A Study Of Eustacia’s Quest For Self-identity In The Return Of The Native From Spatial Perspective

Thomas Hardy is the last greatest writer in the British Victorian age.He is famous for the novels of“Character and Environment”,while The Return of the Native is a typical representative of this kind.The spatial transformation of the heroine between different locations in the novel endows the novel with a strong sense of space.Based on Lefebvre’s spatial theory,this thesis attempts to explore the causes of Eustace’s self-identity crisis and the expression of her self-identity quest from three aspects: physical space,social space and mental space.This thesis argues that the constant transformation of physical space causes Eustacia’s self-identity disorder,and the repressed natural space and marginalized family space make her become the “Other” on Egdon Heath.The patriarchal oppression and interpersonal alienation in social space hinder Eustacia’s pursuit of self-identity.On the one hand,the social status of women in patriarchal society is marginalized and women become the subordinate of men.On the other hand,the conflicts between tradition and modern civilization make Eustacia unable to integrate into the life of the heath people,thus losing the sense of belonging in social space.Mental space reflects Eustacia’s pursuit of self-identity.By reconstructing a harmonious mental space,Eustacia breaks the shackles of space in imagination.In addition,through dressing up and imitating masculinity,she deconstructs the gender difference between men and women and realizes the construction of the subjective identity of mental space.Eustacia’s pursuit of self-identity is reflected in her escape from the repressed physical space,her resistance to the patriarchal social space and her reconstruction of the harmonious mental space.Through the analysis of the relationship between space and identity,the thesis points out that physical space,social space and mental space are intertwined,which jointly promote Eustacia’s quest for her self-identity.This research hopes to broaden the interpretation of the connotation of The Return of the Native and provide a case for the application of spatial theory in the interpretation of literary works.