ABSTRACT

Diggory's reddle is made from red ochre, a natural clay infused with iron oxide. Because of the strength of the colorant and wide availability of the clay, red ochre has been the historic choice of colorant on a global scale, found "in the earliest surviving primal-religious art apparently in preference to other colors. In The Return of the Native, Hardy deploys Diggory's color to incorporate artistic vocabulary and pictorial elements into his description in an attempt to bring visual interest into the written text. Despite the concessions made in The Return of the Native's ending, overall, Hardy's chromophilic tendencies work well in balancing the artistic play made possible by color with the political realities of skin color. Diggory's gendered status in the novel exemplifies this contradictory treatment, incorporating as it does both masculine and feminine characteristics to challenge norms while often reinforcing his external acceptability despite his coloring and occupation.