The Tar-and-Feathering in "My Kinsman, Major Molineux"

Abstract

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “My Kinsman, Major Molineux” describes the young protagonist Robin’s one night stay in a town which is absolutely unfamiliar to him. Although many critics have interpreted Robin’s one night journey as his initiation to adulthood or a “rite of passage,” almost all critics have focused on the growth of his inner-self. This theme seems central given the American Revolutionary context and the comparison between a young protagonist and colonial America. Perhaps, the significance of the American Revolution, the suggestion of the Freudian father, and the mythical or anthropological Archetypes, have prevented critics from considering this short story with respect to the social relationship between Robin and the multitude. This paper, from the gentleman’s statement at the ending, focuses on the scene of the tar-andfeathering as a significant moment which brings about a definite change in the relationship between Robin and the townspeople. My purpose is first to make clear the American Revolutionary context in “My Kinsman, Major Molineux,” to help identify not only the historical meaning of the tar-and-feathering but also the gentleman’s “us” at the later section. I will go on to consider the theme of Robin’s initiation at the scene of the tar-and-feathering from a historical and cultural approach, focusing on the relationship between Robin and the townspeople.