EUSTACIA�s TRAGEDY
Hardy�s �femme fatale� , Eustacia Vye is perhaps one of the most alluring and fascinating characters in The Return of the Native . Hardy presents a complicated and enthralling character of Eustacia vye, a genuine woman as opposed to an idealised one. Although Hardy gives proud, selfish and egotistical potrait of Eustacia, yet he masterfully creates a scenario in which she appears a tragic figure. Whereas Clym may be �the nicest� among Hardy�s characters, it is the eccentric Eustacia Vye which is the centre of the novel. Even in the Hardy�s introduction of her, there is plenty to dwell upon. The first time her existence is mentioned, it is through the idle gossip of the locals. She is described as �very strange in her ways� , some of them accuse her of being a witch. Unlike Clym, whom the heath folk can at least fathom in part, Eustacia is beyond their comprehension. Her whole personality has a sleepy, dreamy cast to it. Though she is beautiful in an exotic way, i...