Many of the popular texts found in 19th-century American literature depict emotions, the effects of which can be perceived as both beneficial and dangerous to individuals and communities. In Lippard's The Quaker City, the intense emotion of the characters helps position the story as a cautionary tale. In contrast, Mitchell's Reveries of a Bachelor depicts a young hero who, using emotions, makes the most of his imagination and is therefore finally ready to become an adult. Both texts present the effects of emotions and illustrate the nineteenth-century concept of emotions as sources of both strength and weakness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The characters in The Quaker City are highly emotional, so they warn 19th-century readers of the dangers of letting emotions influence one's actions. In one instance, Mary discovers a romance novel and tells Lorrimer that she "found the volume on the table and was reading it" when he came in, naive that he had put the book there to tempt her (Lippard 384). Lorrimer planted the book to "awaken her animal nature into full action, and when her veins were all alive with fiery pulsations [and] when her heart was alive with sensual life..., then she sank helplessly among his arms... ., and flutter to his doom" (Lippard 385). In fact, the romance novel makes Mary imagine a real love relationship between her and Lorrimer, similar to the relationship described in the novel. However, once she experiences the sexual desire and imagined happiness that the novel portrays, Mary becomes highly vulnerable to Lorrimer's trap. Blinded by the desire for imagined perfection, Mary loses the ability to analyze situations and read people's actions. Eventually, Mary realizes the danger she has put herself in and calls for help, crying out “Oh, Lorrimer save me, save me,” hoping it can stop the dangerous emotions polluting her mind (Lippard 388). Instead, Lorrimer takes advantage of her weakness and rapes Mary, disgracing her before she gets married. Clearly, the lesson in this story is that temptation, in all its forms, is dangerous and should be avoided. Here, the temptation aroused an intense emotion, which weakened Mary and absorbed Lorrimer with greater power and determination than he might otherwise have had. Lippard suggests that a good woman maintains and controls her emotions, behavior that will keep her more confident and respected. Maria, although a victim, becomes a fallen woman after being raped. For the rest of her life, Mary will have to deal with the consequences of letting go of her emotions. She will be ashamed forever and no man will marry her. Bess, another character in Lippard's The Quaker City, similarly suffers from an excess of emotion. Seduced and taken advantage of in the past, Bess resents her acquaintances for their lack of pain and tries to make them suffer so they can understand her situation. Bess, having experienced the same manipulation as Mary, knows what will happen to her, but does not warn her. Instead, Bess encourages Mary, helping fix her hair and admiring her in her wedding dress. Bess may feel sympathetic towards Mary, but her pathological resentment overwhelms her, forcing her to lure Mary into Lorrimer's trap. Once again, Lippard demonstrates how intense emotion can grip an individual and control their life. Bess has the power to prevent Mary's rape, but her resentment of the happiness of others causes her to fuel the danger instead. Another character in The Quaker City, Livingstone, similarly suffers from. 474-584.