The Blithedale Romance: Chapter 28 Summary & Analysis

There is no cemetery in Blithedale, so they must discuss where to bury Zenobia. Coverdale suggests Eliot’s Pulpit, but Hollingsworth insists that they bury her on the hillside where they planned to build their cottage. Priscilla and Moodie go to the ceremony together, as do Hollingsworth and Coverdale. Together, they watch while Zenobia’s coffin is lowered into the grave. A strange man that Coverdale recognizes comes up and is the first one to throw some dirt on the coffin. Coverdale walks over to him and Westervelt says Zenobia’s suicide was foolish. Coverdale argues that she had every reason to—she’d lost her love, her money, and her projects all failed. Furthermore, Zenobia labored under a burden only Westervelt truly knows about. Westervelt argues that Zenobia had a whole life ahead of her and could have done something great in the world either on her own or through her influence over men.

Coverdale says nothing Westervelt just described would’ve satisfied Zenobia’s heart. Westervelt contemptuously says she would have learned to control that. Coverdale asks how Westervelt is connected to Zenobia, but then says he doesn’t want to know exactly how Westervelt controlled her—if their bond could only be dissolved through death, then it’s better that she’s dead. Westervelt says it doesn’t matter what he was to Zenobia because she’s beyond his reach and has thrown her life away. Coverdale hopes that heaven annihilates Westervelt. Still, Coverdale admits that Westervelt is right about how much potential Zenobia had and mourns that she felt so defeated by the loss of her love that she was compelled to kill herself. Coverdale blames this on the world, which insists that women’s existence should rely on her relationships with men while men have so many other options.

Coverdale worries about Priscilla but knows that her heart only has room for a single all-consuming affection. While Zenobia’s death is heartbreaking, it doesn’t destroy Priscilla. The worst that can happen to her is if Hollingsworth is unkind. In the present, Coverdale says Priscilla is still alive, so Hollingsworth is clearly still kind to her. Rhetorically, he asks if Hollingsworth should be left to enjoy Priscilla’s devotion after doing so much evil. With this question in mind, he went to find Hollingsworth and Priscilla a few years after Zenobia’s funeral. Coverdale sees them walking, but Priscilla is protective and tries to indicate to Coverdale not to come forward. He does anyway. Coverdale asks how many prisoners Hollingsworth has reformed. Hollingsworth calmly replies that he’s been busy with a single murder. This breaks Coverdale’s heart as he remembers Zenobia’s final message to Hollingsworth—he’s still haunted by her.

Coverdale says the moral of Hollingsworth’s life is that when a person devotes their entire being to philanthropy, it can destroy their heart even though their intentions are good. Returning to Zenobia’s grave, Coverdale says he doesn’t have a doubt that plants grow in abundance above her and that nature has reclaimed her body in death, although a crop of weeds has sprouted up from where her heart should be.