g more and more conflict within himself. Each meeting reveals some small clue about the major, but in parallel creates more questions and ambiguity leading to the climax.It was no mistake that the story of Robin’s search for Major Molineux was told in the limited-third person narrative. This particular point of view significantly attributes to the problem of knowing; it allows some light to be shed on the questionable sequence of events, but at the same time restricts what is revealed to lead once again to more questions.It is important, though, to not forget the vital role of Hawthorne’s choice of setting for this work. Adding to the ambiguousness of the story is the dark, evening setting that the story takes place in; darkness represents the unknown and the light represents the truth. Robin starts his journey with a walk through the woods; woods generally symbolize the unknown as well, but in this story they are not the evil unknown, but in fact only the beginning of what is to come. The setting of the town is important to note: from the dark quietness of the streets to the dark smokiness of the tavern, no light is ever shown brightly enough to give the truth away. Perhaps, though, the most significant of all of Hawthorne’s attributes to this problem of knowing was his use of irony. Language is central to the understanding of Robin’s journey. For instance, the symbolism he uses is vital to the archetypical pattern of a young man’s right of passage. Hawthorne’s use of symbolism paired with ambiguity and irony leads to the reading of two parallel stories. Without the use of these language tools the reader would read only one story, instead the reader is able to also read the underlying story. The real impact this has on the story as a whole is rooted in the fact that all of the symbolism only leads to more questions, attributing greatly to the problem of knowing that encompasses the story.A...
