In the book, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Romantic and Transcendental elements seem to appear a lot throughout the book. Additionally, it becomes apparent that Light and Darkness will be a motif because Hester faces many things that have to do with evil or revenge and events that are joyful. These elements are based on various ideas that have influenced many authors to use it in their literature because it enhances their writing. This movement began around the 1800’s and is still used to this day by everyone. Romanticism and Transcendentalism elements have some similarities because they both have to do with the power of nature or someone's emotions. In the book these elements are seen in the characters which will add a certain tone/mood to the story, also they will have the reader feel as if they can connect to the characters based on their own experiences. …show more content…
In the beginning of the book, Hester Prynne is shamed by the whole village because she has committed a sin, which was to have an affair with another man while being a married woman. Eventually, she realized that she was pregnant and the whole town decided that she should be given an A which was represented shame. In Chapter 3, the police guard tells Hester “It is too deeply branded. Ye cannot take it off. And would that I might endure his agony, as well as mine!” (Hawthorne,64). The whole purpose of giving Hester the Coat with the A was to make sure she was reminded every day of the crime she committed which was adultery. The villages represent romantic elements such as being evil because they judged Hester every day for the sin she had done. They also made her wear a coat with an A engraved on it for the rest of her life to represent how dirty of a person she is and that she should be ashamed of
With sin there is personal growth, and as a symbol of her sin, Hester’s scarlet “A” evokes development of her human character. The Puritan town of Boston became suspicious when Hester Prynne became pregnant despite her husband being gone. Being a heavily religious village, the townspeople punished Hester for her sin of adultery with the burden of wearing a scarlet “A” on all that she wears. Initially the...
As the novel commences, the Puritan officials had deem that Hester is to wear a scarlet "A" on her bosom for the rest of her natural life as a form of punishment for her sin. The Puritan community shuns her for the "A," meaning adultery. The other punishment that Hester received is Pearl. Pearl serves as the prominent symbol of the immoral love affair between Hester Pyrnne and the Reverend Dimmesdale. This realization dawns upon Hester when "her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token." (Pg. 50) A moment later, she "wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another." (Pg. 50) In this sense, her daughter and the ingrained scarlet "A," are forever a constant mental and physi...
During the romanticism period, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the novel, The Scarlet Letter, which used the romanticist idea of deep intuition and inner feelings, allowing the characters to have insight of the plots and secrets hidden in the strict Puritan community that they lived in. Throughout the novel many of the characters have this intuition, making the book more alluring to readers when trying to figure out what each character really knows.
One symbol is Hester’s scarlet “A” that she wears on her bosom. She received this letter, specifically and “A”, because she had committed adultery in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. Hester had moved to Salem before her husband, who was supposed to arrive a few days later after leaving Amsterdam, but he never showed up for two years. However, Hester had become pregnant during these years without her husband, so it was obvious she was an adulte...
Pearl from The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne represents the archetypal form of the loner. She is the daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale and represents the scarlet letter with her mom who was banished for committing adultery. Leonce from The Awakening by Kate Chopin represents the archetypal form of the ruler. He is the husband of Edna Pontellier and he views her more like property than an actual human being. Pearl and Leonce represent the archetypal form of the loner and the ruler in the different societies that they both live in, their relationship with other people, and how they change throughout the story.
In the beginning of the novel, the "A" symbolized shame and punishment. One villager voiced his opinion on the "A" when he stated, "At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead"(p.59). The villagers saw the "A" as public punishment. They saw Hester as lucky because her punishment was not harsh enough. Another villager saw Hester in a new light when she said, "She hath good skill in her needle...but did ever a woman...contrive such a way of showing it!...What is it but to laugh in the faces of our godly magistrates and make a pride out of what they, worthy gentlemen meant for punishment?" The "A" made clear what the villager's Puritan principles were and showed the Puritans judicial system in action. When Hester embroidered the "A" beautifully, she mocked their judgment. Thus, the villagers saw Hester has prideful. The "A" also exposed the Puritan's hidden shame. Hester recognized this when Hawthorne said, "She felt an eye- a human eye - upon the ignominious brand, that seemed to give a momentary relief, as if half of her agony were shared."(p.89). A few villagers saw the letter and Hester as a constant reminder of their own sin. Hester was the torturous representation of the lust that they kept hidden inside. The Scarlet letter was seen as a symbol of shame yet caused the villagers to see Hester as fortunate, boastful, and as a symbol of their own faults.
