Similie: “They were like those double stars which revolve round and round eachother, and from a distance appear to be one” (241).
This similie is made in the early stages of Clym and Eustacia’s marriage. It is quite effective as imagery also, by helping us paint the picture of their early love physically and emotionally. Stars are romantic and evoke the reader to view the genuine affection of the couple as untoughable by any outside source. We know this does not end up being the case, but it effectively communicates the pretty picture of young lovers before tragedy hits.
metaphor and similie: “To see her hair was to fancy that a whole winter did not contain darkness enough to form its shadow: it closed over her forehead like nightfall extinguishing the western glow” (71).
This is the first of many references made to Eustacia’s hair. The metaphor of winter and shadow tell us not that she has a lot of dark hair, but convey that she is extremely obscure and mysterious. The simile also serves as imagery. Anyone who has ever watched a sunset knows that point where the sun is down but a little light still lingers in the mostly dark sky. Just like nightfall is oppressive on the light, I can picture Eustacia’s dark bangs or hair around the crown of her head to overshadow her pale face. This makes her seem vieled and unapproachable.
and i posted a picture of what i saw in my head as the oppressive darkness over the last of a sunset on a different post. I dont know how to put a picture in a comment…so its on the post titled “sunset”
side note: what are you doing up or still up at 6 in the morning on a saturday?
This is a great link that answer all of your analysis related questions about the novel and since the “page starter” asked for analysis I thought it would fit well here.
seth- haha that was actually about 1 am…the time thing is messed up.
In the Queen of Night chapter I found this similie about the heath that explaines what part of Eustacia’s problem is:
“To dwell on a heath without studying its meanings was like wedding a foriegner without learning his tongue” (76).
Eustacia refused to “study the heath” or make any kind of connection with it, unlike the other characters in the novel, so it is no mystery why she has such a hard time living there. She cannot relate, communicate, or appreciate the heath just like if I would if I married some guy who only spoke German.
Alyssa – Did you only read the chapter “Queen of Night”… just kidding but you do have a lot of anlysis on that chapter on many of the different sections of this blog. It’s good thought provoking analysis and I’m sure i speak for the class when I say thank you for the input…
By the way I think Caleb Hudson speaks some German… something to think about – The Dan
“There was as much variety in her motions as in their flight. When she was musing she was a kestrel, which hangs in the air by an invisible motion of its wings. When she was in a high wind her light body was blown against trees and banks like a heron’s. When she was frightened she darted noiselessly like a kingfisher. When she was serene she skimmed like a swallow…” (191).
Whew! Long quote! So Thomasin’s actions and movements are symbolized by these different kinds of birds in the series of metaphors and similes. This may be Hardy’s commentary on her flighty personality and tendency to let her surroundings determine her mood, to some extent. I liked what Katie Hittle said in the Socratic discussion about Thomasin’s bird comparisons: she was always being caged in by those around her.
(( Brooke ))
Similie: “They were like those double stars which revolve round and round eachother, and from a distance appear to be one” (241).
This similie is made in the early stages of Clym and Eustacia’s marriage. It is quite effective as imagery also, by helping us paint the picture of their early love physically and emotionally. Stars are romantic and evoke the reader to view the genuine affection of the couple as untoughable by any outside source. We know this does not end up being the case, but it effectively communicates the pretty picture of young lovers before tragedy hits.
—Karla
metaphor and similie: “To see her hair was to fancy that a whole winter did not contain darkness enough to form its shadow: it closed over her forehead like nightfall extinguishing the western glow” (71).
This is the first of many references made to Eustacia’s hair. The metaphor of winter and shadow tell us not that she has a lot of dark hair, but convey that she is extremely obscure and mysterious. The simile also serves as imagery. Anyone who has ever watched a sunset knows that point where the sun is down but a little light still lingers in the mostly dark sky. Just like nightfall is oppressive on the light, I can picture Eustacia’s dark bangs or hair around the crown of her head to overshadow her pale face. This makes her seem vieled and unapproachable.
sorry that was by alyssa
and i posted a picture of what i saw in my head as the oppressive darkness over the last of a sunset on a different post. I dont know how to put a picture in a comment…so its on the post titled “sunset”
alyssa
side note: what are you doing up or still up at 6 in the morning on a saturday?
This is a great link that answer all of your analysis related questions about the novel and since the “page starter” asked for analysis I thought it would fit well here.
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/returnofnative/section10.rhtml
seth
p.s. I don’t think you need a password to view this page … but don’t know if it will show as a link or not
seth- haha that was actually about 1 am…the time thing is messed up.
In the Queen of Night chapter I found this similie about the heath that explaines what part of Eustacia’s problem is:
“To dwell on a heath without studying its meanings was like wedding a foriegner without learning his tongue” (76).
Eustacia refused to “study the heath” or make any kind of connection with it, unlike the other characters in the novel, so it is no mystery why she has such a hard time living there. She cannot relate, communicate, or appreciate the heath just like if I would if I married some guy who only spoke German.
alyssa
Alyssa – Did you only read the chapter “Queen of Night”… just kidding but you do have a lot of anlysis on that chapter on many of the different sections of this blog. It’s good thought provoking analysis and I’m sure i speak for the class when I say thank you for the input…
By the way I think Caleb Hudson speaks some German… something to think about – The Dan
“There was as much variety in her motions as in their flight. When she was musing she was a kestrel, which hangs in the air by an invisible motion of its wings. When she was in a high wind her light body was blown against trees and banks like a heron’s. When she was frightened she darted noiselessly like a kingfisher. When she was serene she skimmed like a swallow…” (191).
Whew! Long quote! So Thomasin’s actions and movements are symbolized by these different kinds of birds in the series of metaphors and similes. This may be Hardy’s commentary on her flighty personality and tendency to let her surroundings determine her mood, to some extent. I liked what Katie Hittle said in the Socratic discussion about Thomasin’s bird comparisons: she was always being caged in by those around her.
(( Brooke ))
I’m not sure how to make the picture show up on the page, so here’s the links. All of these birds come from the previous comment I made.
A heron flying in the wind.
http://www.earthisland.org/eijournal/june2006/IMAGES/heron.jpg
A kestrel flying.
http://www.birdfinders.co.uk/images/lesser-kestrel-spain-2006.jpg
A kingfisher flying (looks like a hummingbird??).
http://reisverslagen.tomsweb.net/tanzania/Kingfisher2.jpg
And a swallow!
http://toshuo.com/uploaded_images/barn_swallow.jpg
(( Brooke ))