Relevance of The Blithedale Romance to American Society (Essay Sample)

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Relevance of The Blithedale Romance to American Society
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance, Margaret Fuller's inspiration, Zenobia, is portrayed as a woman who questions the restrictions of what nineteenth-century American society deemed to be the women's realm. On the one hand, women's traditional, socially acceptable role remains within the female realm. On the other hand, Zenobia represents the more ideal yet socially unacceptable form of womanhood: the assertive, intellectual woman who enters the male-dominated public arena. It contrasts Zenobia with other female characters in the novel, such as Priscilla, who conforms to social rules but has a bland and unattractive personality. Blithedale portrays Zenobia's style of womanhood as more perfect and desirable, despite her existence being condemned, while society chooses to accept Priscilla's image. Based on this disparity, one could argue that the different depictions of womanhood throughout the novel reflect Hawthorne's goal in writing the work. This essay discusses the significance of the Blithedale romance concerning the submissiveness of women in contemporary society and the community's perceptions of women whose goals are in direct contradiction to the prevalent ones.