My Kinsman Major Molineux Rhetorical Analysis

Self Cognizance in the Uncongenial

The Colonial Revolution of America was a revolution defined as coming of age; a young country dispelling of its mother nation. It was a pursuit of freedom; a quest for home rule and governance. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “My Kinsman Major Molineux”, he crafts a story set in this time period, not merely to illustrate the potent history, but to function as an emblematic manifestation of a revolution in one's self ; a coming of age for a young boy. Through dramatic irony, structure, climax, Commoratio, and parallelism, Hawthorn argues that as it is human nature to strive to be a part of a group; people cling to their family and subsequently their ideals. But, one must define their own choices and identity to
The church made “Robin’s heart shiver with a sensation of loneliness … so he turned away” (Paragraph 47). By dissecting Robin’s heart from the rest of his body Hawthorne illustrates Robin’s deep pain of being alone, as the heart often is described when feeling the strongest emotions. As soon as Robin feels this loneliness he dawns the thought that the major could be dead. This hypothetical sevres to portray Robbins greatest fear at that moment; being alone. More importantly, how we as humans hate being alone. Thus, as soon as that thought emerges, he “Recall[s] his thoughts from this uncomfortable track” and reminiscences about his family and how he misses them. Robin’s previous walk of life was predicated on his family, and here it is supposedly predicated on the Major’s assistance, as seen by the repetition of his inquiry as to the whereabouts of his kinsman. This further serves to portray the supremacy family has in Robins life; thus his continual desire to search for the Major. In a broader context, Hawthorne wishes to realize it is human nature to grab to familial connections and define yourself in terms of others, not yourself. Even further when Robin awakens from his famial country trance he cries “Am I here or am I there?” (Paragraph 47) portraying how he stuck between his two circles of family unsure how to proceed, but seeing those two family circles as his only
He commands “The reader, in order to avoid a long and dry detail of colonial affairs, is requested to dispense with an account of the train of circumstances that had caused much temporary inflammation of the popular mind”(Paragraph 1). The preceding statements and this are presented to the reader, but are withheld from Robin; Hawthorne’s protagonist. This serves as the Installation of the Dramatic Irony that Hawthorne develops, as the audience is aware of facts the Protagonist is not. The next many paragraphs, and bulk of the story, are devoted to the Exploitation of the Dramatic Irony. By having Robin meet many characters and having continual foreshadowing such as “the smell of tar”, there is curiosity awakened in the mind of the reader as they are unsure as to the outcome of the tale. And finally, the climax is developed as the Resolution of the Dramatic Irony, as previously discussed. Thus, Hawthorne’s structure is to exploit the dramatic irony that characterize Robin’s journey to self