How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
But men are drawn from their intentions even in the course of carrying them out, and it was extremely doubtful, by the time the twentieth guinea had been reached, whether Wildeve was conscious of any other intention than that of winning for his own personal benefit. (3.7.99)
It's interesting that this sentence starts out in very generalized terms before honing in specifically on Wildeve – in a way, the sentence structure helps to take some judgment and blame off of Wildeve. Men in general are flawed and Wildeve is no exception.
Quote #11
"But the more I see of life the more do I perceive that there is nothing particularly great in its greatest walks, and therefore nothing particularly small in mine of furze-cutting." (4.2.85)
Clym should consider writing fortune cookies for a living. But, really, the ideas he introduces here are major themes in the novel. Egdon might seem like a silly small town at times but it is also a great, dramatic stage – "great" and "small" become pretty relative terms in this book.
Quote #12
"But it is so dreadful – a furze-cutter! and you a man who have lived about the world [...] and who are fit for so much better than this." "I suppose when you first saw me and heard about me I was wrapped in a sort of golden halo to your eyes [...] an adorable, delightful, distracting hero?"
"Yes," she said, sobbing. (4.3.3-5)
Eustacia seems incapable of reconciling a "man of the world" with a "furze-cutter," revealing how her status consciousness dominates her ideas of other people. By stepping down the social ladder, Clym has become a total failure to her. What's really interesting here is how Clym describes Eustacia's image of him in fantasy terms like "hero" and "halo." Clym suggests that Eustacia never had a realistic view of him.