My kinsman, major molineux
My kinsman, major molineuxNathaniel Hawthorne's story, "My Kinsman, Major Molineux", is set shortly before the American Revolution. The main character is a young man, Robin, who is traveling to the city to 'rise in the world', with the help of his uncle. Robin's journey into the city takes place at night, and Robin immediately seeks his kinsman by asking some of the residents. The story develops the events that lead Robin to discover why he is treated with such hostility when he asks directions to his uncle's home. Through his descriptive imagery concerning Robin's environment, his lack of informed judgement, and his subsequent awakening, Hawthorne makes the theme of "My Kinsman, Major Molineux" painfully obvious to the reader.
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses great detail and references to sight, to create the night journey that Robin travels upon. He immediately uses the descriptions of Robin to create an image of a boy who is in an environment foreign to him. Robin is dressed in common country dress, which makes him appear as though he has never left the safety of his farm. Hawthorne begins to make references to sight imagery, such as, 'with an eager eye', and 'scrutinizes the small and mean wooden buildings'. Robin begins to use sight as a method of guidance, and tries to find the way to his uncle's dwelling through sight observation. Robin attempts to find his uncle's house by analyzing the exteriors of the houses on the streets. He uses the appearance of the houses to judge if the house is prestigious enough to be his uncle's home. Once Robin fails to find his uncle's house, he walks slowly down the street hoping to recognize his uncle as those who are passing by. Robin's foolish attempts to locate his uncle begin to make the theme of the story very clear. When Robin finds himself outside a church, Hawthorne takes the opportunity to create a vivid description of a pulpit, illuminated by a single ray of light inside a church. After Robin sits outside the church he begins to notice the architecture of the nearby houses. This seems to indicate that Robin is beginning to become more observant, even before his eventual epiphany.
Robin makes his inexperience evident through his naive commentary and conclusions. After asking an old man on the street the way to his uncle's home, the old man and nearby barbers laugh at Robin. He ironically thinks to himself, 'even the barber's boys laugh at you for choosing such a guide. You will be wiser in time'. This confirms that he is not only too inexperienced to realize his mistakes, but he is also blind to the reason the barbers were laughing at him. Robin's foolish methods to find his uncle allow the reader to realize that he is young and unacquainted with city life. Robin pays the ferryman who brings him to the town with a depreciated currency, and is unaware of the depreciation. He later thinks to himself, 'strange things we travellers see', after encountering a man wearing Indian war paint. Unaware of the revolutionaries, he does not realize why the man is wearing the paint. Since Robin was raised on a farm, he knows very little about how to behave and react in a city environment. This becomes evident once he begins to ask some of the local townspeople about his uncle. As Robin is ridiculed and threatened to be in 'the stocks by daylight', when he asks directions, he begins to consider violence as a means to find the direction to his kinsman's residence. After the innkeeper threatens Robin for his inquiry, the hostility of the inn was what kept him from 'breaking the courteous innkeeper's head'. As the story progresses and Robin gets more frustrated, he begins to consider using his cudgel more often. After his encounter with the watchman, Robin decides to succumb to his anger and frustration, and use his cudgel to physically stop a man passing by to ask directions. This allows the reader to realize Robin is incapable of dealing with his frustration, even when he is the cause of it. Robin walks down the street looking for houses he thinks are worthy of his uncle and knocking on doors. His attempts to walk down the street looking for his uncle clearly indicates Robin has little clear judgement.
Robin's awakening comes when he encounters his uncle, tarred and feathered being paraded down the street. Upon witnessing the spectacle, Robin realizes his prior follies and his inability to realize some inescapable truths. While watching the crowd approach, Robin says to himself that the double-faced fellow has, 'his eye upon me', once again referring to sight observation. He looks upon the faces of those who had mocked him so mercilessly. Once the crowd stops and begins to laugh at Robin, he picks out the laugh of the first man he asked, which was a constant reminder of his folly throughout the story. He hears the laughter of those that had scoffed at his inquiry or threatened him. He sees the faces of those whom he had embarrassed himself in front of. Robin begins to understand that one can not simply use an acquaintance's name to earn respect. He begins to understand the reason for the various events that night, and during this revelation he chooses to join in their laughter. It is during this moment that Robin has an epiphany, he finally realizes that which is obvious to the reader throughout the story.
Through his sight description, Hawthorne allows the reader to see the world through the eyes of Robin. This permits the reader to have a clearer understanding of Robin's mistakes and the lessons he will inevitably have to learn. Using the theme of youthful initiation, the reader is able to recognize the lessons that Robin must learn, and have a greater insight to Robin's character. Since the reader has presumably experienced the same type of youthful initiation as Robin, this process allows them to recognize the follies of young Robin and the theme of the story very easily.