Essay on Gender in Hawthorne’s Blithedale Romance

Gender in Hawthorne’s Blithedale Romancenbsp; nbsp; The Blithedale Romance, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story of a twisted utopia. This perfect world is twisted in that the roles of gender have a traditional utopian representation, only with a more contemporary take. Of course, this is interesting because this book was written and published in the 19th century when such ideas were beginning to establish a form for the genre of writing. Hawthorne combines fantasy, philosophy, mystery, gothic, and even [what would be called today] science fiction. This novel illustrates the early break from even fresh ideas. The writing style allows for the genderizing degenderizing affect as well as nature of the self. nbsp;†¦show more content†¦The males within the novel always seemed to be placing their skills and knowledge above the womens own. Characters such as Coverdale and Hollingsworth placed their own thoughts above those of the female characters almost anytime that they could. The women, oddly, seemed to show diverse roles. Subtly, this is a representation of women as more complex than men in general. One of the characters, Zenobia, is probably the most least genderized character of the novel, that is, until the end. Throughout most of the novel, she is seen as very masculine (in comparison to traditional roles that is) yet very feminine at the same time. She has a mystical illusion about her yet seems very sensible in the ways of life. However, by the end of the novel, Hawthorne writes her character to be very manipulative and weak, for she dies of grief. On the other hand, the other female character, Priscilla, seems to hold the same mystical aura about her, yet she is the is t he typical female character. She is feminine in her daily activities; she prances around with a constant smile and seems naive about the world. She is the victim of others doings. The hierarchy of the sexes is blatantly obvious in that it favors the male and holds the male ideals perfectly. nbsp; Nature was a main idea in theShow MoreRelatedThe Whiteness of the Veil: Color and the veil in Hawthorne’s The Minister’s Black Veil and The Blithedale Romance1578 Words   |  6 PagesShadow in Hawthorne’s Fiction† Walter Blair approaches an interpretation of Hawthorne’s work through the author’s manipulation of color and light to produce symbolic meaning. Blair addresses â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† and notes the repeated emphasis on the blackness of Father Hooper’s veil and the pallor as a reaction to it. â€Å"The design of this tale,† he asserts, â€Å"is one in which repeated patterns of light, then blackness, then whiteness meaningfully occur† (Blair 76). Similarly, Hawthorne’s novel TheRead MoreThe Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Blithedale Romance And The Susanna Cummins The Lamplighter1574 Words   |  7 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s The Blithedale Romance and Maria Susanna Cumminsâ€⠄¢ The Lamplighter are vastly different books. While originally published within two years of each other, both authors approached their writing through distinctive practices. Hawthorne failed to show development in the majority of his characters in his romance, while Cummins’ sentimental novel is heavily loaded with positive character growth. After reading The Blithedale Romance and The Lamplighter, one of the main differences notedRead MoreThe New England Renaissance1942 Words   |  8 Pagesof Longfellows earliest poems were published previous to 1830, and some of Whittiers also; but it was really nearer 1840 than 1830 that either obtained general recognition as a poet. Emersons first series of Essays was published in 1841, and Hawthornes Mosses from an Old Manse in 1846. The Scarlet Letter did not appear until 1850. It was, nevertheless, a period of intellectual activity. In Boston and Cambridge, new ideas were stirring the minds of the thinkers, and throughout the New En gland States