The Return of the Native Fate and Free Will Quotes Page 1
Citations follow this format: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
| Quote #1 But Providence is nothing if not coquettish; and no sooner had Eustacia formed this resolve than the opportunity came which, while sought, had been entirely withholden. (2.3.28) |
Providence sounds a lot like Eustacia then. Ba-dum. We're here all week folks. Anyway, in terms of the book's themes, it's definitely worth noting that fate is very, very fickle here.
| Quote #2 Wildeve stood, and stood longer, and breathed perplexedly, and then said to himself with resignation, "Yes – by Heaven, I must go to her, I suppose!" |
Wildeve's word choice here is worth exploring – he says that he "must" go to her, not that he "should" or that he "wants to." He didn't even toss an "I guess I must" in there. Wildeve makes it sound like he has absolutely no choice in the matter; in fact he's "resigned" to the fact that he doesn't have a choice.
| Quote #3 "I do not plead for him, aunt. Human nature is weak, and I am not a blind woman to insist that he is perfect. I did think so, but I don't now. But I know my course, and you know that I know it. I hope for the best." (2.8.18) |
Unlike most of the other characters here, Thomasin isn't a big believer in fate. Thomasin "knows her course" because it is practical. She isn't getting married because the universe demands it.
