"Blithedale Romance"- Love Triange Between Characters

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's, "The Blithedale Romance", we see that Miles Coverdale is lost in his feelings for Zenobia, an exotic woman, Priscilla, a mysterious young girl, and Hollingsworth, a philanthropist. Coverdale moves to Blithedale feeling displaced and depressed. Throughout the novel, he explains to the reader things he likes and dislikes about each of the other characters. There he meets Zenobia, Hollingsworth, and Priscilla. At first, he doesn't get along too well with any of them, but then finds himself feeling affectionate about each of them.

Miles Coverdale shows us at the beginning of his story that he finds Zenobia attractive. He shows us things that he likes and dislikes about her. "Her hair- which was dark, glossy, and of singular abundance- was up rather soberly and primly, without curls, or other ornaments, except a single flower. It was an exotic, of rare beauty, and as fresh as if the hot-house gardener had just clipped it from the stem."

English: First edition title pg

artREsource Hollingsworth 1991

Harold Hollingsworth on Vimeo by P. O'Brien | G. M...

(Page 15) Coverdale shows a lot of interest in Zenobia. He is watching her closely and examining her. He is very aroused by the exotic flower that is in her hair. He wonders how she has such a fresh and beautiful flower in the middle of such a cold winter. "Preferable- by the way of variety, at least- was Zenobia's bloom, health, and vigor, which she possessed in such overflow that a man might well have fallen in love with her for their sake only." (Page 16) Miles Coverdale explains that Zenobia is very beautiful but there is a sense of power that she seems to have. Zenobia's personality traits that Coverdale describes are good to have, but she seems too perfect for Coverdale. This is an example of "eroticism of exoticism," an idea by Sigmund...