For example, in the quote above, how would Coverdale not recognize her when he sees her at Blithedale? Or if he does, would he not relate that to the reader? He may not be completely dependable, but he is not so dishonest that he would withhold information like that. Roberta Weldon talks about Priscilla's relationship with her father, even mentioning possible incest. Thomas Strychacz looks at "Coverdale and Women,"" but barely mentions Priscilla. He focuses more on Zenobia, despite the fact that Coverdale claims that he was in love with Priscilla. When he does speak of Priscilla, he defines her as someone who Coverdale desires to have control over. .
I would like to take a much more pedestrian look at Priscilla's character, not trying to find well-hidden, dark sexual secrets, but instead looking at her as a well-developed character, who the narrator sees as the most important character in the book. She is obviously important to Hawthorne also, since he closes the book with the narrator's revelation that he was in love with Priscilla. In fact, the novel ends with Priscilla's name, followed by an exclamation point. The first line of the book talks about the "Veiled Lady,"" which is, of course, Priscilla. The book begins and ends with Priscilla. Throughout the book, Priscilla rarely stands on her own. Hawthorne . . . (or Coverdale?) . . . often describes Priscilla using plant imagery, the most appropriate being the clinging vine, as she is described on page 171. This vine can either support, as in Washington Irving's "The Wife,"" or it can cling and suffocate, destroying the object that it clings to, much like a parasite. In an interesting word choice, Priscilla is described as a "gentle parasite,"" (114) in reference to her relationship with Hollingsworth. Priscilla's character throughout the book is defined through her relationships with other characters.
