The Return of the Native · Chapter
My Mind to Me a Kingdom Is explained
This chapter introduces Clym Yeobright, a native of Egdon Heath who returns home after years in Paris.
What happens
This chapter introduces Clym Yeobright, a native of Egdon Heath who returns home after years in Paris. His face is described as a modern type, reflecting a disillusioned view of life. The heath folk discuss his unexpected return, and Clym reveals his plan to abandon his trade in Paris and become a schoolmaster on Egdon, hoping to lead a more useful life among his own people.
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 Exposition.
- 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
- Modernity vs. Tradition
Clym's return and his plan to educate the heath folk represent a clash between modern, urban values and traditional rural life.
- Fate and Destiny
The narrator reflects on the 'waggery of fate' that led Clym to Paris, and the uncertainty of his future path.
- Social Class and Ambition
Clym rejects the 'effeminate' trade of the Parisian luxury market to pursue a more meaningful, though humble, occupation.
Characters to notice
- Clym Yeobright
Introduced as the protagonist with a modern, thoughtful face; returns from Paris and announces his plan to become a schoolmaster on Egdon.
- Timothy Fairway
Performs Sunday hair-cutting; leads the gossip about Clym's return and doubts his plan will succeed.
- Sam
Participates in the discussion about Clym's return, noting the heavy boxes he brought.
- Humphrey
Comments on the contrast between Paris and Egdon during the hair-cutting conversation.
Key passages
“The view of life as a thing to be put up with, replacing that zest for existence which was so intense in early civilizations, must ultimately enter so thoroughly into the constitution of the advanced races that its facial expression will become accepted as a new artistic departure.”
Modern people see life as something to endure, unlike ancient civilizations that embraced it with passion, and this resigned attitude will eventually shape the ideal human face in art.
Establishes the philosophical tone of the chapter and Clym's modern character.
“I found that I was trying to be like people who had hardly anything in common with myself. I was endeavouring to put off one sort of life for another sort of life, which was not better than the life I had known before. It was simply different.”
Clym realized he was trying to imitate people unlike himself, exchanging one way of life for another that was no better, only different.
Clym explains his disillusionment with Parisian life and his motivation to return home.
