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On a visit one evening to Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife, Herman Melville, MobyDick author, told them a story of a fight he had witnessed on an island in the South Seas, in which one of the Polynesian warriors had wreaked havoc among his foes with a heavy club. Striding about the room, Melville demonstrated the feats of bravery and the desperate drama of the battle. After he had gone, Mrs. Hawthorne thought she remembered that he had left empty-handed, and wondered, “Where is that club with which Mr. Melville was laying about him so?” Mr. Hawthorne maintained that he must have taken it with him, and indeed a search of the room revealed nothing. The next time they saw him, they asked him what had happened to the club. It turned out that there was no club; it had simply been a figment of their imagination, conjured up by the vividness of Melville’s narrative.

Question: Why did the writer use "him", instead of "himself"?

Laurel
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dongyoungkim
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    Question: Why do you think he should have used himself rather than him? – Jim May 24 '21 at 06:32
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    @Jim Because an NP that is coreferential with an earlier NP in the same clause must usually be a reflexive. – Araucaria - Him May 24 '21 at 06:35
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    The reason is that if the second noun occurs in a locative phrase (i.e. one that tells us about location or direction) it doesn’t need to be reflexive. Compare “She was beside herself with rage” but “She kept her books beside her”. – Araucaria - Him May 24 '21 at 06:48
  • @Araucaria-Nothereanymore. Pretend there are are three English teachers from different parts of the world looking for help to explain a tricky grammar issue, and write your answer to them. Go on, I know you want to. You are "here" and I enjoy reading the grammar debates but then someone comes and shifts them to chat–what a waste! – Mari-Lou A May 24 '21 at 10:09
  • This on English Language Learners is pretty much exactly the same question https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/160985/correct-usage-of-him-and-himself – Stuart F May 24 '21 at 11:57
  • @Mari-LouA I did. I then pretended to write them an answer! ;-) [SE hasn't done enough yet ...] – Araucaria - Him May 25 '21 at 23:42
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    Sorry, I got stuck on "Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife, Herman Melville." – Yosef Baskin May 27 '21 at 18:48
  • I'd have certainly used 'himself' and 'him' in that order. But does Which prepositions are followed by accusative pronouns instead of reflexive pronouns? not address this? Usage is tricky; 'He was wearing the belt tightly fastened around him/self' are both idiomatic. – Edwin Ashworth Jun 30 '21 at 18:17

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Asking why the author used the word "him" instead of the word "himself" is a bit like asking why the door hinges squeak on the front door of a house which is half dilapidated.

The passage of text you provided is not very well written.

The difference between "him" and "himself" is the least of our problems.

Toothpick Anemone
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