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Introduction paragraph on the scarlet letter how hawthorne
Introduction paragraph on the scarlet letter how hawthorne
Introduction paragraph on the scarlet letter how hawthorne
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American Individualism
“American Individualism” by definition is the doctrine that individuals best serve the public interest by pursuing their own self interest. Everyone always associates America as a metaphorical “melting pot”, meaning it is a society where many divergent types of people blend together to form as one despite cultural, religious, or race differences. Although America has proven to be very individual and unique, it hasn’t always been.
“American Individualism” to the Puritans wasn’t very “individual” at all. The Puritans conformed heavily to religion and practiced following the laws of the bible. John Winthrop, a
Puritan who preached his ideals and was very notorious for doing so, wrote many sermons which perfectly showed
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He fully explains the rules and how to follow them. Comparing the idea of “American Individualism” to the Puritans, it is clear to see that for the Puritans there was so individuality. Everyone had a set of rules to follow and they didn’t have to think for themselves. The Puritans never got the opportunity to really form their own opinion
2 and be independent. They obeyed the rules and never thought twice, never allowing themselves to follow their own human instincts.
Years later during the 18th century, Puritan perfection faded and turned into stories.
Many authors reflected on the Puritan times but didn’t really express the need to follow the rules of the Puritans. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter” he reminded us of the times because the book is based in a Puritan community. Also in the novel, there were examples of sin and people with actual struggles: something hardly ever seen in the Puritan writings. The 18th century writings showed proof of more “American Individualism”. In Hawthorne’s novel,
Hester, the main character, sinned and must learn to deal with her punishment. Unlike the Puritan times, Hawthorne actually talks about human instinct. The book says Hester “had
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She was being an individual and learning more about herself and her own morals. The 18th century revealed more of what “American Individualism” really means.
The 18th century hinted at what it means to be independent but the Transcendentalists showed what “American Individualism” really means. The Transcendentalists primarily believed that people are best when they are truly self-reliant and authentic. Ralph Waldo Emerson, a writer of this time, says “let us demand our own works and laws and worship” (Emerson, pg.
1073). He believes that we should all be ourselves and follow our own human nature instead of conforming to laws and other restrictions. Emerson also talks abundantly about nature. He indicates that “in the woods, we return to reason and faith” (1075) and by faith, he means our own human instincts not religion. He goes on to explain that God is in everything: every grain of
3 sand, every breeze from the wind, and inside every living being. Because God is in everything, including ourselves, he says that we should trust our own hearts and minds over anything else.
This is closely related to “American Individualism” because everyone is being their own self
They believed they had the right to worship and govern themselves in whatever manner they pleased. Puritan freedom did not include religious tolerance or individualism. John Winthrop 's speech highlighted the concept of what Puritan freedom was. He believed in a civil society where through God 's path stability would be found. Socially, it can be summarized to two ideas, natural liberty vs. moral liberty. Natural liberty was said to be corrupt because it meant doing what you pleased, whereas moral liberty meant only doing what was right. One actions were reflected based upon their position in society. The higher up one was ranked social the more "moral" their actions were and vice versa for actions defined as
Every action reaps its consequences. This veracity is revealed in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, published by Ticknor, Reed, and Fields in 1850. Categorized into the genre of romance, The Scarlet Letter has a solemn, dark, mysterious, and almost eerie mood. The historical novel is set in the strict Puritan society of seventeenth century Boston, Massachusetts. When the book begins, the past action of adultery has already been committed. The story then follows the characters involved in the dirty deed and skillfully details their responses to the consequences.
He instructs them “to doe Justly, to love mercy, to walke humbly with [their] God” to avoid the typical misfortunes that occur with new settlements, such as the disaster of Jamestown (paragraph 1). These instructions depict the Puritan lifestyle as open performances of kindness and encouragement of others to perform these same acts. Here, Winthrop emphasizes the values of community and brotherhood. In Winthrop’s eyes, everyone is a living example of God and His goodness, and everyone must show God’s compassion through every action, lest they “shame the faces of many of gods worthy servants, and… their prayers be turned into Cursses upon us” (paragraph 2). In this speech, the internal goals of America can be found, such as kindness, meekness, and brotherly affection. Winthrop instructs the new colonists to “entertaine each other in brotherly Affeccion,” which is similar to the American concept of a nation formed from brotherhood (paragraph 1). Americans at least had the intent of living by the true morals of Christianity, like altruism and almsgiving, but somewhere along in its development, these morals became easier said than
In Emerson’s “Nature” nature is referred to as “plantations of god” meaning that nature is sacred. Also mentioned, is that “In the woods is perpetual youth”(#) conveying that nature keeps people young. Therefore, these excerpts show that nature is greatly valued by these transcendentalists. Transcendentalists would likely care significantly about the environment. In contrast, nowadays nature is often and afterthought. Natures’ resources are being depleted for human use, and the beauty of nature is also not as appreciated by modern people as it was by transcendentalists. The threat to nature in modern times contrasts to the great appreciation of nature held by authors like Emerson and
Religion was the foundation of the early Colonial American Puritan writings. Many of the early settlements were comprised of men and women who fled Europe in the face of persecution to come to a new land and worship according to their own will. Their beliefs were stalwartly rooted in the fact that God should be involved with all facets of their lives and constantly worshiped. These Puritans writings focused on their religious foundations related to their exodus from Europe and religions role in their life on the new continent. Their literature helped to proselytize the message of God and focused on hard work and strict adherence to religious principles, thus avoiding eternal damnation. These main themes are evident in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mathers, and John Winthrop. This paper will explore the writings of these three men and how their religious views shaped their literary works, styles, and their historical and political views.
