My Kinsman Major Molineux

Major Molineux is Robin’s kinsman. He once visited Robin’s family in the countryside and offered to help Robin become established in the city. Now 18 years old, Robin tries to track down Molineux in Boston. He believes that his kinsman is rich, well-connected, and highly respected. However, upon arriving in the city, Robin struggles to find anyone in the city who is familiar with his kinsman.

Near the end of the story, Robin finally sees his kinsman, who is tarred and feathered and being carried in an open cart. Robin’s naivete is displayed through his assumption that Molineux is Boston nobility. While it does seem that Molineux was once a dignified man, the locals now treat him disdainfully because of his affiliation with the British. 

Upon arriving in the city, the first person Robin encounters is the old man, whose speech is interrupted by “sepulchral hems” (3). These “hems” are short coughs that produce ghastly sounds, which help to paint Boston in a macabre light. Robin hopes the old man can tell him where Molineux can be found. But when Robin tugs at his coattail, the old man becomes annoyed and threatens Robin with “being brought acquainted with the stocks” (3). This is when Robin is first treated with unexpected disrespect, which foreshadows similar encounters. Later that night, the old man is present for the procession. Robin first hears his “hems” and then sees him on a balcony in front of a gothic window. 

At first, the innkeeper treats Robin with superficial adoration. Robin, in his naivete, assumes that the innkeeper is showing him respect because of his relation to Molineux. However, as soon as the innkeeper learns that Robin has no money, he becomes insulting. He suggests that Robin flee because he looks like a young fugitive who is believed to be in the area. Robin takes offense and reaches for his cudgel. Though Robin resists his urge to attack the innkeeper, this impulse suggests that there could soon be a violent event.

The horned man symbolically represents the devil, as well as the city’s sinfulness and chaos. At the inn, when Robin first sees him, he sees that his “forehead bulge[s] out into a double prominence” and his “eyes glow[] […] like fire in a cave” (4). These facial features further establish the city as barbaric and ghoulish. Later that evening, Robin stops the horned man and sees that his face his painted half black and half red. These colors represent the darkness of death and the fire of hell.

During the procession, the horned man leads the way. He rides a horse and brandishes a sword, creating an image that is both regal and barbaric. This suggests that colonial-era revolutionaries were not simply pious patriots, as they are often portrayed.

The woman, who is apparently a prostitute, invites Robin into her residence, under the guise that his kinsman is sleeping inside. He resists this temptation, which suggests he will not easily succumb to the city’s sinful ways. She again appears at the procession, where her “saucy eye” (15) catches his.