Wakefield is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and was first published in 1835. It tells the peculiar tale of a man named Wakefield who mysteriously disappears from his home and lives incognito in a house just a few blocks away for a period of 20 years.

Wakefield | Summary

The story opens with the narrator referring to a story he read once in a newspaper or magazine about a man who leaves his wife one day, without any explanation, for a period of twenty years after promising to return soon. The narrative offers a psychological reconstruction of this strange event from the perspective of the man.
without forewarning or explanation,

The narrator begins on one October evening, when the man (whom we call Wakefield) takes leave of his wife. Wakefield claims that he is leaving for the country and promises that he will return within the next few days. However, instead of returning, Wakefield isolates himself voluntarily not too far away, but in a rented apartment only a street away from his old dwelling. As time passes, he becomes increasingly disconnected from society and loses touch with his former life. He chooses to observe his wife from a distance and becomes a sort of invisible observer of her life. Wakefield’s motivations for this strange behavior are unclear, and the story explores the psychological and emotional aspects of his decision. Wakefield becomes a ghostly figure, disconnected from reality and haunted by the choices he made. He grows increasingly curious about his home and his wife, and what has been happening therein in his absence.

He walks by his old house but feels disconnected from it as if he had been away for a long time, and it had changed in his absence. He begins to live a separate life, purchases a disguise and grows determined to stay away from his home until his wife is “frightened half to death”. On multiple occasions he passes by his house, watching her grow paler and paler. One day, a doctor visits the home; from afar, Wakefield wonders if his wife will die. But, she recovers, and once again Wakefield believes that she will no longer long for him. Ten years pass.

Walking by his old house, Wakefield senses a disconnection from it, as if he had been away for an extended period and it had transformed during his absence. He settles into another separate life, adopts a disguise, and resolves to remain until his wife is thoroughly “frightened half to death”. He frequently passes by his house, clandestinely observing his wife as she progressively grows paler and weaker.

When a doctor visits his home, from a distance, Wakefield wonders if his wife’s illness will prove fatal. However, she recovers, leading Wakefield to believe that she will no longer harbor longing for him.
We are shown another scene ten years hence, in a bustling London street, a man and wife pass each other along a footwalk. It is the crowd that pushes them together for a fraction of a moment. Their hands and bodies touch in the push of the crowd and they find themselves face to face. Both have grown old. They are pushed apart the very next instant, and Wakefield is left stupefied by the direct encounter. She continues on her way but looks behind to gaze at him, and the reader cannot ascertain for sure if she recognises him.

The years pass and we are transported to another day, twenty years passed since Wakefield left. On one of his customary walks, Wakefield finds himself once more near his old house. He can see the glow of the fire and the shadow of his wife’s figure on the ceiling of the parlour room. And it is in the same unexplained manner in which he left that we behold him walking up the steps of his own house, almost against his own volition as if his heavy legs carried him up. The door parts the way it had parted when Wakefield left, and we catch a glimpse of the parting crafty smile, the remnants of the old joke; and the narrative closes as abruptly, as the narrator and the reader are both left to imagine and ponder the meaning and consequence of his return.

Wakefield | Analysis

Hawthorne takes a true story off a newspaper or magazine clipping and provides us with its progression and conclusion in the very first paragraph. The narrative then takes shape as it attempts to analyze and reconstruct the subject’s psychology referring to him by the name “Wakefield”.

Wakefield is described as middle-aged and calm – a constant husband with no qualms or distractions whatsoever, probably spurred on by his sluggishness and general lack of energy. He is “intellectual, but not actively so; his mind occupied itself in long and lazy musings, that tended to no purpose, or had not vigor to attain it”. To his acquaintances and to the reader, he possessed “a cold but not depraved nor wandering heart, and a mind never feverish with riotous thoughts, nor perplexed with originality” : an ordinary man leading an ordinary life, so ordinary in fact that he would be least suspected to do anything eccentric. His wife, however:

“was partly aware of a quiet selfishness, … of a peculiar sort of vanity, the most uneasy attribute about him; of a disposition to craft which had … a little strangeness”.

Leaving, Wakefield establishes his solitary life in a modest flat close to his house. He almost regrets leaving the first night he is gone and decides to go back, but he stays away, out of delay and indecision. The narrator doesn’t explain Wakefield’s decision to isolate himself for such a long time or explain why Wakefield did it.
His initial goal of self-banishment connects him perhaps even more strongly to his former life, he cannot stay away, and succumbing to the desire to know the goings-on, he continues to observe his home and wife.

Wakefield’s indecision traps him in an endless cycle wherein he watches his old life from a distance, yearns to return, and yet feels the need to hide and isolate himself, thus failing to return even in his wife’s sickness.
The encounter with his wife on the busy street stirs something in Wakefield, and he begins to question his decision. However, this lasts only a few fleeting moments, and succumbing to habit, Wakefield continues down his alienated path.

