Oliver Wendell Holmes through this novel seems to be rebelling against his strict Calvinistic background by making Elsie a character to sympathize with. "Holmes is concerned with refuting the Calvinist doctrine of divine punishment for the supposed "evil" carried into the world by all men," (Gallagher, p57) and he has "set himself to their [Calvinistic dogmas] destruction as his task in literature." (Perking, p107)

The story begins with an introduction of the Brahmin caste of New England of which the hero, Mr. Bernard C. Langdon belongs. Bern

ard is a medical student taking leave to teach for financial reasons. He is described as having skin "like that of Jacob, rather than Esau's." (E.V., p19) The narrator, also referred to as The Professor, says of Bernard, "Anyone who looked at this young man could not fail to see that he was capable of fascinating and being fascinated." (E.V., p26) He accepts a teaching master position at the Apollinean Female Institute in Rockland, where he meets the heroine Elsie Venner.

Mr. Venner, listening to the advice of the Doctor, let Elsie indulge herself in anything she wanted, like her loud patterned clothes and jewelry. "But to leave Elsie as radically particular is precisely to de-humanize her." (Thrailkill, p697-98)

Throughout the book Holmes also makes references to the Garden of Eden of which Elsie is the serpent.

Elsie throughout the novel is referred to as a what or thing rather than a person. "Her serpentine origins locate her in the familiar demonology of Judeo-Christianity." (Traister, p205) From this stems the fear most people have of her. Bernard about Elsie, "A strange creature! Isn't there an odd sort of fascination about her? You have not explained all the mystery of the girl." (E.V., p104) To which Miss Darley, the assistant teacher at the same school Bernard teaches and Elsie attends, replies "If there were women now, as in the days of our Saviour, possessed of devils, I should think there was something not human looking out of Elsie Venner's eyes." (E.V., p104) Also asked of Elsie

"that character, mental and moral, is largely dependant on organization; that transmitted and congenital qualities form a determining force in life," (Hill, p365) and "that her bizarre characteristics were no more demonic than those of the creature from which they were derived, that if they were dangerous they were more naturally beautiful than satanically ugly, and that Elsie could not be accountable for them." (Garner, p290)

"In God's good time she would come to her true nature; her eyes would lose that frightful, cold glitter; her lips would not feel so cold when she pressed them against his cheek." (E.V., p151)

Holmes was successful in that the reader cannot help but sympathize with Elsie Venner and not blame her for her actions, be they natural or nurtured by her upbringing.

"The flower-beds were edged with box, which defused around it a dreamy balsamic order, full of ante-nata

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1628
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)