The Return of the Native Man and the Natural World Quotes

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

Quote #10

The incongruity between the men's deeds and their environment was great. Amid the soft juicy vegetation of the hollow in which they sat [...] intruded the chink of guineas, the rattle of dice, the exclamation of reckless players. ( 3.8.45)

The diction really sets up a contrast that furthers the overall point of this sentence. We hear about "soft" vegetation and then contrast that to the hard metal of money and the loud sounds of dice.

Quote #11

The silent being who thus occupied himself seemed to be of no more account in life than an insect. He appeared as a mere parasite on the heath [...]. (5.4.11)

Clym is compared to an insect here, which isn't exactly flattering. It gets worse, though – he's also compared to a parasite. In this instance, the heath is clearly the winner in the whole "man vs. nature" debate.

Quote #12

Tribes of emerald green grasshoppers leaped over his feet, falling awkwardly on their backs, heads, or hips, like unskilful acrobats, as chance might rule; or engaged themselves in noisy flirtations under the fern-fronds with silent ones of homely hue. (4.2.57)

This is a great example of the type of rich imagery and detail that Park Ranger Hardy uses throughout the novel. Here we have a strong sense of movement and color with the description of the "emerald green grasshoppers," and we get a theme as well – the "tribe" of grasshoppers fall all about chaotically as "chance" or fate dictates. Kind of like the people in this book.