My Kinsman Major Molineux

“He then walked forward into the town, with as light a step, as if his day’s journey had not already exceeded thirty miles, and with as eager an eye, as if he were entering London city, instead of the little metropolis of a New England colony.” 

Though his journey has been long (by 18th-century standards), Robin feels energized by his arrival in Boston. In 1730, Boston had a population of only about 13,000, but in comparison to Robin’s country life, this makes it seem like one of the world’s major cities. This excitement sets the stage for the disappointment he soon feels. 

“The smell of tar was obvious to his nostrils, the masts of vessels pierced the moonlight above the tops of the buildings, and the numerous signs, which Robin paused to read, informed him that he was near the centre of business. But the streets were empty, the shops were closed, and lights were visible only in the second stories of a few dwelling-houses.” 

It almost seems that the city has vacated itself upon Robin’s arrival. His initial excitement has dissipated, and he now feels alone in a shuttered city. This predicament illustrates Robin’s naivete. Though he assumed he’d easily find his kinsman and be treated with respect due to his family ties, Robin struggles to find his footing and is, so far, disregarded by Bostonians. The calm streets establish a contrast to the raucous parade that will pass through later in the night, while the smell of tar portends the public shaming of Molineux. 

“His features were separately striking almost to grotesqueness, and the whole face left a deep impression in the memory. The forehead bulged out into a double prominence, with a vale between; the nose came boldly forth in an irregular curve, and its bridge was of more than a finger’s breadth; the eyebrows were deep and shaggy, and the eyes glowed beneath them like fire in a cave.” 

The horned man symbolizes the devil and offers a stark contrast to Robin’s youthful appearance and innocent demeanor. This heightens the tension by intimating that Robin isn’t simply out of place, but actually in danger.

“There was a sudden and general movement in the room, which Robin interpreted as expressing the eagerness of each individual to become his guide.” 

Robin continues to believe that his relation to Major Molineux will bring him respect from the townspeople. At this point, it is becoming clear to the reader that this kinship is not going to benefit Robin. However, Robin’s stubbornness of belief suggests that his naivete may be steering him toward self-delusion. 

“Hunger also pleaded loudly within him, and Robin began to balance the propriety of demanding, violently and with lifted cudgel, the necessary guidance from the first solitary passenger, whom he should meet.” 

Now that his mission clearly isn’t going to plan, Robin considers using force to reach his destination. This increases the story’s tension by implying that there may soon be violence. Still, he seems deliberate in his decision-making, which suggests that he won’t act purely out of impulse. 

“But Robin, being of the household of a New England clergyman, was a good youth, as well as a shrewd one; so he resisted temptation, and fled away.” 

When the prostitute tries to lure Robin inside, he walks away. During his short time in the city, he has found himself among drunkards and sex workers, yet his resolve remains clear: He will find his kinsman and build a noble life. His resistance to these vices shows that his puritanical values are not easily compromised. 

“He now roamed desperately, and at random, through the town, almost ready to believe that a spell was on him, like that by which a wizard of his country had once kept three pursuers wandering, a whole winter night, within twenty paces of the cottage which they sought.” 

The search is beginning to make Robin feel delirious. His expectations have been dashed and the darkened city has taken on an air of mystical peril. He still seeks comfort by drawing comparisons to his home. However, this comparison has a foreboding tone. 

“The forehead with its double prominence, the broad-hooked nose, the shaggy eyebrows, and fiery eyes, were those which he had noticed at the inn, but the man’s complexions had undergone a singular, or more properly, a two-fold change. One side of the face blazed of an intense red, while the other was black as midnight, the division line being the broad bridge of the nose; and a mouth, which seemed to extend from ear to ear, was black or red, in contrast to the color of the cheek. The effect was as if two individual devils, a fiend of fire and a fiend of darkness, had united themselves to form this infernal visage.” 

The horned man’s face, in its division, represents the fire of hell and the darkness of death. This encounter is an ominous sign that a barbaric event is nearing. Robin has left the purity of country life with his clergyman father and is now clearly being tested by the sinfulness of the city. 

“There were graves around the church, and now an uneasy thought obtruded into Robin’s breast. What if the object of his search, which had been so often and so strangely thwarted, were all the time mouldering in his shroud? What if his kinsman should glide through yonder gate, and nod and smile to him in passing dimly by?” 

Robin finds short-lived relief in seeing the moonbeam illuminating the Bible inside the church. Now, his thoughts turn toward unhinged horror. His worry that Major Molineux may appear as a ghost foreshadows his fear that he is actually in a city of the dead. This compels him to start desperately missing the familiarity and comfort of home. 

“‘Am I here or there?’ cried Robin, starting; for all at once, when his thoughts had become visible and audible in a dream, the long, wide, solitary street shone out before him.” 

The city’s madness has seeped inside Robin’s mind. In this setting, he struggles to recognize himself. His adamant desire for familiarity is in direct conflict with the wholly unfamiliar. His isolation and loneliness prevent him from being anchored in the reality of his surroundings.

“‘Surely some prodigious merrymaking is going on,’ exclaimed [Robin]. ‘I have laughed very little since I left home, Sir, and should be sorry to lose an opportunity. Shall we just step round the corner by that darkish house and take our share of the fun?’” 

At the prospect of a celebration, Robin’s mood shifts from despair to excitement. This emotional swing precedes the forthcoming shock that arises when Robin sees his tarred-and-feathered kinsman. Through the illustration of Robin’s mood swings, there is greater tension in this climactic moment because it’s unpredictable how he will react.

“Right before Robin’s eyes was an uncovered cart. There the torches blazed the brightest, there the moon shone out like day, and there, in tar-and-feathery dignity, sate his kinsman, Major Molineux!” 

The story arrives at its climactic moment. Destroyed is Robin’s assumption that his kinsman is a well-respected man in the city. In Robin’s mind, the city had already seemed unfamiliar and chaotic. The apparent chaos, however, is actually the early stages of revolution.   

“The contagion was spreading among the multitude, when, all at once, it seized upon Robin, and he sent forth a shout of laughter that echoed through the street; every man shook his sides, every man emptied his lungs, but Robin’s shout was the loudest there.” 

Robin’s feeling of pity for his kinsman has quickly fled. Now, he is overtaken by the crowd’s spirit. There is contradiction in the fervor. While the colonists want to be freed from British autocracy, they act in a manner that is reminiscent of totalitarian behavior.