Clym’s Idealism vs. Eustacia’s Romanticism. Fatiq Uddin Imami College

Thomas Hardy, the author of The Return of the Native (1876), is generally known as ‘the last of the great Victorians’. In his early novel, The Return of the Native, the life-like characterization is well-admired to date. The characters of Clement Yeobright and Eustacia Vye manifest two opposing aspects of human life. The male character is idealistic and the female one is romantic. Confrontation of the two opposing forces brings about a tragic end.

Idealism and romanticism both ignore the reality of life; take an unrealistic approach to life. Idealism refers to pursuing ideals and seeking perfection without considering the circumstances. On the other hand, romanticism is related to human emotion, feelings and imagination. Romantic people seek individual perfection and pleasure. By contrast, idealists seek reasonable pleasure and intellectual perfection for all human being. When, romanticism is ego-centric, idealism is universal and socio-centric. "Clym comes from Paris burdened with Comtean or socialist ideals; Eustacia comes from Budmouth with dreams of social splendour. Clym was born in the heath and is in complete harmony with it; whereas Eustacia was born in a seaside resort of fasionable society and is in “a permanent state...