The True Aspects of Zenobia in The Blithedale Romance

Nathaniel Hawthorne took part in utopian society Brook Firm in 1841. At the

preface of The Blithedale Romance, he refers to this experiment.

In the ‘BLITHEDALE’ of this volume, many readers will probably

suspect a faint and not very faithful shadowing of BRROK FARM, in Roxbury,

which (now a little more than ten years ago) was occupied and cultivated by a

company of socialists.(1)

Justus said “When he decided to draw heavily upon his experiences at Brook Firm for

The Blithedale Romance, Hawthorne aggressively confronted for the first time in his

fiction the abundant materials of the preset.” (21) He points out that this society is the

very model of Blithedale as Hawthorne tried to write his experience into novel.

In this novel, many people regardless of sex gather on that place. They have

common aim to rebuild the world. Especially, Hollingsworth is influential person

among all participants. As a philanthropist, he have “a scheme for the feformation of the

wicked” (131). For him, the community of Blithedale was sutable place and mean.

Therefore, he tries to make use of it.

However, equivalent to Hollinsworth, Zenobia is also influential person. She is

not only one of participants but also investor of the community. She supports Blithedale
economically and they cannot do without her support. In other words, Zenobia and her

economic power intermediate the members of Blithedale.

There is a correlationship between the images which Zenobia has and the

condition of the community. When their plan goes well, she has rich images. However

after their relationship was tangled, her rich images fades away. Finally, when she lost

her hortune at the last part of the novel, she killed throwing herself into water.

Therefore, losing supporter, the experiment of Blithedale ends up with failure.

In this paper, author will discuss the true nature and role of Zenobia. To pursue

her characteristics, it is effective to compare her with her younger sister Priscilla.

Because she is in inseparable relationship with her older sister and have contrary nature.

To approach Zenobia’s nature, author will focus on the representation of Zenobia and

Priscilla in the first chapter of this paper. Then in the next part, author will examine two

person, Hollingsworth and Professor Westervelt, who have close relationship with both

of sister. Finally, author will discuss reverse of nature which happened between Zenobia

and Priscilla.

In this chapter, author will focus on the representation of Zenobia and Priscilla

who has opposite characteristics. It is remarkable point that different from other his

works, The Blithedale Romance is a first person narrative. Justus points out that to use
first person in this story, it makes “Hawthorne succeeds in making Miles Coverdale one

of the most interesting and complex I-narrators in our nineteenth-century literarure.”

(21-22) All incidents at the community were told by protagonist Miles Coverdale who is

a second hand poet and all of the things he told is highly subjective. Throughout

Coverdale’s subjective view point, he portray two female character as opposite

characteristics. Tatar points out that “On one occasion Coverdale perceptively

characterizes Priscilla as a “gentle parasite,” but on the whole the metaphors that

dominate his description of her tend to the floral variety.” (220) In fact when Coverdale

describes Priscilla he uses a metaphor of flower a lot. Moreover these description, he

uses words for example spiritual a lot when he describe her.

On the contrary to ghostly sister, Coverdale saw Zenobia more rich and deep

colored personage. When he capture this older sister, he pays attention to flower in

different way from Priscilla’s. When the first time he met with Zenobia, she wears a

flower on her hair. She said “…the only flower hereabouts is the one in my hair which I

got out of a green-house,this morning.”(17) She always wear a flower and the poet

thinks about it “She had, as usual, a flower in her hair, brilliant, and of a rare variety,

else it had not been Zenobia.”(155) When he describes about Priscilla, he use flower as
metaphor, on the other hand when he describes about Zenobia, he treat her the same as

flower.

Priscilla came to Blithedale to look for protection from Zenobia who is a half-

sister from different mother. When she was a little girl, she was always told a story

about older sister Zenobia from her father and she filled her heart with affection for her.

Zenobia didn’t know that Prisclla is her half-sister, and she treats her coldly at first.

However, Zenobia have sisterhood affection gradually towards Priscilla.

