My Kinsman Major Molineux

A cudgel is a type of club that is used as a weapon. Cudgels are sometimes fitted with spikes or stones to make them more brutal. Throughout the story, Robin carries an oak cudgel, though he never beats anyone with it. The cudgel represents his ability to demonstrate restraint during times of frustration and confrontation.

At the inn, the innkeeper treats him disrespectfully and Robin reaches for his cudgel but manages to calm down and leave the premises without further incident. Out on the street, Robin’s hunger becomes unbearable, and he considers attacking a stranger with his cudgel so that they will show him the way to his kinsman’s residence, and he can obtain a meal. Again, Robin resists the violent urge. When he crosses paths on the street with the horned man, Robin does brandish his cudgel, but doesn’t attack.

Though the city-dwellers engage in barbaric behaviors, Robin consistently tries to remain civil. Through his cudgel, he has the opportunity to act brutally, but he instead shows restraint. 

At both the inn and the procession, laughter is used to emphasize ostracization. After being insulted by the innkeeper, Robin turns to leave the inn. As he exits, he “hear[s] a general laugh” (5). This laughter is directed toward Robin largely because he is an outsider and highlights his exclusion by the inn’s local crowd.

As Molineux, tarred and feathered, is pulled along in an open cart, the crowd laughs at him. This intoxicates Robin, who “send[s] forth a shout of laughter that echoe[s] through the street” (16). Even Robin, who had held great respect for his kinsman, laughs wildly at him, underscoring Molineux’s brutish relegation to outsider status.