Return Home: The Complete Translation

Author: [British] Thomas Hardy
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-01-01
Features: Young businessman returns to his hometown of the moorland from Paris due to his aversion to the extravagant city life, intending to live a quiet rural life. Meanwhile, the young woman Y despises the gloomy moorland and yearns for the big city. Hoping to meet the renowned, she disguises herself as a man and uninvitedly joins the mime troupe to attend his family's banquet. is indeed captivated by her, and despite his mother's opposition, they marry soon after and move out to live separately. However, has no intention of returning to Paris, and due to excessive reading, his eyesight nearly becomes blind, which displeases Y. Later, disguises himself as a lumberjack, which further embarrasses her. At a ball, Y unexpectedly encounters her former lover, V, and begins an affair with him in secret.'s mother decides to reconcile with her daughter-in-law and crosses the moorland under the scorching sun to visit her son., exhausted from labor, falls asleep, and Y, assuming he has risen to greet her, leaves without anyone answering her mother's knock. Believing she is unwelcome, the heartbroken mother turns back home and is bitten to death by a snake on the way. Later, learns the truth and furiously drives Y out of the house. In despair, Y seeks out V again. Coincidentally, V unexpectedly comes into a large fortune and asks her to leave with him. That night, Y goes to meet V but gets lost in a storm and falls into a small lake, drowning. V dives in to save her but also drowns. In the end, becomes a traveling preacher.