These images of oliental flower and sisterhood reminds another work of

Hawthorne; it is “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” In this story, Beatrice, who is the daughter of

Dr. Rappaccini She pick up a rare flower from the shrub which was placed the center of

Rappaccini’s garden and wears it on her bosom like Zenobia dose in her hair. And it is

revealed that Beatrice and this flower described as a sister. In the same way as Zenobia’s

sister-like affection to Priscilla, Beatrice care for the shrub with human affection.

However, in both of two story, these sisterhood was destructed by the presence

of a young man. Beatrice forgot about the shrub in the first time in her life when she

was interested in Giovanni. As same as this girl, Zenobia throw away sisterhood

relationship with Priscilla when she noticed that Hollingworth’s lovec shifts her from
her sister. In other words, Zenobia and Beatrice’s state who fall in love with young man

are closely related to their rich and gorgeous images of their body.
 In this chapter, author will focus on two person who have relationship with

both of Zenobia and Priscilla. It is Hollingsworht and Westerverl. For them, these sister

are no more human than just means to accomplish their own purposes. They come to

Blithedale to get these means and they leave from there because they success or fail to

take it.

The Blithedale Romance itself was published in 1852, it is 1841 when

Hawthorne join in Brook Firm. However this experiment wasn’t suitable for him.

Arlich said that “This was no way to unite the ideal and the actual; he found farming

uncongenial and so exhausting that he could not write. The experiment left him

completely disillusioned with utopian schemes.” (10)

These utopian community were trend in the era when Hawthorne wrote this story. Tatar

said “The spiritualist movement and the various socialist and utopian group that

prolifted in America during the 1840s sounded much the same tone of millennial

expectation and philanthropic zeal.” (195) And at the same period, mesmerism got

popularity in the country. These fashions of the time reflected in The Blithedale

Romance. Hollingsworth is described as a philanthropist and Professor Westervelt is

described as a hypnotist.
 In the case of Hollingsworth, he come to Blithedale to realize his ambition.

Coverdale describes his aim as follow.

…a scheme for the reformation of the wicked by methods moral,

intellectual, and by opening to his pupils the possibility of a worthier life than

that which had become their fate. (131)

Although the aim of Blithedale was to be “the very first that have essayed to carry on

our mortal existence, in love, and mutual help!” (132), Hollingsworth though to prey

upon the community.

For him, it is the best and easy wat to seize that place. However, there is

another thing he expects in addition to estate. It is Zenobia’s property. In chapter XV,

Hollingsworth said to Coverdale, “I have the funds ―as much, at least, as is needed for

a commencement ―at command,” “They can be produced within a month, if

necessary.” (132) He noticed that Zenobia is willing to hold out her property to him for

love. In other words, Hollingsworth sees Zenobia as source of capital and he thinks to

exploit her economically.

In the case of Professor Westervelt, he come to Blithedale to take back

Priscilla. Before she left to this utopian society, she was in a subordinate position to

Westervelt. He had been make this girl out to be a sibyl and exhibit her as the Veiled
Lady. It means for Westervelt, Priscilla is a mean to earn capital and take her back to

exploited her economically again.

However, she was not only person who was exploited by this man. Her older

sister Zenobia is also exploited by him. In chapter XXVIII, it is intimated that she has

sexual intercourse with Westervelt. It means Zenobia’s physicality as woman stressed

again in the relationship with Professor Westervelt.

 In former chapter, Zenobia’s relationship with two men, Hollingsworth and

Professor Westervelt was examined. Both of two person prey her indifferent way. The

Philanthropist exploited her as economical resource and the professor exploited her

physicality as women. As we examined in the first chapter of this paper, when

Coverdale describes Zenobia, he emphasis rich and thick images of her, beside the

spirituality is emphasized when he talked about Priscilla. Therefore the reader tend to

regard Zenobia as materialistic person without spirit, and Priscilla as spiritual person

without the flesh. However as Lefcowitz said in their paper “Zenobia and Priscilla

undergo several shifts of role and identity” (264), these opposite images which sister

have are replaced with each other at the last part of the novel. This replacement of their

nature is caused by three steps of loss.

