The Blithedale Romance: Chapter 25 Summary & Analysis

Hollingsworth is wearing his usual clothes, but Zenobia and Priscilla are both in costume. Zenobia is wearing a jeweled flower in her hair still and looks like a queen, but one who’s been dethroned or is on trial for her life. Coverdale realizes that the three have reached some kind of crisis and immediately wishes he was far away from them. He tries to excuse himself, but Hollingsworth and Zenobia say he’s free to stay there. Zenobia says that if Coverdale had come in sooner he might have seen the darkest corners of the human heart exposed and she explains that she’s been on trial. Looking around, Coverdale notes that Hollingsworth does look like a Puritan judge, Zenobia resembles a sorceress, and Priscilla looks like the pale victim. All that’s missing is a pile of wood.

Zenobia tells Hollingsworth that it was unfair that one man has been her judge, jury, and accuser. She suggests that they should both plead their cases to Coverdale and let him judge them. Hollingsworth says he never meant to judge Zenobia except that he has a right to determine how he should treat her. Zenobia smiles and notes that it’s so easy for men to hold a secret tribunal during which they judge and condemn a woman but set her free without a sentence. Unfortunately, it’s also the only tribunal a woman really stands in awe of because anything short of acquittal is essentially a death sentence. Coverdale believes this confirms that he’s walked in on the final moments of a crisis and realizes they must have discussed Zenobia’s past, her connection with Westervelt, her and Hollingsworth’s intentions towards each other, and how much Zenobia knew about Priscilla’s victimization.

Hollingsworth starts to leave but Zenobia stops him and says it’s only fair for him to answer her questions after she answered so many of his. Hollingsworth says he has nothing to hide. Zenobia asks if he ever thought of her as wealthy and Hollingsworth replies that he has the same opinion on that as the rest of the world. Zenobia says that three days earlier she learned about something that might make her poor, but she changes the subject and says that Hollingsworth knows what she was going to do with her wealth and asks if she ever demanded a promise in return for the money. Hollingsworth says she didn’t. Zenobia accepts this and asks if he’s in love with Priscilla. Hollingsworth says that he always felt like an older brother to her, but now he does love her.

Zenobia lashes out and declares that she, at least, is a real woman—she might have faults and use cunning to achieve her ends, but she’s still a real woman that might have become a better person if God had been kinder to her. Hollingsworth, on the other hand, is not a man, but a monster eaten up with conceit. Zenobia tells him that he’s all self and disguises his conceit with self-deception. She accuses him of throwing Coverdale away for not joining his project and doing the same to her now that she’s no longer “available.” Hollingsworth says this is all a woman’s limited view. Zenobia tells him to be silent because he doesn’t know anything about men or women. She tells him to leave, but before walking away, Hollingsworth tells Priscilla to come with him. Zenobia smiles, sensing that Hollingsworth’s faith in himself has been injured.

Priscilla shakily stands up, totters over to Zenobia, and collapses at her feet. Zenobia tells Priscilla that she has won, and Hollingsworth is waiting for her. Priscilla gasps out that they’re sisters. Coverdale understands this as Priscilla offering herself to Zenobia, but Zenobia takes it another way and says she’s right. Zenobia explains that she only just found out about their relationship and that she just wanted a clear path before her. She asks Priscilla’s forgiveness, but Priscilla is sobbing and says she feels like she’s the guilty one. Zenobia assures her that she’s not guilty and asks what she’ll do when the love in Hollingsworth’s heart burns out. Priscilla says she’ll die when that happens, which makes Zenobia smile. As Priscilla leaves with Hollingsworth, Coverdale realizes she’ll never believe Hollingsworth was guilty of anything because of her all-consuming love. Zenobia drops to her knees and cries against the rocks.