Symbolism in Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance
             In Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance, there are many uses of symbolism regarding the characters and the objects pertaining to them. The names of the characters Coversdale, Zenobia and Priscilla are a major part of this symbolism. The first character to represent symbolism is Coversdale.
             Already the name Coverdale, suggests a "cover-up". From the beginning the reader has in their mind whatever he implies may not be true. Throughout the book Coverdale makes it seem as though he likes Zenobia and is attracted by her beauty and intelligence. When at he end of the novel Hawthorne reveals that Coverdale was actually in love with Priscilla the entire time. "should not, under any circumstances, have fallen in love with Zenobia." "I-I myself was in love with Priscilla!"
             The women in the book show diverse roles. Zenobia is the half-sister of Priscilla and although they share qualities that may have been inherited, Zenobia can be seen as worldly and independent whereas Priscilla is submissive and mysterious. Zenobia is also portrayed as kind of masculine, yet feminine at times throughout the novel. A character that is very sensible in their ways. Although Zenobia is this independent, worldly character there is the flower that she always has in her hair. The flower is described as "exotic, of rare beauty". This flower is seen as a symbol of the qualities in Zenobia that Coverdale finds attractive.
             Priscilla is the symbol of femininity: manipulated, passive, vulnerable, innocent. She is the typical female character, feminine in her daily routine, prancing around with nothing but a smile on her face and inexperienced about the world around her. When she first came to Blithedale she starts crying for she has no animosity or contempt for the world. She is victim of other's doings, under the control of men and ever submiss...