My Kinsman, Major Molineux Analysis Essay Example

he joins the crowd and laughs at his kinsman.

Hawthorne sees the loss of innocence as a bad thing and that a person should hang on to that innocence as long as possible. Leaving home and family is not freedom to Hawthorne. He believes once a person enters adulthood that they are chained to the drudgery of the real world, a world where dreams are shattered. Robin’s dreams of a new life with his kinsman are shattered when he sees his kinsman tarred and feathered in the ghastly parade. Robin finally makes eye contact with his kinsman, “They stared at each other in silence, and Robin’s knees shook, and his hair bristled, with a mixture of pity and terror. {p. 2413)

After this incident Robin now knows that he must make an important decision that will affect the rest of his life. Tough decisions are the basis of entering into adulthood. Hawthorne shows that life does not always have a fairy tale ending. Robin’s tough decision comes when he must decide whether to stay and try to make it on his own in town or to go back home. The gentleman Robin meets at the end of the story suggests to him, “As you are a shrewd youth, you may rise in the world without the help of your kinsman, Major Molineux. (p. 2414)

Hawthorne shows how Robin has been forced to step into adulthood through the actions he must now take if he wants to survive in this new world. With that loss of innocence and youth, neither Robin nor his home will ever be the same again. Getting ahead in

life is a difficult thing to do and sometimes it leads to great pain and loss. Hawthorne wrote this story as a way of showing what he thinks it takes to get ahead in life. He tells his readers that even with well thought out plans and dreams life will throw curve balls.

He also shows that to get ahead in life one must leave the innocence of youth behind and harden one’s self against the ugliness of the world. He also shows that a person must know when to conform to the masses or be left behind. Robin knew, once he saw his kinsman, that he could not be seen as a sympathizer to the man the town had lynched. Robin decides to conform, “The contagion was spreading among the multitude, when all at once, it seized upon Robin, and he sent forth a shout of laughter that echoed through the street. (p. 2413)

Hawthorne wrote his short story to give the public a more realistic view of leaving home and trying to make it in the world. His story shows the more realistic cruel world that people face as they enter adulthood. Everyone goes through the transformation from the loss of innocence of our youth to the grittiness and drudgery of adulthood. While some may experience this change easier than others, the moral of this story is to determine your own path in life and not depend on others to make your way.