The end to this cycle of indecision occurs through yet another abrupt spontaneous action. Wakefield, twenty years after having left, contradicts his own action as he walks up the stairs of his old home to his wife. Here too, the subject of modernity and the exploration of the human condition arises.
Removing himself from society, Wakefield loses his individuality – he melts into the streets of London. His endeavour seems somewhat futile as he realises, in the end, his own replaceability. As Hawthorne writes, “stepping aside for a moment, a man exposes himself to a fearful risk of losing his place forever” Wakefield is described as “the Outcast of the Universe” . Hawthorne gives a moral that once one steps out; he may lose his own spot, and cannot fit in the society again and forever.

“Wakefield” is a psychological exploration of the human desire for observation of one’s own life without contaminating it. It examines the consequences of isolation and the fluid nature of identity. Hawthorne presents a unique and thought-provoking narrative that challenges readers to reflect on the choices they make and the impact those choices can have on their own lives and relationships.

Wakefield | Themes

The story explores deeply the themes of modernity, alienation, detachment, the passage of time, and identity.
Wakefield’s decision to separate himself from his wife and embark on his self-imposed exile can be seen as a manifestation of his desire for personal freedom and independence. He seeks to break free from the societal norms and expectations that confine him, highlighting the growing emphasis on individual autonomy in the modern era.

The story explores the consequences of the pursuit of personal desires and the modern human condition that highlights detachment from traditional societal structures. Wakefield’s actions can be interpreted as a critique of the alienation and isolation that can arise from the pursuit of individual desires at the expense of interpersonal relationships and community bonds. His choice to observe his wife from a distance and remain hidden reveals the potential disconnect and estrangement that can arise in a modern society focused on individual pursuits.

For Hawthorne himself, Wakefield possesses “the whole list of human oddities”. He represents the flaws in human beings. He takes leave of his wife and his life without any such premeditation. His adopted disguise of appearance isolates him from all known society and acquaintances. Wakefield shows a curiosity, his innermost desire is perhaps to be invisible, to look upon the life he lived and the people he knew in his absence.
The passage of time and its impact on relationships and memory is another aspect related to modernity in the story. Wakefield’s decision to disappear for twenty years and then reappear as if nothing happened reflects the transient nature of modern life and the shifting dynamics of relationships. It highlights the fragility of connections in a society characterized by constant change and fleeting attention spans.

Wakefield | Title of the Story

The title of the story suggests a moral change. “Wakefield”, the name with which we also refer to the protagonist, suggests an “awakening”. It might be interpreted as a sudden realisation of the importance of human connection within a society, and the human need and desperation for this connection. The narrator describes him when he returns home as “a loving spouse till death” : he awakes from the darkness of isolation and futile self-exploration in a detached modern world.

Wakefield | Character Sketch

Wakefield, the protagonist, chooses to exile himself from his residence and his wife, Mrs. Wakefield. Despite informing his wife that he is going on an errand, he fails to return. Instead, he relocates to a neighboring house and lives there incognito for two decades, without any clear explanation for his actions. Wakefield is perceived as intelligent, composed, and deliberate, but as his carefully constructed isolation begins to collapse in on itself, he begins to see himself as deranged and foolish. His actions inflict anguish upon his wife, yet he does not come to her assistance. The narrator refrains from explicitly revealing the motives behind Wakefield’s decision to abandon his home and spouse for such an extended period.

Although Mrs Wakefield is not the central focus of the narrative, her portrayal provides insight into the dynamics of her relationship with her husband and her response to his unexplained absence. Mrs. Wakefield accepts her husband’s departure without questioning his motives or seeking an explanation. She adapts to his absence by continuing with her daily life and maintaining a sense of normalcy.

Wakefield | Literary Devices

The setting of the story is a “busy and selfish London” bustling with life. Hawthorne chooses this urban setting to emphasize the plight of the human condition amidst this modern setting of isolation and alienation.
Hawthorne employs symbolism to deepen the story’s meaning. One example is Wakefield’s physical absence, which symbolizes the emotional and psychological distance he creates within his marriage.
The street where Wakefield takes up residence symbolizes a boundary or threshold between Wakefield’s previous life and his new existence. It represents the liminal space where he exists on the edge of society, observing but not participating fully in the lives of those he has left behind.

The story is narrated from a third-person limited perspective, primarily focusing on Wakefield’s thoughts, emotions, and actions. This narrative choice allows readers to gain insight into Wakefield’s inner world while maintaining a sense of detachment, emphasizing his isolation in the modern world being an “outcast” and creating a separation between him and the reader.

Hawthorne employs ambiguity in several aspects of the story. The reason for Wakefield’s departure and his motives for staying away for 20 years remain ambiguous, leaving room for interpretation and inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of human behavior and relationships. Wakefield’s simultaneous desire for solitude and his secret observation of his wife and their home creates a paradox that highlights the complexities of human nature in the modern world and the contradictions within Wakefield’s character.