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Nathaniel Hawthorne's Life Before Writing

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Nathaniel Hawthorne's Life Before Writing

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Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. Hawthorne's ancestors have resided in Salem since the 17th century. Whilst growing up, Hawthorne began to analyze and question his family's lack of wealth amongst a prosperous local population. Hawthorne believed that his family was paying the price for an ancestor's, William, misdeed. William, a judge, had publicly whipped a woman in order to defend Puritan ideology. In addition, William's son, John, was a judge for the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692. Upon his father dying, Hawthorne's mother had no choice but to move the family and herself into the home of her affluent brothers.

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When Hawthorne went off to college in New Hampshire, he showed promise in writing and often took inspiration from his own life, writing tales of witchcraft. Upon graduating college, Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody and in 1842, they moved to Concord, Massachusetts. Hawthorne experienced moderate success with writing but found himself needing the financial aid of his uncles, and moved back to Salem. His return to Salem enabled him to find work at a Customs House through a Democratic friend, Franklin Pierce. However, an opposing political party, the Whigs, took over and Hawthorne lost his job. Hawthorne returned to writing and created the Scarlet Letter shortly thereafter. The book, criticizing Puritan ideals and helping with launch of the Transcendentalist movement, gained large recognition and monetary success. Hawthorne moved his family to Lenox, Massachusetts and continued his writing, with minor success compared to that of the Scarlet Letter. Eventually, Hawthorne decided to move again, to West Newton, Massachusetts, and campaigned for his friend and running candidate for presidency, Franklin Pierce, through writing. Hawthorne secured a job with the election of Franklin Pierce. In his last years, Hawthorne struggled to write as he was faced with old age and sickness. In 1864, Hawthorne died whilst seeking health.

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History of Puritan 17th Century Massachusetts Bay Colony

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History of Puritan 17th Century Massachusetts Bay Colony

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The Massachusetts Bay Colony was a British settlement formed by the Massachusetts Bay Company, which was strongly Puritan. The Puritans were led by John Winthrop. The Puritans were told by Reverend John Cotton in England that they needed to fulfill a holy mission by converting Native Americans in the New World to Christianity. The Puritans officially settled on the Shawmut Peninsula, which was inhabited by William Blackstone, a friend of John Winthrop. The Puritans settled on the land and named the capital of the Massachusetts colony Boston. As more Puritans migrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the community built villages, schools, gardens, and churches. The Puritans worked to establish a government that was efficient and aligned with their values and beliefs. Puritans were severely intolerant of other religious and cultural groups; persecuting Native Americans and Quakers. For a temporary time, the Puritans lost their independence to England. The British government introduced strict and orthodox laws: required church membership to vote, tolerance only for other Protestant denominations, oath to the King, and tighter control over the colony. However, the American Revolution allowed for the colony to gain its autonomy back.

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Beliefs & Values of Puritan 17th Century Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Beliefs & Values of Puritan 17th Century Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Denied the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church

Wanted church services to be simple

Most humble had the highest rank

Felt they were the chosen people

Believed in the will of GOd

Intolerant of others

Private morality

Opposed pleasure and arts

Predestination

Humanity is sinful

Humanity cannot redeem itself

Christ united humanity and God

God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere

Humanity is weak

Faith leads to righteousness

God decides who has achieved salvation

God's church should control the government

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The scaffold is a recurring location throughout the novel. The scaffold is first introduced when Hester is forced to stand upon it for hours in front of the community to make her feel shame and be disgraced by her community. On the scaffold, Hester refuses to give up the name of her co-adulterer despite the urges of the crowd and Arthur himself. The act of Hester declining to give up the name of the father can be seen as a way of forcing Arthur to claim his own responsibility in the matter and to not make it easy on him by having his crimes revealed by someone else for him. The second occurrence of the scaffold is when Arthur brands himself with the scarlet letter due to the guilt he had felt for betraying Hester. This scene can be interpreted as Arthur viewing the back he turned to Hester as more guilty of a sin than the adultery he committed with her. This may be an effort of Hawthorne to connect the values of his literary characters to the movement of Transcendentalism that emerged during the 19th century. The philosophical movement placed emphasis on the inherent goodness of humanity with focus on the individual. The guilt that Arthur expressed from his betrayal to Hester shows that although Arthur may not have conformed to Puritan ideals of humanity, he did feel that he lost part of his natural kindness due to his actions. The third appearance of the scaffold occurs when Arthur confesses his sin to the Puritan society. However, Arthur reveals his adultery at the moment he realizes his health is too frail and that death is near. With this, it can be seen that Arthur gained freedom through death because he never had the bravery to confess. However, his final moments force Arthur to realize that his guilt and cowardliness is what killed him, not the sin itself.

