The focus of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Little Annie’s Ramble” is centered around the beauty of a child’s innocence. Hawthorne further explores how ignorant that beauty is when describing Annie’s “fearless confidence” when surrounded by a society of adults who have become bitter due to life experiences. By using the follow-the-trail method, the word “child”, or words relating to childhood, appear 23 times.
The story begins with an older man listening to the town crier announce the arrival of a circus. He then sees a little girl across the street, named Annie, who “feels that impulse to go strolling away–that longing after the mystery of the great world—which many children feel, and which I felt in my childhood.” He proceeds to take Annie into town, exploring all it’s colorful sights as they make their way to the circus. Although Annie doesn’t speak a word throughout the story, the older man is ecstatic to be with her, as if she makes him feel young again. As they continue their journey together, Annie begins dancing while passing by a musician. The narrator expresses how the adults surrounding her have every excuse not to join her— due to old age, disease, body structure, or judgmental attitudes. He then calls himself a “…gentleman of sober footsteps” entailing that he too, has become stiffened due to society’s expectations or norms. Once completely absorbed into the circus, the town crier announces that a mother is worried due to her lost little girl. The narrator realizes that he didn’t inform Annie’s mother of their whereabouts, and proceeds to take her back home.
In the last paragraph, the older man seems exhilarated and relieved to have spent time with Annie by stating that the “…pure breath of children revives the life of aged men.” The narrator proclaims that he can now go back into his darkened reality of a world, but with a “kinder and purer heart, and a spirit more lightly wise.” Hawthorne exhibits how a child’s innocence is blind to the evils of society’s thoughts and feelings as people age. As we grow older, we become more sensitive to these aspects and begin to perceive the world and behave in a more constricted manner- an environment that a child is not subjected to.
I agree with you regarding where the author used the word “child” numerous times and in diverse ways to elaborate the poem. I think the word “child” is not just referring to that little girl Annie, but to everyone living in the society. He used it many time to remind us as an adult, we were also a child.
I like that you focused here on the term ‘child’, since I also agree that it is crucial in the idea Hawthorne is trying to express to his readers. Annie is as much of a ‘spirit’ and feeling than she is an actual character. I think you could have gone further in why Hawthorne said this word child so many times instead of simply calling Annie by her name. I think that Hawthorne repeated the term child to emphasize that it’s not necessarily Annie that brought him these feelings, but the idea of childhood and its innocence and blissfulness itself is what caused the narrator to feel as he did.
I like the way that you placed emphasis on the word “child” in your analysis to tie together your major theme of a child’s innocence blinding him or her to the evils of society. I agree with your interpretation of the older gentlemen and how he sees Annie’s youthful nature as an almost revival of the rigid life he has been living as a result of society’s expectations and norms. To go further with how this was expressed in “Little Annie’s Ramble,” I think the fact that she went so willingly with a stranger and saw no danger in doing so, exemplifies her naive nature as a young girl. She is the picture of innocence, walking around the town with a man that she does not know, and has no concern about whether or not he may have harmful intentions. In my opinion, the man is taking advantage of young Annie’s innocence, but not in a way that is typically associated with such relationships in today’s society. He is using her carefree nature to see the world from the new perspective, through the eyes of pure innocence.
I am agree with you in the passage of your post when you said that Annie never says a word when he “ feels that impulse to go strolling away–that longing after the mystery of the great world—which many children feel, and which I felt in my childhood.” because the man seems excessively overjoyed, as if just being with a young child is making himself a young boys again. Throughout the story, Hawthorne is incredibly descriptive of the child’s emotions and actions. For example, at one point, he and Annie see a street musician and Hawthorne describes how Annie eyes becomes bright with pleasure (Hawthorne “Little”). therefore I think this example defines Romanticism even more as Hawthorne elaborates, explaining how Annie start dancing to the music and expressing how as people get older they no longer are free to dance as Annie does.