My Kinsman, Major Molineux by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1832): A Review

Once upon a time in Boston, a young man named Robin set out on a quest to find his elusive kinsman, a British Colonial Government official. Spoiler alert: he asked everyone in town for help, and his efforts yielded about as much assistance as one might expect from a group of colonial townsfolk debating whether to pay the tea tax.

Hawthorne takes this straightforward premise and transforms it into something intriguing. You might think you’re reading a supernatural tale with the Devil lurking about, but surprise! There’s no devil—just ordinary people in colonial America teaching lessons to British officers.

Robin’s reaction at the end is priceless. When he finally spots his kinsman, he behaves as if he’s just encountered an old acquaintance he is trying to avoid, saying, “Who, me? Never seen him before!”

So that’s the story—no major twists, just a simple narrative that cleverly explores Americans and their relationship with British colonial government.