Eustacia from ‘The Return of the Native’ is similar to Cathy and marries Clym for social advancement and possible freedom. Clym is a successful diamond merchant who lived in Paris, Eustacia finds herself attracted to this. The difficulties that women faced in society is reflected when Eustacia dresses as a Knight in the mummers play to get close to a male. Both of these female characters have a choice of two men but they both choose status and wealth. Consequently both female characters make the wrong choices and have tragic endings to their lives.
Not only is it female characters that are affected by choice and status but men also. Heathcliff is affected by status; he derives from a less privileged background and therefore his status is low. As a result of this he is made an outsider. Heathcliffs actions are provoked by his lack of original choices, for example one of his choices is to take revenge. Diggory Venn from, ‘The Return of the Native’ is similar to Heathcliff in terms of being an outsider. Diggory Venn isolates himself from society, when he leaves his environment he has a choice but when in his environment he has no choice.
Choice is affected by fate also. There is a sense of fatalism running through both tragic novels. The environment in both novels suggests tragedy, “It had a lonely face suggesting tragical possibilities”. Character flaws are also important when dealing with the issue of fate. Generally the characters who are tragic heroes do not follow the conventions of society and as a result of this their fate is death. Cathy, Edgar, Linton, Hindley, Eustacia, Mrs Yeobright and Wildeve all pass away. As a result of fate and through death they are unable to make choices.
Wuthering Heights portrays a destructive love, and this is reflected through various characters. Within this novel there is frequent discussion of death and there is a great sense of foreboding. The love that Cathy and Heathcliff have together is beyond this world. There is also a strong sense fatalism running through ‘The Return of the Native’. Eustacia was an ‘organic part of the heath’, this suggesting that tragic events beyond her control were to follow. Hardys use of narrative foreshadowing also suggests tragic possibilities to the reader. Clym is the tragic hero of ‘The Return of the Native’. His physical and a metaphorical “blindness” is a reflection of him and his tragic character flaws.
It is clear that both novels present the idea of a lack of choice within Cathy and other similar characters. When put into context though her actions are understandable. However it is not only female characters that have “no meaningful choices” the male characters can also suffer from society and its expectations.
