At the end of the novel, Hardy writes, “The writer may state here that the original conception of the story did not design a marriage between Thomasin and Venn. He was to have retained his isolated and weird character to the last, and to have disappeared mysteriously from the heath, nobody knowing whither–Thomasin remaining a widow, But certain circumstances of serial publication led to a change of intent. Readers can therefor choose between the endings, and those with an austere artistic code can assume the more consistent conclusion to be the true one.”
What do y’all think?
-Stephen
Well, I think that the book would have been better if Diggory did not end up marrying Thomasin, but I would have been mad if he did not end up marrying Thomasin… If that makes any sense.. I think Diggory’s character would have been more of a complete character if he did end up disappearing. His untainted morality and constant character would have just been better if his part in the story ended with his departure. For some reason I’m having a really hard time explaining what I’m trying to say so I will give a vague example. Hopefully you’ve seen the movie Stranger than Fiction. (If you haven’t this will ruin the ending). But everyone says that Crick has to die or the book will be ruined. But then the author ends up saving him at the sacrifice of her book. I think it is kinda the same thing for Diggory. Hardy, in maybe wanting to please his readers, married Diggory to Thomasin, when in reality it would have been better to have Diggory’s character to be complete by leaving the heath unannounced, despite his love for Thomasin. In my opinion at least.
-Stephen
I agree that Thomasin and Venn should not have ended up together. Not only is it not consistant with Venn’s charactor (as stephen mentioned), it is not consistant with the plot. Thomasin already had a chance to marry Venn and did not take it. She obviously does not pick a husband off of virtue. She told him no, because Mrs. Yeobright had not approved. Well Mrs. Yeobright still never approved before she died no matter what Thomasin decieves herself into thinking. And also Wildeve and Venn are soo different I find it hard to believe that anyone could love both, even at different times. In conclusion, since he proposed the first time Venn’s character did not change, Thomasin’s character did not change, and Mrs. Yeobrights opinion did not change so how could the outcome have been any different the second time he proposed? If Thomasin was just desparate to marry someone new she would have chosen Clym, whom Mrs. Yeobright wanted for her.
That was christine
I agree. It’s like, once all distractions were gone, Thomasin finally noticed Venn. He hadn’t changed at all.
I can’t remember who I was talking to the other day but someone mentioned Stranger Than Fiction. The author writes the book where Will Ferril’s character gets to live, but at the expense of it only being a so-so novel. If she had allowed him to die, the book would have been exponentially better.
It would have been the same with Return of the Native in my opinion. Venn’s character suggested he is better suited to life alone on the road than in society, settled down in one place. To be honest, I don’t think Thomasin deserved Venn. He was “crazy go nuts” about her, but she didn’t care for him at all until the end of the novel. Her innocent naivety concerning Wildeve was so disgusting, I can’t believe Diggory continued to find her attractive. The story would have been deeper had it ended without their marriage. It would’ve contained a depressing “moral of the story” aspect that I find sophisticated.
~ Jeremy Thompson **
** Mr. Awesome