At the beginning of this course we talked about what the basics of children’s literature were, and what to look for. I found it interesting that this story broke a major one of the rules that we really focused on. We talked about how details and description were basically left out on purpose in children’s literature. We talked about how they did this so that the children would focus on the correct information of the story. In The Hidden Hand we are literally hit with details and description from the first page of our selection. “Hurricane Hall is a large old family mansion, built of dark-red sandstone…surrounded on three sides by a range of steep, gray rocks, spiked with clumps of dark evergreens, and called from its horseshoe form, the Devil’s Hoof,” (151) is the first paragraph we read. Why would E.D.E.N Southworth go against the grain to such a blatant extent? I think that Southworth was hoping to really prove a point and use the details provided to affect the effect of what was taught by helping the reader visualize it. Later on in the text we read a brief description of Marah Rocke’s little house. “You enter by the little wooden gate, pass up the moldering paved walk, between the old, leafless lilac bushes, and pass through the front door right into a large, clean but poor-looking sitting-room and kitchen,” (189) is used before we know the past of Marah Rocke and Old Hurricane. Could the author use these sad details to almost make us feel sorry for Miss Rocke? I think that Southworth wants us to feel sorry for Rocke especially after we find out what the minimal information we are given about her past with Old Hurricane.
I find it interesting that during the time period we are studying there are not many American novels included. I personally have really enjoyed all of the books we have read so far and I think that they are of merit. I would be curious and interested to find out what really makes certain books become part of the list. I see that the ones they choose for the most part have been one’s to cause a change. I think that a major American novel should be based on how it is perceived by society. If we took it more off of what people really think, I bet there would be more novels added to the list.
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Hey Effie
ReplyDeleteI really like what you said about using the details to make us feel sorry for Miss Rocke. It's so true, I felt sorry for her as Southworth described her barren house and poor conditions. It adds to her persona as a "poor widow" which we buy into until we find out her past with Old Hurricane, which just confused me and I still don't know what that's all about or what really happened there. I guess we're supposed to be torn between wanting to like Miss Rocke and mistrust of what she was like in the past. Interesting blog entry :)
I find it interesting that you mentioned the sad way in which Marah Rocke's house is described. Now that I'm thinking about it, it does kind of set up the reader to feel sorry for her before we know why she is living in these unfortunate circumstances. I think it could also be used as some subtle emotional foreshadowing; if we're supposed to feel sorry for her now and like her, it probably means that she is an essentially good character and is probably innocent of what Old Hurricane accuses her of.
ReplyDeleteI like that you talked about the bombardment of details that Southworth hits us with. I completely agree with you. I think she uses details to aid in her story rather than avoiding them so they wouldn't overshadow the story like most other authors we've read from this time period so far.
ReplyDeleteI like how you described how the Hidden Hand breaks some of the rules that we talked about in the beginning of the course. The author talks about the setting in a very vivid way and in other stories we have not seen this. Hurricane Hall is described so well that I can picture it in my head!
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