Thomas Hardy the Modernist

Thomas Hardy's Return of the Native is well known for its gripping drama and bountiful amounts of description. The latter of those, in fact, being notable in that it was among the first of such writing to be published (1878), later becoming much more prominent in the modernist era. In fact, chapter 1 of the novel is used solely to describe the heath and its qualities, something unheard of back then. However, unlike most modernist novels, Return of the Native puts a much greater focus on how the heath is a haven of sorts where the advancements seen in the city are no present, implying that this rural countryside is pure. This was unusual as until the first world war, most modernist novels concentrated on the benefits of our advancing society, some even imagining a utopian society that would soon come to be. Hardy's writing, like many modernists, may also have been inspired by the likes of Sigmund Freud. The characters of Eustacia Vye and Damon Wildeve, for instance, could represent the idea of the id, the part of one's subconscience that seeks to have one's primal needs satisfied as much and as often as possible, a quality that is represented by both characters' promiscuity and need to manipulate others to satisfy their own whims. On the other hand, we have Thomasin Yeobright and Diggory Venn, two characters that may very well represent the superego, the part of one's subconscience that continually weighs the moral consequences of every possible action, choosing to take actions that will provide the highest moral position. Diggory and Thomasin are the only two characters in the novel to not scheme, and they both tend to put the needs of others before their own, reflecting the altruistic nature of the superego. Finally, Clym Yeobright may represent the ego, the part of the subconscience that balances the wants of the superego and the id. He is neither completely selfish nor altruistic as he returns to the Heath from Paris, wishing to educate the children of the Heath through becoming a teacher, thus giving up his life as a diamond merchant, but at the same time, he was adamant about not returning to Paris against the wishes of his newly wedded wife Eustacia. Thus, while he is shown to care for others, he also puts a high priority on his own desires. As a bonus, he also appears to have mother-related issues, bringing to mind Freud's proposed Oedipus Complex. Thus, one can see that despite Hardy having jumped out of the gate a bit early, Return of the Native still contained many elements that would become mainstays in modernist literature.