Describe symbolism in The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

In Book I, we become privy to the twists of fate and results of different deceptions and misapprehensions. We are introduced to the first of a many layers of ambiguity, the deception of Thomasin by Wildeve and Eustacia. The theme that emerges is the fact that our perceptions are unreliable representation of what is real. Just as the heath changes, so do the human spirit and its inclinations. Another theme that Hardy presents deals with the consequences simple actions can have to change a life forever (such as delaying in opening the door to her mother-in-law results in a chain of events that ultimately causes the old lady's demise). In a symbolic sense, these are the ripples caused by the first pebble that Wildeve throws in the pond in his clandestine meeting with Eustacia.