Return of the Native Lesson Plan

In these early chapters, how does Hardy paint Egdon Heath as a character in and of itself?

In many ways, the main character in The Return of the Native is the heath itself. It is a complicated place, both empty and profound, and serves as both setting and symbol for the passions that drive the plot. Hardy reveals the dominance of the heath from the opening of the novel. He uses oxymoron and antonym to reveals the diversity and complex nature of this wild environment, describing it as "majestic without severity, impressive without showiness, emphatic in its admonitions, grand in its simplicity."

His novel is about tragic emotions and large personalities, but he posits...