The Hidden Hand

One interesting theme I encountered in The Hidden Hand was the contrast between older men and the younger men. There seems to be a drastic change in the way that older people are supposed to behave compared to the younger people.There seems to be more composure in the "adults" than the "children."

An obvious example of this theme is how Major Ira Warfield is described as "arrogant, domineering, and violent" (151), yet we see that he has this tender nature to him that he only shows in certain occassions. We see this kindness when despite his temper as he tells Wool to let in the stranger knocking in the middle of the night when he says, "Do you think I am going to turn a deaf ear to a stranger that comes to my house for shelter on such a night as this? Go and answer the bell directly." (153). Old Hurricane's kind heart also shows when he leaves during the middle of the night to go see the midwife that is dying and he listens to her whole story.(156) What really shows this man's true nature is when he goes to rescue Capitola and he sighs and laments the life that she has led up until then.

From the beginning, the reader is meant to believe that Major Ira is a selfish, bitter old man that doesn't want anything but his luxuries but we soon learn that he is far from that in reality. All through the beginning, Old Hurricane shows his kindness and sensitivity in very subtle ways because back in the 19th century and even somewhat today men were not supposed to be emotional or show any kind of strong feelings openly as we also see with Ellen's father in The Wide, Wide World. Despite this, there is one instance when Old Hurricane lets his emotions be seen, and this is when he finds out that the widow Herbert Greyson talked about is really his estranged wife, Marah. (203). Old Hurricane gets really angry when he realizes who Herbert Greyson is talking about, but then a sadness fills him as he "dropped his shaggy head and face into his hands and remained trembling from head to foot, while the convulsive heaving of his chest and the rising and falling of his huge shoulders betrayed that his heart was bursting with such suppressed sobs as only can be forced from manhood by the fiercest anguish." (204). This also shows that the only thing that would make a man cry is terrible anguish almost as if that is the only time a man is allowed to display his sadness. Even then Old Hurricane composes himself because Herbert points out how much "emotion" he is showing, so Old Hurricane is described as "getting up and shaking himself free of all weaknesses." (204). The irony in this is that Herbert Grayson acts very compassionately and even "pressed that rugged and hairy old hand to his lips" (204) meaning Old Hurrricane, and there seems to be nothing wrong with that.

There is a big contrast in the way that Traverse and Herbert are allowed to act compared to Old Hurricane and Marah Rocke. Even with Marah Rocke, since she is a woman her crying is not such a big deal. Yet, she still tries to hide the crying from Traverse "as she had managed to dismiss her boy with a smile, but that was the last effort of nature; as soon as he was gone she found herself alone, tear after tear welled up in her eyes and rolled down her pale cheeks" (209), which shows that adults were expected to be composed around their children whether male adult or female adult. Herbert and Traverse themselves are as emotional and compassionate as a man can be during that century and there is nothing that stops them from being that way. Traverse's emotions come to light when he says to Marah, "Mother, I love you more than son ever loved his mother, or suitor his sweetheart, or husband his wife! Oh! is my love nothing mother?" (208).This instance is extremely sensitive for a grown man but suitable for a child, yet Traverse is almost a full grown man. There is a strangeness in the way that the younger men display their emotions despite the way that Old Hurricane feels the need to hold back on his emotions and even reprimands himself for becoming too sensitive at times. This compassionate nature in men also comes up in Willie in The Lamplighter, and nothing seems out of place either when that happens maybe because he is also a younger man. It all seems as if children were the only ones allowed to show their emotions and adults were expected to hide them as much as possible because it was not okay for the adults to be vulnerable.