The Return of the Native

The bonfires lit on November 5 burn as last beacons of light for a world that will soon descend into the darkness of winter. For Eustacia, the fires represent a last chance to lure Wildeve back into her sphere of influence. She urges Johnny Nunsuch to feed the fire, to make it the biggest and brightest in the heath, hoping that Wildeve will see it and return to her. He was there a year ago, and during that time spurned her for another woman. She has just learned that his marriage didn’t happen. She will lure him back. The bonfire provides the backdrop for the reignition of their passion. The fire fills her with a yearning to be loved to “madness.”

A year later, on November 5, Eustacia has returned home to her grandfather, her marriage in shambles. Depressed, she rejects a fire, but Johnny builds one to cheer her up. Wildeve, now a wealthy married man and a father, sees the fire and is drawn in once again. He knows Eustacia’s sorry state and wants to assist her. She says she cannot take money from him, married to another woman. He agrees to help her escape. They cannot be together without returning to the love and passion they share.