Return of the Native Lesson Plan

Discuss the extent of Clym's guilt, as we see in today's reading.

In this Book, we see more than ever before how deeply Clym's guilt runs. He vacillates throughout this section between blaming Eustacia and blaming himself for Mrs. Yeobright's death. The most tragic development of all is that circumstances lead him to believe he has killed both the women he loves by the end of the Book. He notes to himself: "She is the second woman I have killed this year. I was a great cause of my mother’s death; and I am the chief cause of hers."

However, this guilt is not entirely selfless. On the contrary, it is rather egocentric, as he sees losses in terms of how they impact his...