The Hidden Hand by EDEN Southworth is a carefully constructed novel that touches on several 19th century issues and presents them in various forms. It was originally written as segments for a magazine and its goal was to entertain readers. Because of this, Southworth made his story not only full of suspense and drama, but also humor. The humor, however, is not presented in the form of crude, sexual scenes, but is instead found in the almost mocking tone that Southworth takes towards the standards set by 19th century society. It plays with popular ideas of what society expects by turning them into almost the opposite of what would normally be an ideal. One of the most convoluted issues within the novel is gender and the creation of a woman who acts as a tomboy because the existence of the masculine female figure is the basis for many of the adventures and trials that Southworth creates in her novel. Having this tomboy character creates a lot of funny situations because Cap participates in activities that a 19th century lady would never even attempt to participate in. The mockery of rigid gender expectations in Southworth society has given way to the humorous nature that the novel presents. Southworth's main character is the tomboy of this novel, and from the moment we meet Cap we see that she is not your average, prissy, 19th century lady. Instead, she is a girl who pretends to be a boy and takes any street job she can to get some money to survive (47). She is portrayed by Southworth as a witty, intelligent, and courageous young girl, but readers might often mistake her for a boy because of the way she spoke, acted, and even dressed at some points in the novel. Southworth, creating a woman cha... middle of paper... and dreams of running around carelessly, instead of being confined to chairs, wearing dresses, and sewing all night. Being a tomboy was not a popular idea or lifestyle for 19th century women, in fact the word may not have even been created. But despite society's ideals and expectations, Southworth wanted to show a different end of the spectrum, an end that showed that women could represent strength in any situation and, most likely, an end that Southworth herself wanted to live by. His ideas may not have been popular at the time, but Southworth didn't care. Her aim was to demonstrate that being a lady does not necessarily mean wearing frilly dresses and falling into the arms of kidnappers and suitors alike. He wanted to poke fun at the ridiculous expectations imposed by the society he lived in, and the invention of his character, Capitola, did just that..