If she be all tenderness, she will die. If she survive, the tenderness will either be crushed out of her, or--and the outward semblance is the same--crushed so deeply into her heart that it can never show itself more. The latter is perhaps the truest theory.
The quote reflects on the fragility of tenderness in a woman's heart, suggesting that if she is overtly tender, she may face a harsh fate. The implication is that societal pressures and struggles can lead to her tenderness being either extinguished or deeply buried within her, unable to surface.
This insight emphasizes the theme of resilience and suffering in the context of the female experience in Hawthorne's work. It illustrates how external circumstances can affect one's inner emotions and character, highlighting the conflict between expressing tenderness and the realities of life that can lead to its suppression.
