An essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne's "My Kinsman, Major Molineux."

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's story, "My Kinsman, Major Molineux" his writing style revels his feelings toward Major Molineux. There are several ways to determine how Hawthorne felt about Major Molineux. His diction, tone, and selection can help evaluate the author's attitude towards Robin's kinsman. Hawthorne chooses certain words and uses them in, either a positive or negative connotation to express to the reader his feelings for a character. One example, "...and there, in tar-and-feathery dignity, sat …

…Hawthorne felt some respect for Major Molineux because he was able to maintain at least some of his dignity after being humiliated. He also realized that the Major may not have deserved as much humiliation and disrespect as the townspeople thought he deserved. The Major had not only been humiliated by his experience but also upset. "On they went, in counterfeited pop, in senseless uproar, in frenzied merriment, trampling all on an old man's heart."