The Contradiction In Eustacia In Thomas Hardy’s The Return Of The Native

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is considered as one of the greatest writers in the history of British literature. The Return of the Native (1878) is a representative work of his "novels of character and environment". It is Hardy’s first try at tragedy and also Hardy’s first effort to deal with marriage. Hardy’s concern for marriage can be seen in his later novels which becomes an essential part of his later novels.In the relationship between women and men in marriage, women are given special concern and he holds sympathy for women’s situation in his time.This thesis aims to analyze the contradiction in the protagonist Eustacia in Thomas Hardy’s novel The Return of the Native. It will use a feminist approach to study the contradiction in the protagonist which leads to her tragic fate. This thesis proposes that Eustacia’s contradiction is a combined result of the surveillance of the patriarchy society on the protagonist and her inexhaustive understanding about women’s situation in her time. The clash between her unconformity and her unconscious internalization of the patriarchy ideology leads to the contradiction in Eustacia, which causes the Egdon Heath people’s antipathy to her. Eustacia’s unconformity derives from her earlier life experience in the city where she is hardly bound by the social rules and lives a free life. However, life on the Egdon Heath is totally different from life in the city and this difference traps Eustacia and makes her a threat to the Heath in the rustics’eyes. Eustacia’s unconscious internalization of the patriarchy ideology on the Heath finally clashes with her instinctive unconformity, which leads to the contradiction in her. Egdon Heath is a relatively closed countryside where there’s little sign of modernization. The Heath has its own rules to restrict people’s behaviors and it punishes those whose behavior is different from the rustics’. Eustacia gets punishment from the Heath and the surveillance she receives from the rustics makes her internalize the rules of the Heath unconsciously. Eustacia dreams of leaving the Heath and living an elegant life in the city. She hopes to live freely. However, her dream is based on her wish of marrying a man who can help her fulfill her dream. Her dependence on men makes her unable to get rid of the bondage from men, which she tries to resist. When she finally realizes her awkward situation, she chooses suicide and shows her last resistance to the society.The first chapter aims to analyze Eustacia’s contradictory personality. Eustacia’s contradictory personality is moulded by the experience after she leaves the city for the Egdon Heath with her grandfather. Her contradictory personality is reflected in the clash between her unconformity and her unconscious internalization of the patriarchy ideology of the Egdon community.The second chapter aims to analyze the social surveillance on Eustacia. Eustacia receives surveillance and punishment from the rustics because of her difference from them. The women on the Heath isolate her and the men on the Heath regard her as a witch. The antipathy from the rustics forces Eustacia to internalize the rules of the community unconsciously.The third chapter aims to analyze Eustacia’s inexhaustive understanding about women’s situation in her time. Eustacia’s dependence on men is the real obstacle on her way to fulfill her dream. Her inexhaustive understanding about her own situation leads to her tragic ending.