Reviews for Snow Image

The average rating for Snow Image based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-12-04 00:00:00 Dorameous Jonesbarb It is tempting to see The Snow Image as a children's story, an Hawthorniean version of Frosty the Snowman, a yawningly familiar sort of winter solstice miracle. This, however would be a mistake. It is true that this story, in Hawthorne's day, appeared in illustrated children's editions, but it was a tale originally intended for adults, first published as the title story of Hawthorne's third short story collection, The Snow Image and Other Twice Told Tales (1851). In fact, it bears a close resemblance to many of Hawthorne's most effective and resonant tales'such as "The Birthmark," "Rappaccini's Daughter" and "The Artist of the Beautiful"'in which an artist or lover with a childlike heart is thwarted by the voice of reason and practicality, and, as a result, something unique'a fragile and beautiful something'is destroyed. In this instance, the "beautiful image" is the snow image herself, a delicate sculpture formed and animated by the inspired hands of the two trusting children of the Lyndsey family, but later destroyed by the demands of their father'a kindly, practical man'whose refuses to acknowledge that the little girl he spies playing out of doors is an easily perishable creature, and insists that she come inside and sit by the fire. Hawthorne is not shy of pointing out a moral: . . . it behooves men, and especially men of benevolence, to consider well what they are about, and, before acting on their philanthropic purposes, to be quite sure that they comprehend the nature and all the relations of the business in hand. What has been established as an element of good to one being may prove absolute mischief to another . . . But, after all, there is no teaching anything to wise men of good Mr. Lindsey's stamp. They know everything, ' oh, to be sure! ' everything that has been, and everything that is, and everything that, by any future possibility, can be. And, should some phenomenon of nature or providence transcend their system, they will not recognize it, even if it come to pass under their very noses.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-12-26 00:00:00 Sharlene C Jones Read for free here Opening: ONE afternoon of a cold winter's day, when the sun shone forth with chilly brightness, after a long storm, two children asked leave of their mother to run out and play in the new-fallen snow. The elder child was a little girl, whom, because she was of a tender and modest disposition, and was thought to be very beautiful, her parents, and other people who were familiar with her, used to call Violet. But her brother was known by the style and title of Peony, on account of the ruddiness of his broad and round little phiz, which made everybody think of sunshine and great scarlet flowers.