Zenobia's Femininity

After reading through the blog I wanted to change my research focus since it seemed like many of us had the same central focus, women and their impact on the novel. I then started conducting my research and reading and have decided to stick with the same topic for now. I feel it is a very vital topic to understand to have a good understanding of the novel, so it makes sense that a lot us are writing about it. I hope to refine the topic once I have more research so we do not end up with a bunch of papers that sound a like.

So back to my research. After reading through some research what interested me a lot was Zenobia. Zenobia is a very complex character that embodies sexuality, creative energy and traditional femininity in her strong-mindedness, pride, and competitive nature against men. Many critics have compared her to the 19th century women's rights activist Margaret Fuller.

Though she it touted as a strong minded reformer she is also flawed. It does not take long for Coverdale to realize that her culture, mind and passion are superficial: "I malevolently beheld the true character of the woman, passionate, luxurious, lacking simplicity, not deeply refined, incapable of pure and perfect taste" (165). Like Coverdale her commitment to Blithedale is half hearted; she is at Blithedale only in the interest of Hollingsworth. She then later in the novel fails: "Everything had
failed her; --- prosperity in the world's sense, for her opulence was gone, --- the heart's prosperity, in love. And there was a secret burthen on her, the nature of which is best known to you. Young as she was, she had tried life fully, had no more to hope, and something, perhaps, to fail" (239).She surrenders herself to both Westervelt and Hollingsworth.

Her surrendering herself to the two men comments on the way society views women in the 19th century. A women of Zenobia's character would be rare and would not be accepted in society. Hawthorne used Zenobia to show that a true feminist had to have a true passion and commitment to her cause which Zenobia did not; Zenobia was merely an actress. The women of time such as Fuller were dedicated and did not fall victim to men; one of Fuller's belief was to be careful of marriage and for women not to depend of men. Hawthorne's writing is essentially the social commentary of the time.