Coverdale's reaction to Zenobia's sensuality, and the suppression of his sexual desire form the central plot of The Blithedale Romance. He describes her in rather explicit fleshly terms, especially in the early chapters of the novel. Despite Zenobia's frequent efforts to fend him off, he cannot stop pursuing her and trying to meddle in her life. The bulk of evidence supports the notion that his confession of love for Priscilla is a dodge. Parallel to these activities, Coverdale discusses at length the nature and source of his emotions and thoughts. He concludes that his dreams and his feeling that the world is unreal and insubstantial come spontaneously and mysteriously from his “secret mind”—a mental faculty beyond his conscious control.