Realism in Return of the Native by Adam and Leah

Realism is clearly present throughout The Return of the Native. In both the major plot and the simple interactions between characters, Hardy conveys a realistic nature in his novel.

When Hardy describes the setting of the heath, he uses long, drawn-out explanations in a romantic style, but when he shows the interactions between the characters, they have a truly realistic portrayal of simple, often sad townspeople. This allows us to get an accurate representation of the everyday happenings of the characters. Hardy opts for descriptions of their simple duties in the beginning that make them seem like real people instead of just overly romanticized characters in the novel.

In regards to plot, the blindness of Clym and the death of two central female characters, Eustacia and Mrs. Yeobright, demonstrates more realism in the novel. He could have chosen to end the novel in a more positive way, but he chose to finish it off like he did to make it more like real life. We see the suffering that Clym experiences when hardy writes, "'It was all my fault,' he whispered. 'Oh, my mother, my mother! would to God that I could live my life again, and endure for you what you endured for me!'" (p. 418). We feel Clym's pain through the novel, which makes the overall story feel more realistic.