Hidden Religion, Hidden Hand

After reading the excerpt from The Hidden Hand, I found it interesting that it lacked certain “norms” often seen in nineteenth century literature. We discussed earlier in the semester how religion was often a common idea seen in children’s literature at this time, but it does not seem as obviously present in The Hidden Hand as in other excerpts we have read. Though hard to find, I did see a few religious references (or at least what I saw as possible religious references) in the text.

The first mention of anything dealing with Christianity in The Hidden Hand happens on the first page of the first chapter. The author introduces Major Warfield as a character and describes him as “…equally loved and feared by his faithful…servants…” This explanation of Major Warfield compares to how many Christians view God. To me, God is one to be loved and feared because of His mighty power. So while Major Warfield may not be a direct representation of God, Southworth definitely included an interesting explanation of the character that could stand out to the reader as being a religious reference.

Another instance of religion being mentioned was when Nancy Grewell was talking to Old Hurricane on her death bed. At one point she says, “And the best way to prepare to meet the Divine Judge is to make all the reparation that you can by a full confession!” By putting this in the text, Southworth is opening up another way for the reader to connect with the character. The author probably recognized that religion can be used to bond her audience with the story.

Other texts that we have read have used religion as a teaching tool. The didactic style in which they were written often dealt with a character trying to better understand Christianity. In The Hidden Hand, religion was not used as a basis for any sort of teaching. It was more used as a way for readers to connect to the story.