The Blithedale Romance · Chapter
An Old Acquaintance explained
Coverdale, feeling excluded from the confidences of those at Blithedale, decides to seek out Old Moodie to learn more about the hidden affairs involving Priscilla and Zenobia.
What happens
Coverdale, feeling excluded from the confidences of those at Blithedale, decides to seek out Old Moodie to learn more about the hidden affairs involving Priscilla and Zenobia. He finds Moodie in a saloon, and over a bottle of claret, Coverdale attempts to draw him into conversation. The wine loosens Moodie's tongue, and he begins to reveal reminiscences of his past, hinting at a more genteel former life.
Themes in this chapter
Secrecy and Identity
Coverdale's quest to uncover hidden truths about Moodie, Priscilla, and Zenobia highlights the theme of concealed identities and secrets.
Class and Wealth
Moodie's transformation from a shabby vagabond to a decayed gentleman under the influence of wine underscores the fluidity of class and the remnants of former wealth.
Characters to notice
- Miles Coverdale
Narrator who seeks out Old Moodie to uncover hidden truths.
- Old Moodie
The old acquaintance Coverdale meets in a saloon; he reveals glimpses of his past over wine.
- Priscilla
Referenced as the reason Coverdale seeks out Moodie, due to their relationship.
- Zenobia
Mentioned as another person Coverdale hopes to learn about through Moodie.
Key passages
“Thus excluded from everybody’s confidence, and attaining no further, by my most earnest study, than to an uncertain sense of something hidden from me, it would appear reasonable that I should have flung off all these alien perplexities.”
Feeling shut out from everyone's trust and only vaguely aware of a secret, Coverdale thinks he should simply leave these troubling mysteries behind.
Coverdale's motivation for seeking out Moodie stems from his exclusion and curiosity.
“There was one method, however, of bringing him out into somewhat stronger relief. A glass of brandy would effect it. Perhaps the gentler influence of a bottle of claret might do the same.”
Coverdale realizes that alcohol might help draw Moodie out of his withdrawn state and make him more communicative.
Coverdale uses wine to thaw Moodie's reserve and encourage conversation.