A STUDY OF SEXUAL SUBJUGATION – EUSTACIA VYE
A STUDY OF SEXUAL SUBJUGATION – EUSTACIA VYE

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the representation of sexual subjugation and female resistance in Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native, focusing primarily on the tragic figure of Eustacia Vye. The study examines the complex interplay between gender, marriage, social expectations, individual desire and determinism within the restrictive framework of Victorian society. Particular attention is devoted to the ways in which patriarchal structures, social conventions and environmental constraints contribute to the marginalisation of women and the suppression of their aspirations. Through a detailed textual analysis, the research investigates Eustacia’s struggle to assert her individuality and autonomy in a world governed by rigid moral codes and an inexorable fate. The paper further analyses the institution of marriage as both a social mechanism of control and a catalyst for personal tragedy, highlighting the contrasting motivations that drive the novel’s principal characters. The relationship between Eustacia Vye and Clym Yeobright is interpreted as a dramatic confrontation between romantic idealism and social reality, revealing the incompatibility between personal fulfilment and societal expectations. Moreover, the study explores Hardy’s modern conception of tragedy, emphasising the role of psychological complexity, emotional conflict and existential suffering in shaping the destinies of his protagonists. The findings demonstrate that Eustacia Vye embodies a profound critique of female subordination, while simultaneously illustrating the limits imposed upon individual agency by social and metaphysical forces. Ultimately, the paper argues that Hardy presents Eustacia not merely as a victim of circumstance, but as a tragic heroine whose rebellion against oppression confers dignity upon her suffering and elevates her to a position of enduring literary significance.

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