Fate, a term which seems to appear every so often in the everyday world, can be a powerful force when dealing with the predetermination of events. Whether in the past, present or future, fate can change how things were, or are supposed to be. As William Jennings Byran, a famous military colonel, once said, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is not a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing which is to happen.” Fate cannot be altered and is something which must happen to everyone and everything. As is the case with Thomas Hardy’s novel, Return of the Native. Without the element of fate, the plot of Return of the Native would have drastically changed because most of the events included in the plot would not have taken place. Every happening in the novel was important in adding to the plot and having its own significance, which made the novel the great story which it was and still is. Whether it was the deaths of Mrs. Yoebright, Eustacia, and Damon, or the other significant parts included in the plot, fate was reason for every one of them occurring.The plot to the novel begins about the time Eustacia discovers that Clym Yoebright is returning to the countryside. Since Clym was a diamond merchant, Eustacia believed that he could get her out of the Heath, Eustacia’s home and the very place she wants to flee. Believing that Damon, the man she is having a relationship with, would not be able to accomplish this task for her, she turns to Clym. The person who can very well be her ticket out of her homeland. Since this was meant to happen for Eustacia, it was her fate for Clym to return to the moors. By this happening, it creates the conflict between Mrs. Yoebright and her son Clym. When Clym begins to spend most of his time with Eustacia, his mother gets jealous and gives him an ultimatum of choosing between her and Eustacia. With him not making a decision, Mrs. Yoebright tell...
