One of the most famous texts from the nineteenth century was The Hidden Hand by E.
D.
E.
N.
Southworth.
The novel was one that extends the limits of the readers supernatural thinking capacity.
The chapter in The Hidden Hand begins by describing Hurricane Hall as "The spacious and comfortable mansion of which she found herself the little mistress".
Nothing is ever as it seems in Southworth's literature.
This can be read as a supernatural aspect deliberately used by Southworth.
The reader must always be weary of the reality Southworth is trying to portray.
In this specific description, Southworth's irony and humor is evident.
The setting is a luxurious home with miles of property surrounding.
Reality is that this is still not adequate for Capitola to experience and explore her true freedom.
Hurricane Hall was located in between a mountain range on one side and a river on the other.
She would go on daily horseback rides and on these Capitola was "commanded, if she valued her safety, not to cross the water or climb the precipice, than, as a natural consequence, she began to wonder what was in the valley behind the mountain, and what might be in the woods across the river! and she longed, above all things, to explore and find out herself.
" The language "above all things" that Southworth uses magnifies her Capitola's desire by insinuating this is much greater than the height of the mountain constraining her.
Southworth uses the this imagery as a metaphor for the overbearing male so many women somehow become attached to.
These boundaries are deliberately set by Southworth to display Capitola subverting cultural assumptions.
Clearly these physical boundaries will not be able to contain Capitola after living on the streets.
Directly after the passage describing Capitola's new home in Hurricane Hall and its boundaries, Capitola pushed the limits by going for her daily ride when Wool could not accompany her.
This is something that in modern times people did not have the time to spend over such leisure.
On these walks by Capitola is when Southworth introduces the supernatural.
On one horseback ride Capitola was alone when she crossed paths with the villain in the text Black Donald.