasin. Though he is rejected, Mrs. Yeobright uses him to put pressure on Wildeve. Wildeve goes immediately to Eustacia to convince her to leave with him, but she will not answer right away.

    Read More

  • Return Of The Native Essay

    1779 Words  | 4 Pages

    Review of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy The return of the native was written by Thomas hardy in 1878, the

    Read More

More about Mood, Atmosphere and Place in The Return of the Native

Open Document