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Similes
Chapter 3: A Knot of Dreamers
Explanation and Analysis:
The style of The Blithedale Romance exemplifies 19th-century Dark Romantic literature in several ways. First, Romantic literature is known for its interest in the human psyche, and Dark Romanticism often delves into the darker side of humanity. Here is an example from Chapter 3 that illustrates the narrator's fascination with his own mind:
And, true enough, there was a look of gloom, as the twilight fell silently and sadly out of the sky, its gray or sable flakes intermingling themselves with the fast descending snow. The storm, in its evening aspect, was decidedly dreary. It seemed to have arisen for our especial behoof; a symbol of the cold, desolate, distrustful phantoms that invariably haunt the mind, on the eve of adventurous enterprises, to warn us back within the boundaries of ordinary life.
This passage highlights both internal and external desolation. Despite Coverdale's hope for Blithedale, it is still "dreary" and "desolate" due to the weather on his first night on the farm. He also references "distrustful phantoms that invariably haunt the mind." He has a darkness in his psyche that he continuously tries to tamp down in order to remain optimistic. His sentences are circuitous, long, complex, and full of beautiful language—either because he aspires to be a poet, or because he uses language to distract himself from his own mind (rather than treating issues straightforwardly).
Another characteristic of Dark Romantic literature is an emphasis on human fallibility and self-destruction. For instance, Priscilla falls under the influence of Moodie, Hollingsworth manipulates everyone to further his own ambitions, and Zenobia commits suicide. Nearly every character engages in some form of destructive behavior, and most of them try to hide it, but the truth comes out at the end of the story. Blithedale begins as an optimistic project, and everyone tries to get along, but personal interests and dark motives prevent collective progress. The novel's style supports its content as Hawthorne uses Dark Romantic elements to reveal the futility of trying to perfect the human experience via socialist utopian projects.
Related Themes:
