The Hidden Hand

The most drastic difference I can see from the theories we previously made and the story of The Hidden Hand is the overwhelming presence of a setting. Much of the beginning of the novel is dedicated to describing the setting which, from out lead responded discussion, we established that it almost becomes its own character in the story. The mansion where Old Hurricane lives is described as “one of the loneliest and wildest of the mountain regions of Virginia…surrounded on three sides by a range of steep, gray rocks, spiked with clumps of dark evergreens, and called…the Devil’s Hoof” (pg 151). Right from the start we get a creepy feeling about the place. Later we learn that it is Halloween, which definitely does not make it feel any less scary at this place! Almost every aspect of the land is named “Devil” something! Old Hurricane does his best to keep out the weather and metaphorically maybe the devil, with “heavy curtains that kept out every draft or air…”(pg 152). The landscape and the house relates to Old Hurricane in that it is a metaphor for his personality. One the outside he is rough, intimidating, and scary, but on the inside he is warm and a little mysterious. Even though in the beginning we only see his rough side we eventually see his softer side, especially when he so readily runs off to New York.

Also after looking at the time line provided by PBS just reiterates the fact that the best novels are not always the novels which were most relatable or accessible. I enjoyed reading the Lamplighter so much I can not believe that it would not be a major American novel. If we would start considering the most popular novels the major novels the reading in High school would go by much easier! I think they chose most of the novels they did because they were the best examples of the political happenings of that time. For example, Uncle Tom’s Cabin is on the list and that book brought about a lot of change in our society and evoked some very serious emotions. Also The Jungle had an impact on industrialization in American. Or maybe it could be that people decided those novels were the best written. In addition to the books that made the list for the time period we are studying, I was surprised to see what books made the list for the more modern times. I try to read most of the best seller books and most of them were not on this list at all! For example, the Harry Potter series swept the nation pretty powerfully! It didn’t make any changes to our society but it is extremely popular, yet it is not on the list.