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The most prominent form of symbolism in the novel is the scarlet letter itself. The 'A' stood for adultery and meant to place shame on Hester for her sins. However, she never internalizes the shame. When she was first punished, Hester was smiling from her imagination of things that made her happy. Also, Hester embroider the scarlet letter she wore because she saw it as part of her identity. Hester did not see herself as a sinner because she loved Arthur Dimmesdale and felt that she failed by her husband. Therefore, she chose to wear what the Puritan society had labeled as a sin with dignity. Although Hester received the meaning of the scarlet letter differently than what the Puritan society had intended it to, Arthur received it with the pain and shame intended by it. Hester accepted her actions and used the response from the Puritan community to reflect on her neighbors and to put herself at peace. However, Arthur refused to accept what he had done and lived a life of guilt and dread. The insanity caused from the guilt led Arthur to desperately free himself by braning the scarlet letter on his chest. Therefore, the scarlet letter is shown as both a symbol of freedom and a symbol of captivity.

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"The Scarlet Letter" | Symbols: Summary Analysis | 60second Recap®

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A major symbol resulting from the sins of Hester and Arthur is their daughter, Pearl. Their daughter is the embodiment of both purity and sin. Pearl shows purity both in her name and the question of redemption she carries in her character. Pearl shows purity through her name because she is the only treasure, or good thing, that resulted from the adultery committed. Pearl is a symbol of redemption because at the end of the novel she kisses Arthur before he dies and becomes free from his guilt, releasing the label of sin that her existence holds with the passing of Arthur. Pearl becomes her own person and not a host for the negative effects that Hester and Arthur committed. However, Pearl is also a symbol for sin because of her parents and behavior. Pearl is the result of Hester's and Arthur's adultery, so her existences represents the sin. Also, her behavior can be characterized as deviant, angry, and isolated. It is unclear as to whether Pearl is an outcast because the society decided so due to her parents or because of her behavior. Whichever way the reader may interpret it will lead to the conclusion that Pearl embodies the rage from her Puritan community, making her a symbol for sin.

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Pearl: Scarlet Letter Character Analysis

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Although it is fact that Hester and Arthur committed a sin of adultery together, were they the only ones to commit sins? Or was a sin based on the judgement of the Puritan community? Hester was left alone by her husband, Roger Chillingworth, soon after marriage. Roger also immediately sought revenge upon hearing about her adultery. It is argued that Roger is also sinful, but his sins are not judge by the Puritan community and therefore doesn't face any punishment. Also, Pearl faces isolation from the children of her community even though she didn't commit any crimes or sins herself. Thus, the novel expresses the notion that the Puritan society unfairly judged what was and wasn't a sin.

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The Scarlet Letter  | Themes | Nathaniel Hawthorne

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A theme in the novel is that of punishment vs. forgiveness. Roger Chillingworth seems to forgive Hester due to his self-loathing but punishes Arthur Dimmesdale. This is due to the jealously that Roger experiences over Arthur. Hester forgives Arthur because she loves him but punishes Roger by planning to leave him with Arthur and Pearl. Arthur punishes himself for betraying Hester and Pearl. Pearl forgives Hester by being the closest with her and forgives Arthur by giving him kiss right before he dies.

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Nathaniel Hawthorne's Life

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Britannica, 30 June 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Nathaniel-Hawthorne.

Symbolism

Siron, Liz. “The Scarlet Letter.” Google Scholar, 2013, lit215.pbworks.com/w/page/59180883/The%20Scarlet%20Letter.

Shmoop Editorial Team. “Pearl, Hester's Daughter in The Scarlet Letter.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/scarlet-letter/pearl-hester-daughter-symbol.html.In-text Citation

Themes

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, et al. “The Scarlet Letter Themes.” GradeSaver: Getting You the Grade, www.gradesaver.com/the-scarlet-letter/study-guide/themes.

17th Century Puritan Massachusetts

Brooks, Rebecca. “History of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.” History of Massachusetts, 13 Aug. 2018, historyofmassachusetts.org/history-of-the-massachusetts-bay-colony/.

“Characteristics of Puritans.” Weebly, dcmumma.weebly.com/uploads/3/8/1/1/38118559/puritan_notes.pdf.