The Blithedale Romance · Question
How does The Blithedale Romance develop the theme of Obsession and Philanthropy?
Answer
The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne develops Obsession and Philanthropy across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
Hollingsworth's single-minded devotion to reforming criminals is portrayed as a destructive 'overruling purpose' that dehumanizes him, ultimately ruining his heart and leading to tragedy, illustrating the peril of allowing one idea to consume the self.
Hollingsworth's single-minded devotion to his criminal reform scheme is portrayed as a consuming, dehumanizing obsession that overrides genuine human connection.
Hollingsworth's powerful influence over Zenobia and Priscilla, and Coverdale's suspicion that Hollingsworth is making proselytes, hints at an obsessive philanthropic mission.
Hollingsworth's all-consuming philanthropic purpose is portrayed as dehumanizing, turning him into a mere instrument of his own ideology.
Evidence in the book
- The Convalescent
Hollingsworth's single-minded devotion to his criminal reform scheme is portrayed as a consuming, dehumanizing obsession that overrides genuine human connection.
- A Modern Arcadia
Hollingsworth's powerful influence over Zenobia and Priscilla, and Coverdale's suspicion that Hollingsworth is making proselytes, hints at an obsessive philanthropic mission.
- IX: Hollingsworth, Zenobia, Priscilla
Hollingsworth's all-consuming philanthropic purpose is portrayed as dehumanizing, turning him into a mere instrument of his own ideology.
- XI: The Wood-Path
Westervelt's mocking description of Hollingsworth's philanthropic scheme highlights the obsessive nature of reformist zeal and its potential for manipulation.
- XII: Coverdale's Hermitage
Hollingsworth's driving of oxen symbolizes his obsessive, single-minded pursuit of reform.
- XV: A Crisis
Hollingsworth's single-minded pursuit of his philanthropic goal leads him to demand total loyalty and to consider sacrificing personal ethics.
- XVIII: The Boardinghouse
Coverdale's obsessive preoccupation with the fates of Hollingsworth, Zenobia, and Priscilla, despite his attempt to leave them behind.
- XIX: Zenobia’s Drawing-Room
Hollingsworth's single-minded devotion to his reform idea is discussed as both noble and absurd.
