Concealment in Chesnutt’s The House Behind the Cedars Essay -- House B

Concealment in Chesnutts The suffer Behind the CedarsWho has something to hide?Everyone in The House behind the Cedars has something to hide. With the possible exception of a few minor characters and children (innocents/ innocence), most characters have something to conceal. Taking this into account, this is more than likely Chesnutts acknowledgement of human temper before he gets into the varying motives. Is concealment ultimately worthwhile? Who is hurt and who is helped or is there any difference?Molly, John, Rena (The Absent/ Dead Father) This family is where much of the major concealment starts. Ironically, the family is the same place where secrets are revealed. They start as a secret themselves - hidden away, behind a row of cedars, and inside the house on Front Street. The long dead, white lover of Mis Molly, concealed this family from his world, just as he kept his name from his illegitimate children denying something to each. As a result, Mis Molly do many sacrifices . The first sacrifice she made was herself to her lover, which in return brought some security for herself and her family. We are told by the narrator, she worshipped the ground upon which her lord walked, was humbly satisfying for his protection, and quite as faithful as the forbidden marriage vow could possibly have made her (105). This passage does not seem to indicate a sacrifice on her part, but ultimately it was also done for her immediate family. When her immediate family began to include children, Mis Molly had to face that her children were not legitimate, had no family name, and were thrust into a world that would not easily accept them. As this escalates over time, she sacrifices her happiness for the happiness of her child... ...tood hierarchy among classes, racial and economic, that while not publicly acknowledged, is indeed reciprocal knowledge. The novel discusses this in regards to Mis Molly, her neighbors darker and poorer. Word CitedGo here for websites with fu rther Charles W. Chesnutt Informationhttp//docsouth.unc.edu/chesnuttcolonel/about.html Biography http//www.virginia.edu/history/courses/courses.old/hius323/chesnutt.html Biographyhttp//www.berea.edu/faculty/browners/chesnutt/ living/biography.html Biographyhttp//www.berea.edu/faculty/browners/chesnutt/biography/familytree.html Family Treehttp//www.berea.edu/faculty/browners/chesnutt/classroom/class.html Chesnutt in the Classroomhttp//authorsdirectory.com/biography_online_book_portrait_picture/c_authors_charles_w_chesnutt.shtmlBiography, Lesson Plans, Online Text, Portrait and Pictures, etc.