Underlying Messges in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s My Kinsman,...

A lot of the time when we look at the writers that wrote specifically during the romanticism era we see it vital to figure out the significant, every so often underlining, messages that an author may be trying to convey through their plot, character arrangement or even the scenes that the characters find themselves in. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s My Kinsman, Major Molineux, is a great example of how an author tells more about the world around themselves through the stories they write. In this short story we are introduced to a young boy, Robin, who is in search of an older gentleman, Major Molineux, which he feels a strong connection to and is determined to find. From a literal perspective one could see this short story for exactly what is†¦show more content†¦By thinking so fondly of them he begins to miss his father even more. He now enters a dream like trance where he focuses on his family. Robin breaks the trance when he encounters a gentleman who comes off as an intell igent and well-mannered man. Here, through Robin’s dialogue with the man, we get a deeper look into the relationship between Robin and Major Molineux. Robin elucidates to the man that his father was once a clergyman while his brother and Robin’s uncle, Major Molineux had inherited riches of the family. He goes on to tell the man that his uncle did not have any children of his own. Robin tells the man that Major Molineux showed an interest in him and because his older brother was to inherit the farm that his father would leave behind, he was the one that was supposed to receive his uncle’s wealth and generosity. As they sit, they hear a crowd of people approaching. As they approach their grumblings grow louder and louder. When the crowd comes nearer, the street is filled with people. Robin recognizes the leaders of this crowd as the very man who had insulted and threatened him in the inn and given him advice to wait by the church because the Major would come by t here. Robin recognizes that in the center of the crowd Major Molineux was standing there tarred and feathered. When Robin and his uncle’s eyes meet he finally sees the truth about his uncle. Nathaniel Hawthorne does a tremendous job of showing a sense of coming of age and the destruction of