If you had to choose a primary character in this novel, who would it be? Is the book mostly about Clym's struggle to find meaning and vocation in life, or is it mostly about Eustacia's desire to escape the heath for a more romantic life?
If I had to choose a primary character, I would have to say that Eustacia's want of getting out of the heath is the focus of the book. She is a very important character in that she caused Thomasin's wedding to be late, flirted with Wildeve and drew him away from Thomasin, and eventually her desire to go to the city ended up killing her and Wildeve. Clym is still an important character, but in the novel he seems to be used more as a character that Eustacia uses to try to get what she wants. Without Clym, Eustacia could have still tried to escape to the city with another man. But without Eustacia the storyline couldn't exist.
I agree with Megan and think Eustacia is the primary character. After finishing the novel, I remember the most detail about Eustacia's struggle to find happiness and to escape life on the heath. She manipulates all the other characters and involves them in her schemes. Her decisions always catalyze the rest of the action. Clym is the title character, but as Megan said, he is used by Eustacia and without her, the story could not exist.
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If I had to choose a primary character, I would have to say that Eustacia's want of getting out of the heath is the focus of the book. She is a very important character in that she caused Thomasin's wedding to be late, flirted with Wildeve and drew him away from Thomasin, and eventually her desire to go to the city ended up killing her and Wildeve. Clym is still an important character, but in the novel he seems to be used more as a character that Eustacia uses to try to get what she wants. Without Clym, Eustacia could have still tried to escape to the city with another man. But without Eustacia the storyline couldn't exist.
I agree with Megan and think Eustacia is the primary character. After finishing the novel, I remember the most detail about Eustacia's struggle to find happiness and to escape life on the heath. She manipulates all the other characters and involves them in her schemes. Her decisions always catalyze the rest of the action. Clym is the title character, but as Megan said, he is used by Eustacia and without her, the story could not exist.
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