Chapter 1 of the novel is devoted entirely to a description of Egdon Heath. Why do you think Thomas Hardy devotes an entire chapter to the setting? How important is the setting to the story, and what is the impact on individual characters?
The setting is pivotal because the whole story revolves around it. The entire novel takes place in the heath, and the characters' views of it determine their actions. The main example is Eustacia, whose hatred of the heath and dream of living abroad drives her to an affair with Wildeve and marriage to Clym. Clym and Thomasin see it as a stable home and comfort, and are contented with life there. Thomas Hardy probably devoted the whole first chapter to a description of the heath because the dismal, plain, and sometimes harsh environment portrayed in the first chapter sets the tone for the rest of the novel. The characters' actions and the deaths at the end are directly linked to nature (the snake, storm, and pond).
I have to agree with Marianne, I think the setting is important because it plays a huge role in the novel. To Eustacia it is her biggest enemy, but to most of the other characters it is comforting. The entire first chapter was written about the land because it shows both how Eustacia hated it because of her love of city life, and how Clym loved it because of the escape it allowed. It can be seen after Clym lost most of his sight; he depended on the land, while Eustacia thought that living off the land was the lowest job a person could have.
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The setting is pivotal because the whole story revolves around it. The entire novel takes place in the heath, and the characters' views of it determine their actions. The main example is Eustacia, whose hatred of the heath and dream of living abroad drives her to an affair with Wildeve and marriage to Clym. Clym and Thomasin see it as a stable home and comfort, and are contented with life there. Thomas Hardy probably devoted the whole first chapter to a description of the heath because the dismal, plain, and sometimes harsh environment portrayed in the first chapter sets the tone for the rest of the novel. The characters' actions and the deaths at the end are directly linked to nature (the snake, storm, and pond).
I have to agree with Marianne, I think the setting is important because it plays a huge role in the novel. To Eustacia it is her biggest enemy, but to most of the other characters it is comforting. The entire first chapter was written about the land because it shows both how Eustacia hated it because of her love of city life, and how Clym loved it because of the escape it allowed. It can be seen after Clym lost most of his sight; he depended on the land, while Eustacia thought that living off the land was the lowest job a person could have.
What impact do you think that Clym's previous life in the big cities of Paris and London has on his view of Egdon Heath and his return to it?
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