The mood of “My Kinsman, Major Molineux” is eerie and disturbing. The story is centered on an innocent 18-year-old from the country roaming Boston at night, encountering one unsavory and threatening character after another. The only hope Robin has for finding safety and rest is by locating his cousin Major Molineux—whom he has come to stay with—and yet this hope is dashed when he sees his tarred-and-feathered cousin being forcefully dragged in a cart through a riotous and grotesque mob-led parade.
As is true of many Gothic stories, “My Kinsman, Major Molineux” briefly opens with a lighthearted and hopeful mood before shifting into an unsettling and distressing state. The following passage captures this shift:
[Robin] then walked forward into the town, with as light a step, as if his day’s journey had not already exceeded thirty miles, and with as eager an eye, as if he were entering London city, instead of the little metropolis of a New England colony. Before Robin had proceeded far, however, it occurred to him, that he knew not whither to direct his steps; so he paused, and looked up and down the narrow street, scrutinizing the small and mean wooden buildings, that were scattered on either side.
Robin begins this passage with a “light step” and an “eager eye,” feeling fresh and excited about exploring the “metropolis” of colonial Boston. The mood here is hopeful and joyful, as Robin prepares to meet his (seemingly) esteemed cousin. The mood then shifts as Robin realizes that he doesn’t know where Major Molineux lives and pauses to look around at “the small and mean wooden buildings, that were scattered on either side.” Though the shift in language here is subtle, it is significant in establishing a more eerie mood—phrases like “small and mean” and “scattered” encourage readers to prepare for “small and mean” characters in town as Robin feels more and more “scattered" in his unfamiliar surroundings.
