Mr. Moodie / Fauntleroy Character Analysis

An enigmatic acquaintance of Coverdale’s in Boston, Moodie is Zenobia and Priscilla’s father. He is a peculiar old man who has a habit of never looking at anyone head on. He stays in the shadows as much as possible and nobody is quite sure what his personal history is. This is particularly odd because Moodie’s job as a peddler forces him to be out and about in the public eye. After Coverdale discovers that Moodie is somehow connected to both Priscilla and Zenobia, he gets Moodie drunk and Moodie tells a story about a man named Fauntleroy, which is presumably Moodie’s real name. In the story, Fauntleroy was a conceited and materialistic man who was married with a daughter (implied to be Zenobia). However, after losing everything to debtors, Fauntleroy’s wife died of shame and he fled his former life, leaving Zenobia with his brother. After this, Fauntleroy changed his ways. He married again and had another daughter, Priscilla, who—unlike Zenobia—grew up with her father, but with none of his wealth. Moodie (presumed to be the identity Fauntleroy assumed after fleeing his old life) seems stalked by shame—so much so that he becomes a person who literally lives in the shadows, not wanting anyone to know about his past failings. Hawthorne ultimately reveals that Moodie sent Priscilla to Blithedale so she could bond with Zenobia, as Moodie wanted the sisters (who had never met) to have a relationship. Moodie seems to see in Zenobia an echo of his old self; she is flamboyant, wealthy, and confident, just as he once was.