First, Zenobia lost her fortune. When she was a little girl, Zenobia was

separated from her father Fauntleroy, who is the very father of Priscilla, and no sooner

than that, her mother died. Therefore she was raised up by her uncle who was younger

brother of Fauntleroy. However, her uncle died without a will. Primarily, Fauntleroy will

be inherit his brother’s fortune but he was thought to die long before. This is why

Zenobia has an enormous fortune. However, this situation changes because of

appearance of Zenobia’s father. It means that she is no longer the owner of a property

and she lost large amount of fortune at once.

After Fauntleroy, a father of Zenobia and Priscilla got the property of his

brother, he thinks about to make inherit it to younger daughter. In short, Priscilla

replaced Zenobia as a possessor of that fortune. Hollingsworht have been expected

Zenobia’s economical strength which she had lost. Therefore, he jilted her and get into

favor with Priscilla who is a new capitalist. This is how Zenobia lost Hollingsworth’s

love. Abandoned by a man and abandoned by fortune, there was no way left for her to

kill herself. Even if she have lost her property, she still have her physicality as long as

she live. However she lost it finally.

As we discussed it in the former part, the richness of her body and economy is

the symbol of Zenobia. Despite these images she has, the author of this novel rob it

from her. However, her younger sister Priscilla said to Coverdale as fellow when he told

her “You, especially, have always seemed like a figure in a dream.” (168)

“Why do you call me a dream? Zenobia is much more like one than I;

she is so very beautiful! And, I suppose,” added Priscilla, as if thinking aloud,

“everybody sees it, as I do.” (169)

To be more precise, the rich and gorgeous images which we think about Zenobia’s

nature is just a pretense. Her true nature appears after she lose these phantom of richness

and physicality.

Before she lose her life, she had conversations with Coverdale and she asked

him to do her favor. She asked his “to be a messenger between him and me.”(226)

She continued as fellow.

Tell him－tell him something pretty and pathetic, that will come

nicely and sweetly into your ballad－anything you please, so it be tender and

submissive enough. Tell him he has murdered me! Tell him that I’ll haunt

him! (226)

After Zenobia’s death he met with Hollingsworth again and ask him the progress of his

former scheme to reform the criminals. However, unlike his strong－willed character,

he said, “Ever since we parted, I have been busy with a single murder!”(243) In this

timing, Coverdale remembered the word which Zenobia said.

For I remembered the wild energy, the passionate shriek, with which

Zenobia had spoken those works－’Tell his he has murder me! Tell him that

I’ll haunt him!’－and I knew what murderer he meant,… (243)

Although she died and her flesh returned to dust, her spirit remain in Hollingsworth’s

heart like a ghost and she did exactly what she said; “I’ll haunt him!”(226) Thus to cast
off the flesh she had been captured, Zenobia take back her spiritual aspect as her true

nature.
 Throughout this paper, author have been investigated what is the true nature of

Zenobia. As Coverdale said in the final part of the novel, “It is because the spirits

inestimable, that the lifeless body is so little valued.” (244) These his words should be a

clue to the question which we have been investigated.

Although the presence of two men who exploited her emphasized physicality ,

it is just a phantom. The truth is her true nature is in her spirit. After her death, she lose

her body. However, she still remains in Hollingsworth heart as a sense of guilt which

could not be vanished and she “haunt” (226) him like a ghost.
 Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Blithedale Romance. Oxford University Press, 2009.

Erlich, Gloria C. Family Themes and Hawthorne’s Fiction. New Jersey: RutgersUP,

1986.

Tatar, Maria. Spellbound: Studies on Mesmerism and Literature. Princeton Legacy

Library, 1978.

Lefcowitz, Allan, and Barbara Lefcowitz. “Some Rents in the Veil: New Light on

Priscilla and Zenobia in The Blithdale Romance.” Nineteenth-Century Fiction,

vol.21, 1966, pp 263-275. JSTOR, doi: 10.2307/2932589. Accessed 22

November 2017.

Justus, James H. “Hawthorne’s Coverdale: Character and Art in The Blithedale

Romance.” American Literature, vol.47, 1975, pp 21-36. JSTOR,

doi:10.2307/2925031. Accessed 3 October 2017.