The Return of the Native Dissatisfaction Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

There was in his face that hopelessness of being understood which comes when the objector is constitutionally beyond the reach of a logic that [...] is almost too coarse a vehicle for the subtlety of the argument. (3.2.16)

This sentence can take a few readings to really understand, so let's break it down. First, we establish that Clym isn't hopeful of being understood. Next, Hardy lets us know that the "objector," or Mrs. Yeobright, is "constitutionally" beyond logic. Constitution here doesn't refer to a governmental document, but rather to her mind and body. So she's naturally beyond a sort of logic, or Clym's argument regarding his hopes and dreams. But the catch here is that Clym's hopes are coming across in a bad way – he has a good point, but Mrs. Yeobright is not taking it well. So what's the "coarse vehicle" here? Clym's style of speaking and Mrs. Yeobright's interpretation of it. Phew.

Quote #8

More than ever he longed to be in some world where personal ambition was not the only recognized form of progress. (3.4.4)

This might be the most directly stated social theme in the entire novel, and this sentence also ties into a running theme of dream worlds and the longing for a better world. It's interesting and enlightening to contrast the various dream worlds of different characters.

Quote #9

"Pleasure not known beforehand is half wasted; to anticipate it is to double it." (3.5.39)

This could either be a fortune cookie or something from Eustacia. We can really see here how Eustacia is very fond of saying witty, clever-sounding things that she may or may not mean. And we also see how Eustacia enjoys exaggeration. The idea of pleasure being "half wasted" is a bit of a stretch. What's interesting is that this exaggeration also deflects from Eustacia's real reason for being a bit upset here – Clym's mother.