Study Questions for The Blithedale Romance
1. What elements stand out in Coverdale’s character? How do these affect the way he
responds to people and events? Is he reliable? How do you interpret his role as a poet?
How does his voyeurism affect how he sees his fellow utopians?
2. What can be said of Hollingsworth? What aspects of his character undercut his
philanthropic aim? How does he compare to Coverdale?
3. How do you evaluate Priscilla? In what ways does she perform a symbolic role?
What is she seeking?
4. What qualities distinguish Zenobia? What problems does she face in her attempt to be
a voice for women’s rights?
5. How do Zenobia’s flower and Priscilla’s purse assume symbolic import? What do
they suggest about each character? Why is Priscilla often associated with a dove? What
does this suggest?
6. How do the four central characters interact with each other? Coverdale often sees
himself as separated from the other three? Why does he feel this way?
7. Silas Foster stands apart from the other characters – why? What does he represent?
How does he call into question the utopian project and the idealism of those who have
journeyed to Blithedale?
8. How does Westervelt fit into the narrative? How does Coverdale see him? Why does
Hawthorne use imagery that links Westervelt to Satan? Is he a foil for Coverdale?
9. How do the two inset stories, “Zenobia’s Legend” and “Fauntleroy” function within
the larger narrative? Why might Hawthorne use them in this way?
10. How do you evaluate Old Moodie? How does the Faunteroy chapter modify our
view of him? Is he another exploiter or does he have better motives?
11. Two dominant image patterns run throughout the romance, fire and veils/masks.
How do these images function? How does the opening of the chapter “The
Masqueraders” add to the masking motif?
12. All of the characters in the romance engage in some form of performance. What do
these performances reveal? Why might Hawthorne use this to comment on the various
personas in the narrative?
13. How do you interpret Zenobia’s death and the search for her body? How does
Hollingsworth’s piercing of her breast/bruising of her heart serve a symbolic function?
Has Coverdale attempted to engage in a similar probing/piercing?
14. What do you make of Coverdale’s revelation at the end? Do you believe him?
15. How does Blithedale reflect Hawthorne’s questioning of Emersonian ideals?
16. Hawthorne raises questions throughout the narrative about the willingness of
characters to engage in exploitation of others to gain their own ends. What acts of
exploitation do we see? How do the characters justify what they are doing?
17. Zenobia sees the Veiled Lady/Priscilla as her deadly enemy. Why? What does this
suggest? Is Priscilla the “gentle Parasite”? What might this mean?
18. How would you summarize Hawthorne’s attitude to ward social reform and
reformers?