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Role Of Fate And Chance In “The Return Of The Native”

June 3, 2020

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Whenever we have a deep analysis the Role Of Fate And Chance is present in Hardy’s literary compositions, we are to come to know that there is always an evident Role Of Fate And Chance in the whole course of the action of the novel. It seems that Hardy and chance always go side by side and a very evident role is played by chance and coincidence. In addition to this novel, if we study Hardy’s other novels in depth then we come to know that “Tess of the. Durberviles,” Mayor of the Casterbridge are replete with the Role Of Fate And Chance. It is also observed that these are the elements of chance and coincidence which serve as the deciding factors in the destiny of the characters of the novels.

Hardy is always of the view that there is certainly an evil power in the universe, which rules over the creatures of the universe which defeats the every endeavor of man to make better his fortune or to find happiness. Hardy is very firm in his philosophy of life that fate or destiny is always hostile to human happiness. In other words, he wants to present that there is certainly supernatural power which rules over the world and influences the destinies of everybody. He forcefully says that the element of fate always interferes or intervenes in the shape of chance or accidents or coincidence to contribute or complete the ultimate ruin of human beings.

If we discuss the role of chance, we come to know that all the major events and accidents flow from mere chance. It is certainly a chance meeting of the reddleman with the little boy Johnny which makes the marriage between Wildeve and Thomašim possible. It is also a very chance meeting of reddleman with Johney to which he knows the true nature of secret relations between Eustasia and Wildeve and marriage is done, It also happens by chance that Christian Cantle who is carrying Mrs. Yeobright’s money, meets a group of village people who take him to a raffle where he wins a prize.

After being encouraged there, he becomes agree to play a game of dice with Wildeve and unfortunately loses all his own and Mrs. Yeobright’s money too. It is Reddelman who comes there and wins the money back from Wildeve and hands over the total money to Thomasin. Here a problem is created as reddleman not knowing that half of money was to be given to Clym. When Mrs. Yeobright asks Eustasia about the money and she cannot satisfy her then a quarrel erupts and this also affects the relationship between the husband and the wife who ultimately become separated from each other.

Now the relationship between Eustasia and Clym takes a new turn because Clym’s eyesight becomes too weak and he starts cutting the furze to earn livelihood. This humble chosen occupation by Clym is below the standard of Eustasia and in this way the gulf between two becomes widened too and she repents on the decision of choosing a life partner. Here some critics are of the view that it is fate which intervenes in the shape of an accident that the eye sight of Clym becomes so weak that he cannot even do other physical works effectively. Another chance meeting of Eustasia with Wildeve in the village festival proves to be a severe blow in reshaping or widening the relationship of this couple. Wildeve who accidentally meets her there and invites her to dance with him

and she flatly accepts the offer when he persuades and taunts her that she, being a wife of a furze-cutter, has no status in the society. He further invites her to run away with him and marry him in the court.

On the way running away, he hides himself in the bushes when he sees Clym and reddleman on the way coming. The reddleman goes at once to Thomasin and tells about the movements of her husband. He also starts spying on Wildeve and frightens away Wildeve from Eustasia’s door by firing a gun. Now there is no doubt in saying that all these complications start from a chance meeting between Eustasia and her former lover Wildeve .

Wildeve who wants to meet Eustasia on the behalf of being their relative; by chance, at the very same time when Wildeve goes to meet Eustasia; Clym’s mother also comes at the door and knocks for reconciliation with both Clym and Eustasia but Eustasia who is busy in talking with Wildeve, ignores to open the door because she cannot open the back door while her husband is sleeping inside the room. Now it proves to be a coincidence that Clym is sleeping who could not hear the knock on the door and Mrs. Yeobright comes to the conclusion by thinking that both Eustasia and Clym deliberately have not opened the door and they do not want to meet her. On the other hand, Eustasia absolutely and totally misunderstands because she hears some mumbling of Clym and becomes sure that Clym might open the door.

These sudden happenings of accidents add more complications to the current situations and ultimately every character of the novel is badly affected by these accidents. It also happens by chance that Clym’s mother is bitten by an adder and dies at the spot. After knowing the true nature of the circumstances, he has a very fierce quarrel with Eustasia and in this result, Eustasia leaves her house and then goes to her grandfather’s house. After being persuaded by Wildeve, she plans to elope with Wildeve and unfortunately is drowned in the darkness of the rainy night.

Unexpectedly, Wildeve gets his share of legacy of 11000 pounds and gets rich. The sudden riches of Wildeve serves as a new turn in Eustasia’s mind and she changes her thoughts. She starts dreaming of fulfilling all her dissatisfied aspirations with Wildeve that she could not fulfill by remaining with Clym.

It is also by chance that there was a full rainy night when she went out of her house to run away with Wildeve. Bad weathering during the crucial night of Eustasia’s escapade is also by chance. Destiny plays its integral role in fully cooperating here with Eustasia’s tragic decision to commit suicide.

One thing which is noteworthy here is that Hardy’s extensive use of chance and coincidence makes the story implausible. There is no denial to the fact that chances and coincidences also occur in everybody’s life but these are not so frequent and often as they happen near Hardy’s viewpoint. It is also observed in the fact of life that every chance is not always malicious, hostile and crude in one’s life; there are also some chance happenings which favour human beings. This is the very reason which makes Hardy as a pessimistic novelist.

To sum up the above mentioned discussion, it can be said in the concluding remarks that according to Hardy’s point of view, it is destiny which plays a major role in shaping and reshaping man’s life. Most of his novels prove the fact that man is a puppet in the hands of nature, destiny, chance, coincidence, fate and luck which are the reflection of gods and they lead our life according to their own choice and we become totally powerless and valueless before them. The clutches of nature and Role Of Fate And Chance is always hold one’s life in their grip as Hardy thinks.