According to both Winthrop and Rowlandson, if one has true faith in God, he will be able to witness God's mercy in his own life. Winthrop clearly underscores this point in his sermon, where he stresses that the Puritans must uphold their covenant with God in order to have a harmonious and successful colony. If one is faithful and obedient to God, he will be the recipient of God's providence: "Now if the Lord shall please to hear us, and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath He ratified this covenant and sealed our commission, [and] will expect a strict pe...
Puritan life is probably one of the biggest paradoxes known to man theoretically. In practice is doesn’t seem like such an absurd notion. There are certain things that may lead someone into confusion over the way that Puritan life was conducted. One of these things is the object of holiness. This means that only certain members are allowed into the Puritan life after proving themselves holy. Another object that may cause confusion is the idea of enjoying oneself in Puritan life. Recreation did occur in Puritan life, but the definition of Puritan recreation is differently defined. One more object of confusion in Puritan life is the type of Puritan in which you are stereotyped into depending of your actions regarding your religion. Although this might sound complicated it is not as intricate as it is written. For Puritan’s this was a way of life. This tells us that, in practice, all of these social theories are probably more plausible than they sound. Winthrop did encounter all of these problems in his journey from England to Massachusetts, and them encountered some of these while he was in control of the society there.
The man, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s religious background, seclusion from society, and devotion to his craft can be related to his novel The Scarlet Letter. His religious upbringing as a Puritan is what gave him the knowledge to write about Boston’s Puritan society in his novel. Hawthorne’s great-grandfather, who one of the judges at the Puritan witchcraft trials, was like the magistrates of The Scarlet Letter that attempted to make a society that would be a “Utopia of human virtue and happiness”. A further parallel found between Hawthorne’s life and the novel is the element of seclusion found in each. Hawthorne secluded himself from society with his few family members and close friends. In the same way Hester Prynne was secluded from society in her “little, lonesome dwelling” that “stood on the shore, looking across a basin of the sea at the forest-covered hills toward the west” out of the circle of the town.
to those who follow it. In The Puritan Dilemma, by Edmund S. Morgan, the author writes about
The Puritan Dilemma is the story of John Winthrop growing up in the Puritan colonization of America. This book tells the reader of the events that Puritans had to go through during that time period. The book also talks about the attempts, both by John Winthrop and the Puritans, to establish a new type of society in the New World, something they couldn’t do in England. This story is told by the theology of the Puritan ideas, and focuses a lot on how their beliefs intervene in their daily lives, churches, and political ideologies. Puritanism was the belief that the Church of England should remove traditions that inherited from the Catholic Church, and make the Church of England more pure in Christ.
As proven throughout this paper, many of the Puritan ways of life are continuing to be seen in North America. Their ideas about religion, government, education, social mores, and economy are still woven into North Americans’ daily lives. It is interesting to observe how, even after so many decades, the United States has been able to maintain the system of thought on which it was founded.
The historical setting is highly significant in the novel since it is intertwined with the public’s belief and values, which shape overall themes of the novel and the main characters’ traits. The main setting of the novel takes place in New England during the middle of the seventeenth century, and the setting is the essential factor that develops the core conflicts among Hester, Dimmesdale, and the Puritan society; in fact, the historical setting itself and the society within it is what Hawthorne intends to reveal to the reader. New England in the seventeenth century was predominately organized around religious authorities, and indeed, a large portion of the population had migrated to the colony of New England with religious purposes. Therefore, the strict and religiously centered historical setting is well demonstrated through Hester’s townspeople when Hester commits adultery. The church authority and the townspeople require Hester to wear the large “A” embroidered scarlet letter, which symbolizes adultery. This act is aligned with the historica...
Human beings all around the world are different in many ways. They all have their unique and physical characteristics, as well as different personalities. They each also have different ideas and thoughts on different topics. America is made up of a great amount of diverse people with diverse, even conflicting opinions and ideas. Diversity is a major component of the foundation of our country. The cliché of American as a salad bowl is extremely true. Every person is different and every person in his or her own way makes up a small part of America. Without the diversity of ideas and beliefs of Americans, the nation would not be nearly as successful as we are. A major similarity between Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self Reliance and J.D Salinger's Catcher in the Rye is a non-conformist ideology that both exhibit, and the idea that one should choose their own individuality above confomity.
...ting this novel was to reveal the hypocrisy of a Puritans life. He wanted to provide a moral message and psychological complexity. The Scarlet Letter may be one of the few novels that will continue to be taught in literature as it deals with sin, punishment, and guilt.
The Scarlet Letter is a fictional novel that begins with an introductory passage titled ‘The Custom-House’. This passage gives a historical background of the novel and conveys the narrator’s purpose for writing about the legend of Hester Prynne even though the narrator envisions his ancestors criticizing him and calling him a “degenerate” because his career was not “glorifying God”, which is very typical of the strict, moralistic Puritans. Also, although Hawthorne is a Romantic writer, he incorporates properties of Realism into his novel by not idealizing the characters and by representing them in a more authentic manner. He does this by using very formal dialogue common to the harsh Puritan society of the seventeenth century and reflecting their ideals through this dialogue. The Puritans held somewhat similar views as the Transcendentalists in that they believed in the unity of God and the world and saw signs and symbols in human events, such as when the citizens related the meteo...