54 pages • 1 hour read
Pauline Elizabeth HopkinsOf One Blood: Or, the Hidden Self
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1902A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 6-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 6 Summary
Reuel and Aubrey go to the Vance house for a costume party. Charlie teases Reuel about his recent achievements in mesmerism, and Molly asks him about Dianthe. Reuel describes her as a “waif” who was in “mesmeric sleep” (43). Aubrey recounts how his father, Dr. Livingston, often hypnotized a young enslaved woman named Mira. At a dinner party before the Civil War, Mira predicted that the men present would be killed in the war and their houses would be destroyed. Mira’s words were so disturbing, Aubrey recalls, that his father sold her a few months before the beginning of the Civil War. Nevertheless, her predictions all came true.
Molly insists that Dianthe should stay at the Vance house during her convalescence. That night, Aubrey dreams of Dianthe. The next morning he realizes that he is “hopelessly lost” (46).
Chapter 7 Summary
Reuel successfully restores Dianthe’s physical health, but her memory does not recover. The doctors say she cannot be cured, so she takes the name “Felice Adams” and moves into the Vance house. Reuel still feels distressed about Dianthe’s condition and her future. Aubrey and Reuel observe that she navigates her new life with ease, but Reuel thinks that her memory might return suddenly. He tells Aubrey they should not have concealed her identity from her. While her voice is now “pinioned in [her] throat like an imprisoned song-bird,” Dianthe still displays intense reactions to hearing music (49). Reuel confesses his love to her. Though Dianthe can offer only a relatively “cold affection” in return, she allows him to embrace her, and they agree to marry.
Despite feeling more alive than ever, Reuel struggles to make ends meet. His work does not generate enough income to support Dianthe. Reuel describes his financial difficulties to Aubrey, noting that he has had trouble securing employment: though he had accepted a handful of offers, they were later withdrawn. Aubrey speculates that potential employers may have discovered Reuel’s racial identity. He claims to deplore the effects of racial prejudice. Finally, Aubrey tells Reuel about an expedition to the ancient cities of Ethiopia that needs doctors and will pay a good salary—not to mention giving him the opportunity to contribute to the uplift of fellow African Americans. The drawback, however, is that Reuel must be gone for two years. He hesitates, thinking about Dianthe, but talks himself into accepting the proposal. He asks Aubrey to look after Dianthe in his absence. Aubrey says that he and Molly will protect her like a “dear sister.”
Chapter 8 Summary
Aubrey helps Reuel secure his position and prepare for the journey. Charlie Vance joins the expedition as well, and the night before their departure, Aubrey hosts a dinner to celebrate Reuel’s endeavor. After the meal, Aubrey sends a telegram to Jim Titus with instructions to meet him in New York. Reuel and Dianthe marry the morning of his departure. Dianthe’s expression is “full of unutterable emotion—love, anguish, compassion” (56). She tells him that she has occasional visions of her past life and asks his help again. He kisses her and asks her to pray for his safe return. They part with sadness and Reuel is grateful for his time with her. Reuel, Charlie, and Jim Titus depart from New York for Liverpool.
Dianthe spends time with Molly and Aubrey, who often visits the Vance home. At a party to celebrate the news of the expedition’s safe arrival in Africa, Aubrey visibly flirts with Dianthe, in spite of the fact that she is a married woman and he is engaged to Molly. Dianthe unexpectedly sits down at the piano and begins to sing the song that had moved Reuel so much when he heard it in Boston. The guests, as well as Molly, are surprised by the performance, a sign that Dianthe’s memory is returning. Afterwards, she asks Aubrey to tell her about her past, and he reveals her story, including the fact that she is Black. Dianthe asks whether Reuel knows the truth, and Aubrey lies and says he does not. Aubrey then tells Dianthe that the only way out of her dilemma is to yield to his love for her.
Chapter 9 Summary
Dianthe reads a letter from Reuel, handing it to Aubrey as Molly leaves the room. Aubrey becomes furious reading Reuel’s expressions of love, tears the letter, and accuses Dianthe of exacerbating his suffering. Dianthe looks at him almost fearfully, and says she hoped he would realize that his feelings are a mistake. Aubrey says he cannot live without her. Dianthe “looks into the future with the hopeless agony of dumb despair” (64). When she is alone, she has a vision of a woman rising from the floor. She wears the clothes of a “servant” and has an “olive” skin tone. The woman opens a book and writes something in it, then disappears. Dianthe examines the book and reads: “For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed” (65)—a quotation from Luke 12:2. The name “Mira” appears below the Bible verse.
