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Similes
Situational Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Despised Major Molineux:
The situational irony at the heart of “My Kinsman, Major Molineux” is the fact that Robin arrives in Boston believing his cousin Major Molineux to be a highly revered leader in the community, only to discover at the end of the story that his cousin is so deeply despised that he has been tarred and feathered by a militant mob before being paraded through the streets. The irony of this reveal comes across in the following passage, as Robin first spies Major Molineux at the center of the parade:
A moment more, and the leader thundered a command to halt; the trumpets vomited a horrid breath, and held their peace; the shouts and laughter of the people died away, and there remained only a universal hum, nearly allied to silence. Right before Robin’s eyes was an uncovered cart. There the torches blazed the brightest, there the moon shone out like day, and there, in tar-and-feathery dignity, sate his kinsman, Major Molineux!
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