Nathaniel Hawthorne's My Kinsman, Major Molineux as an Allegory
“May not one man have several voices, Robin, as well as two complexions?” (1261), asks the friendly gentleman in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “My Kinsman, Major Molineux.” Just as one man may have multiple facets, so too may a story, if we correctly interpret samples of Hawthorne’s work. It seems as though modern readers practically assume that his work ought to be read allegorically, and indeed, The Scarlet Letter, and many other famous works of Hawthorne, are brilliant allegories if they are interpreted as such. And yet, Nathaniel Hawthorne, more than a religious zealot or political advocate, was an avid student of colonial history. We read in the Norton Anthology’s brief biography of Hawthorne that, “[Hawthorne] was steeping himself in colonial history more than the political issues of his time” (1248). Becoming more familiar with the history of his young nation, he even published “a child’s history of colonial and revolutionary New England” (1249). This being as it is, it would do Hawthorne’s short stories a great injustice to dismiss their merit as historical commentaries. Obviously, Hawthorne’s works are multifaceted, and one must determine how to best read and interpret them. Can the reader of Hawthorne’s short story “My Kinsman, Major Molineux” interpret this work as an allegory, and if he does, what does the story lose in terms of its historical merit?
In many ways, “My Kinsman, Major Molineux” lends itself to an allegorical reading. One interpretation may be that the work is more of a bildungsroman than a true allegory. Understanding “My Kinsman, Major Molineux” as such, the reader sees Robin as a simple country youth, endeavoring first to throw...
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...eristics of an allegory, it is now apparent that the work contains more dimensions. The reader need not categorize this story, either as an allegory or as an historical commentary. Indeed, there being evidence to support both interpretations, to do so would be a mistake. Allegorically, the story warns the reader that once one enters Hell, he is destined to participate in it forever. Historically, it paints an uniquely sympathetic portrait of British loyalists and their persecution at the hands of colonial patriots. In both respects, Hawthorne’s work has merit. Thus, in answer to the question previously posed, the reader is justified in interpreting “My Kinsman, Major Molineux” as an allegorical work. However, he is not justified in dismissing its historical virtues. Hawthorne’s story can and should be read carefully, with the reader appreciating its many dimensions.
Beginning with the very first words of The Scarlet Letter the reader is thrust into a bleak and unforgiving setting. “A thong of bearded men, in sad-colored garments,” that are said to be “intermixed with women,” come off as overpowering and all-encompassing; Hawthorne quickly and clearly establishes who will be holding the power in this story: the males (Hawthorne 45). And he goes even further with his use of imagery, painting an even more vivid picture in the reader’s mind. One imagines a sea of drab grays and browns, further reinforcing the unwelcoming feeling this atmosphere seems to inheren...
“Nathaniel Hawthorne – Biography.” The European Graduate School. The European Graduate School, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014
My Kinsman, Major Molineux is about Robin a young and sheltered youth. This story opens with Robin trying to find his kinsman Major Molineux. He approaches many people trying to find his kinsman. Of all the people he approaches none are helpful in locating his kinsman. Finally he gets an answer and finds his kinsman to have been tarred and feathered. This is a shock to him, however, he deals with that surprise and goes on with his life. This story is about change and coping with the fact that change is inevitable.
Lang, H.J.. “How Ambiguous Is Hawthorne.” In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.
Hawthorne’s Romantic writing ability allures his readers into deep thought of the transforming characters creating himself as a phenomenon. His ability to transform Puritan society in a dark world “attracts readers not only for their storytelling qualities, but also for the moral and theological ambiguities Hawthorne presents so well” (Korb 303). In “Young Goodman Brown” Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Romantic characteristics such as artificiality of the city, escape from reality, and the value of imagination.
Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the first American writers to pioneer the unprecedented and unforeseen gothic genre which resulted in the exposure of darker themes across America in the 19th century. This new genre sprouted the “brooding” romantics who revolved around the human’s capacity for evil as a main theme of their works. Being one of the “brooding” romantics, Hawthorne followed the Puritans’ belief that everyone is a sinner as a result of being a descendent of the Puritans associated with the infamous Salem witchcraft trials. Not only was he related to the despicable Puritans, but also, he had to live with the guilt that his dishonorable great-great grandfather, Judge Hathorne, was “the only one who refused to apologize for his role
In both “Roger Malvin's Burial” and “The Minister's Black Veil,” Nathaniel Hawthorne centralizes the themes of sin, guilt, and repentance. Both are very much set in terms of what defines sin and, in turn, what would constitute action leaving an opening for forgiveness, and both leave many a question unanswered in the story being told. The main question for us becomes, then, one of applicability. Does either story hold a message, if so, what? In considering the two, it may be that they do indeed hold a message, but maybe that message is not one that Hawthorne himself could ever have intended. In this paper I will deal with the themes of guilt, sin, repentance and how Hawthorne developed them in both stories.
Lang, H.J. “How Ambiguous is Hawthorne?” In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of America's most renowned authors, demonstrates his extraordinary talents in two of his most famed novels, The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. To compare these two books seems bizarre, as their plots are distinctly different. Though the books are quite seemingly different, the central themes and Hawthorne's style are closely related (Carey, p. 62). American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne is most famous for his books THE SCARLET LETTER and THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES, which are closely related in theme, the use of symbolism, characterization, and style.
Lathrop, G. P., ed. "Hawthorne, Nathaniel." The Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature. Binghamton, New York: Vail-Ballou, 1962. 439-40. Print.
The author Henry James called Nathaniel Hawthorne “the most valuable example of American genius”, expressing the widely held belief that he was the most significant fiction writer of the antebellum period. (The Norton Anthology of American Literature) Will we recognize an example, a certain expository shape, to Hawthorne 's representation of the puritan woman, and to his depiction of relationships to a great extent? I think the answer is, decidedly, yes it is clearly distinguished, a few years prior, by Nina Baym in her hash-settling paper "Impeded Nature: Nathaniel Hawthorne as Feminist." Baym contends that a considerable lot of the stories we most esteem and regularly instruct make a managed examination out of and an effective assault upon-male
In order to grasp the allegory Hawthorne communicated so skillfully, the story needs to be considered in a way that recognizes the blending of its historical background and its relationship to religious symbolism within that perspective.
Since ours is an age that has found irony, ambiguity, and paradox to be central not only in literature but in life, it is not surprising that Hawthorne has seemed to us one of the most modern of nineteenth century American writers. The bulk and general excellence of the great outburst of Hawthorne criticism of the past decade attest to his relevance for us (54).
A symbol is an object used to stand for something else. Symbolism has a hidden meaning lying within it; these meanings unite to form a more detailed theme. Symbolism is widely used in The Scarlet Letter to help the reader better understand the deep meanings Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays throughout his novel. He shows that sin, known or unknown to the community, isolates a person from their community and from God. Hawthorne also shows this by symbols in nature around the town, natural symbols in the heavens, and nature in the forest.
Kopley, Richard. “Hawthorne’s transplanting and transforming ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’”. GALE Studies in American Fiction 23.2 (1995): 231-234