The Return of the Native [with Biographical Introduction]

The native of Thomas Hardy's 1878 novel "The Return of the Native" is Clym (Clement) Yeobright, a young man who gives a successful career as a diamond merchant in Paris to return to his native Egdon Heath to become a Schoolmaster and to help educate poor and ignorant children. Clym's character is contrasted by Eustacia Vye, a beautiful young woman who longs to escape Egdon Heath for a more glamorous life elsewhere. Hearing of Clym's return she pursues him with hopes of him taking her away to that more glamorous life which she seeks. A captivating novel of the Victorian era, Hardy's "The Return of the Native" dramatically underscores the idea that regardless of our desires, in the end we are truly helpless to escape our destiny.