The Return of the Native · Chapter
Endnotes explained
The author's endnotes clarify the fictional inn's real-world inspirations, note the original conception of the story (in which Diggory Venn was to disappear mysteriously and Thomasin remain a widow), and explain that serial publication led
What happens
The author's endnotes clarify the fictional inn's real-world inspirations, note the original conception of the story (in which Diggory Venn was to disappear mysteriously and Thomasin remain a widow), and explain that serial publication led to the altered ending with their marriage, leaving readers to choose between the two conclusions.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Resolution.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this scene, the narrative climax occurs because Clym’s psychological recovery and newfound taciturnity are…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Isolation and Loneliness
The original ending, with Venn disappearing and Thomasin remaining a widow, would have reinforced themes of isolation and loneliness on the heath.
- Love and Marriage
The altered ending introduces a marriage between Thomasin and Venn, shifting the narrative away from the originally intended solitary conclusion.
Characters to notice
- Thomasin Yeobright
Originally intended to remain a widow, but the published ending gives her a marriage to Venn.
- Diggory Venn
Originally conceived as retaining his isolated, weird character and disappearing mysteriously; the serial ending changed this to a marriage with Thomasin.
Key passages
“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.”
The author originally planned for Venn to remain a strange, solitary figure who vanishes without explanation, leaving Thomasin a widow, but serial publication forced a change.
The author explains the divergence between the original and published endings.
