# IV: The Supper-Table explained — The Blithedale Romance

> Chapter companion for The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

## What happens

During a stormy night at Blithedale, the community's supper is interrupted by a knock at the door. Hollingsworth arrives with a mysterious, shivering young woman named Priscilla, who seems drawn only to Zenobia. Despite initial tension and Zenobia's sharp reaction, the group agrees to shelter her, with Hollingsworth and Silas Foster urging kindness and practical care.

## Themes in this chapter

### Idealism vs. Reality

The community's idealistic welcome is tested by the sudden arrival of a needy stranger, revealing tensions between lofty principles and practical reactions.

### Gender Roles and Women's Rights

Zenobia's initial reluctance to help Priscilla contrasts with Hollingsworth's expectation of female warmth, highlighting gendered assumptions about caregiving.

### Secrecy and Identity

Priscilla's hidden past and refusal to give her full name introduce an air of mystery and foreshadow deeper secrets.

## Character check-ins

### Miles Coverdale

Narrates the scene, observes Priscilla's arrival with curiosity and some irony, and reflects on Hollingsworth's influence.

### Mr. Hollingsworth

Brings Priscilla to Blithedale, defends her against Zenobia's initial coldness, and urges the community to treat her with kindness.

### Zenobia

Initially sharp and cautious toward Priscilla, but softens after Hollingsworth's reproach; accepts the girl into the household.

### Priscilla

Arrives as a mysterious, trembling stranger; speaks only her first name and pleads to stay near Zenobia.

### Silas Foster

Offers practical advice to care for Priscilla with food and work, and comments cynically on the firelight's effect.

## Key lines

> The fantasy occurred to me that she was some desolate kind of a creature, doomed to wander about in snowstorms; and that, though the ruddiness of our window panes had tempted her into a human dwelling, she would not remain long enough to melt the icicles out of her hair.

Coverdale imagines Priscilla as a forlorn being, drawn by the warm light but unlikely to stay long enough to thaw.

_Reflects Coverdale's poetic and somewhat detached view of Priscilla's plight._

> I never thoroughly forgave Zenobia for her conduct on this occasion. But women are always more cautious in their casual hospitalities than men.

Coverdale holds a lasting grudge against Zenobia for her coldness, noting that women tend to be more guarded in offering hospitality.

_Highlights Coverdale's gendered observation and his personal bias._

> Let us warm her poor, shivering body with this good fire, and her poor, shivering heart with our best kindness. Let us feed her, and make her one of us.

Hollingsworth urges the group to provide physical and emotional warmth, integrating Priscilla into the community.

_Demonstrates Hollingsworth's philanthropic idealism and his role as moral guide._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blithedale_romance_se/chapters/iv-the-supper-table
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blithedale_romance_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blithedale_romance_se/chapters