My Kinsman, Major Molineux by Nathaniel Hawthorne

First published: 1832

Type of plot: Psychological

Time of work: On the eve of the American Revolution

Locale: Massachusetts Bay Colony

Principal Characters:

• Robin, the protagonist, a young man in search of his kinsman
• A kind gentleman, who befriends Robin after the young man finds Major Molineux
• Major Molineux, the mysterious kinsman for whom Robin searches

The Story

Robin, an eighteen-year-old country boy, arrives by boat in Boston Harbor at nine o'clock in the evening to find his kinsman. Though poor and dressed in ill-fitting clothes, Robin has the confidence and buoyant optimism that accompanies youth, and he walks from the dock with enthusiasm despite the thirty miles his journey has taken him. He soon realizes, however, that he does not know where to look for Major Molineux, the kinsman who would be his protector. Even this does not disconcert Robin, for he believes that almost anyone he meets will be able to direct him to the home of such a prominent man.

Robin soon discovers that no one is willing to tell him where to find Molineux's dwelling and that often these refusals are accompanied by antagonistic replies or threats of violence. For example, the solemn man carrying a polished cane whom Robin first approaches threatens him with the stocks if Robin does not release him and let him pass. The man insists, amid "sepulchral hems," that he has "authority." Embarrassed by the man's evasiveness, his loud repulse, and the roar of laughter from a nearby barbershop, Robin determines to move ahead and continue his search.

Pleasant aromas from a tavern make Robin wish that he had enough money for a meal, but he consoles himself with the thought that his kinsman's home must be nearby and that he will soon have his meal there. The innkeeper's friendly greeting makes Robin think that the man recognizes in him a likeness to Molineux, but when he makes his inquiry the innkeeper reads aloud the description of a fled indentured servant and advises the boy that he had "better trudge." Though he would like to have struck the innkeeper with his oak cudgel, the evident hostility of the others in the tavern convinces him to go. As he leaves he again hears loud laughter, but he believes that it is because he had earlier confessed that he could not afford a meal.

Young Robin's patience wears thin as he continues the search for his kinsman. He sees the well-dressed young gentlemen of the town and once again hears the solemn old man with the "sepulchral hems," but Robin now seems aware of his own shabbiness and hunger. He determines to use his oak cudgel, if necessary, to get the information he wants, but just then finds himself before an ill-built house near the harbor and sees a flash of scarlet petticoat through the open door. When he asks the pretty mistress where he can find Molineux, she answers that this very house is his dwelling place. Robin resolves to enter; indeed, the mistress leads him by the hand, but just then the town watchman appears, threatens him with the stocks, and chases him away.

Robin now grows desperate. He even asks the watchman his question, but the only response is drowsy laughter as the watchman moves away. This further rejection causes Robin to seize a quickly moving stranger and threaten violence until he receives an answer. He had seen this stranger before at the inn, but now the man's face seems a blazing red on one side and midnight black on the other. It is as if two devils, of fire and of darkness, have joined themselves in a single face. The strange man tells Robin to wait and watch for an hour, and Molineux will pass by.

Robin sits on the church steps and considers the curious experiences he has had since his arrival. He notices a large mansion and wonders if this could be his kinsman's house but is distracted by the low murmur of voices he hears in the street. He now feels very much alone, and when he peers in one of the church windows, he wonders if his kinsman has died. He recalls, longingly, the happiness of his home and seems to see the church services and daily thanksgiving that had been part of his upbringing.

Determined to bring himself out of his reverie, Robin despondently confides his story to a kindly man who asks why he is sitting on the church steps. Robin's father, a poor country clergyman, had decided to accept an offer made a year or two earlier by his cousin Molineux to help the boy advance his prospects. The kindly man assures Robin that he is in the right place and should continue his vigil. The low murmurs have, all this time, continued to grow in intensity and are now accompanied by the sounds of a trumpet. When Robin suggests that they investigate the cause of all this merriment, that he would like to laugh too, the kindly man advises Robin to be seated and reminds him to wait for his kinsman.

Now all the windows fly open; the street is filled with a reddish glare, and people in fantastic costumes and Indian dress suddenly appear. A single horseman in military uniform is in the center of the mob, his one cheek a fiery red, the other a mourning black. Spectators stand along the way, shouting with combined mirth and terror. The horseman orders a halt to the march; absolute silence fills the street, and there, in an open cart where the torches blaze their brightest, is Major Molineux in tarred-and-feathered dignity. Church bells begin to peal; Robin sees the saucy maiden and hears the man with the "sepulchral hem," this time broken by hearty laughter, and the young man joins the general mirth. His own shout is the loudest there.

When the procession has passed, Robin asks the kind gentleman to show him the way to the ferry but receives from him an offer of shelter and the assurance that his youthful shrewdness will allow him to rise in the world without the help of his kinsman, Major Molineux.

Bibliography

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