Later that day, Aubrey, Dianthe, and Molly go canoeing. Molly plays her mandolin, and even Dianthe recovers her peace of mind. However, Aubrey’s paddle becomes caught in the water lily stems, and when he tries to release it, the canoe capsizes.
Chapters 6-9 Analysis
Reuel’s time in the Vance house and his association with the friendly group of young, white middle-class people like Aubrey, Molly, and Charlie demonstrates his uneasy social environment and illuminates the secondary characters in the story. Charlie is a privileged white man who cares about pleasure and adventure. Even though Hopkins’s focus in on Dianthe’s life, she also presents Molly as an innocent person who wants to do good. She is happy with her prospective marriage to Aubrey, but she is also aware of life’s contingency, foreshadowing the dramatic turn of events: “Who knows what a year may bring forth” (41). The section also illuminates Aubrey’s character. He is the descendant of an enslaver and planter white man from the South whose power is Aubrey’s heritage. His speech about his father’s past and the prophesy of Mira, his enslaved attendant, about the bloody outcome of the Civil War also relates to the theme of Addressing the Traumatic Historical Past. This first reference to old Livingston’s connection with Mira indicates that the history of enslavement is the underlying issue that defines the relationships between the central characters. Aubrey’s father objectified Mira and the text hints of his manipulation and exploitation of her. The description of Mira as a woman with spiritual insight also shows her connection to Reuel and Dianthe. Dianthe’s vision of her presages the revelation of dark secrets.
Reuel fails in Dianthe’s mental reawakening. She navigates life in the Vance house with ease and her friendship with Molly is a positive bond for her. However, she remains in distress after losing consciousness of herself. Reuel believes that his love is the only means to make Dianthe happy. A turning point in the story is Reuel’s ongoing financial struggle. His social position and his difficulty finding a job posits an obstacle to his union with Dianthe. Despite their plans of marriage, Reuel feels that their separation is inevitable. Aubrey’s suggestion about the expedition to Africa as Aubrey’s only solution to his economic problems introduces the theme of Decolonizing African American Identity. While Aubrey’s character begins to unfold as he plots to send Reuel away and pursue Dianthe, he also thrusts Reuel into a journey of self-discovery. Reuel’s departure, however, puts Dianthe’s future in question. After their marriage, Dianthe declares her weakness and fear of being alone.
The theme of Black Women’s Quest for Liberation reemerges in the description of Dianthe’s feelings as she addresses Reuel with an expression “full of unutterable emotion – love, anguish, compassion (56). Even though Reuel cares for her, he appears unconscious of her inner world. The motif of music connects with Dianthe again as a means of self-expression. Despite her confusion over her past, song remains her natural gift that stimulates her memory and consciousness. Dianthe is constantly troubled by visions of her past self. When Reuel departs for England, Aubrey begins to exert his power on Dianthe. She trusts him, and he lies to her to control her. Aubrey is ultimately described as a “false friend” when he asks for Dianthe’s devotion to help her in her suffering. Even though not practically an enslaver, Aubrey carries his father’s practice of controlling and exploiting Black women. He vows to love Dianthe, but his main intention is to “possess” her. Dianthe’s desperation makes her become “a puppet” in his hands despite her attempts to resist (62). Aubrey becomes obsessive, and Dianthe is a means for him to ground a sense of power. He tells her: “Without you my ambition is destroyed” (64). The chapter section indicates his conspiracy against Reuel when he promises Jim Titus a generous reward if he succeeds in his mission. Aubrey’s obsession makes Dianthe feel desperate and hopeless about her future and reveals the man’s dark instincts. The motif of mysticism and spirituality connects with the theme of Addressing the Traumatic Historical Past when Dianthe sees the vision of her mother Mira. As a vision, Mira warns of dark secrets that will soon be revealed. The boat accident involving Aubrey, Dianthe, and Molly at the end of the chapter section creates a mystery around the fate of the characters in America and establishes a sense of doom over their lives.