5. The Scarlet Letter portrays the radical role of religion within the early stages of America. Nathaniel Hawthorne is essentially a transcendental whistleblower in society, depicting the absurdity and irrationality of religion through Hester Prynne’s extreme retribution from her congregation and clergymen.
The letter "A," worn on Hester's bodice, is a symbol of her adultery against Roger Chillingworth. This letter is meant to be worn in shame, and to make Hester feel unwanted. "Here, she said to herself, had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment . . ." Hester is ashamed of her sin, but she chooses not to show it. She committed this sin in the heat of passion, and fully admits it because, though she is ashamed, she also received her greatest treasure, Pearl, out of it. She is a very strong woman to be able to hold up so well, against what she must face. Many would have fled Boston, and sought a place where no one knew of her great sin. Hester chose to stay though, which showed a lot of strength and integrity. Any woman with enough nerve to hold up against a town which despised her very existence, and to stay in a place where her daughter is referred to as a "devil child” is a very tough woman.
Pearl from The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, exhibits many classifying traits of a transcendentalist. Her curiosity strengthened by an isolated childhood, her individualism and intellect, and her strong connection to nature are all leading themes in transcendentalist writings.
Many different literary works contain complex representations that can be interpreted in many different ways. Authors portray these representations through the use of characters, objects, the setting, and much more. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the forest around the society represents different things, depending on who is there. It is an open place where anything can happen. It is filled with wild animals, Native Americans, and other wild threats to the townspeople. The forest gives off a different meaning to the people of the town. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne exhibits these meanings in many scenarios.
The opinions of an anti-transcendentalist on the Puritan religion and transcendentalist is addressed in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, “The Scarlet Letter”. A single sinful act changes the lives of three people forever. Hester Prynne, a woman who conceives a child out of wedlock, receives public punishment and will always have to wear a scarlet A on her clothing. Even though she could could lighten her sentence, she refuses to reveal the father of her child. As He writes her journey, one will see the hardships of Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale in light of the Puritan religion and transcendentalist beliefs as they try to make peace with one another and become a family for her daughter, Pearl, all while dealing with their own
Literature and language is a powerful tool. It has the capabilities to move audiences, transform and mold societies, and give insights to a civilization’s thoughts. The feminist and transcendentalist movements occurred nearly simultaneously in history and pushed each other with their growing popularity. Feminism and transcendentalism boiled down to major components is the equality of women and men in society and individual thoughts, respectfully. The Scarlet Letter can be considered a feminist novel through the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, use of transcendentalist ideals to highlight universal women equality through the lead female characters’ actions.
In the beginning of the story, Hester is being punished for adultery, and is forced to wear the letter A on her bosom. It is shown so that people will know her as an adulteress. The letter A also gives Hester some supernatural abilities. When some women look at the letter A on Hester’s chest, they make a face and look at her with disgust. Other women look at Hester and they seem to share something; “But sometimes...she felt a human eye--upon the ignominious brand, that seemed to give a momentary relief, as if half her agony were shared” (79). Hester knows that she is not the only one who committed adultery, and having the letter with her all the time seems to give her an intuitive power about it. As time goes on, people seem to forget that Hester had committed a sin and see her as a lovely and respectable person.
In the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is mainly a transcendentalist. The term transcendentalist coined in nineteenth century America, describes an optimistic person who fully lives in the present and has faith in the future. He or she loves nature, sees God in nature, and believes we are all connected. A transcendentalist takes action, and is honest and very individualistic. To me that clearly explains Hester Prynne's personality and beliefs. She is a confident, hopeful woman who never seems to let anyone get her down, which tells me that she is Hawthorne's transcendentalist, living in a Puritan America.
Romanticism and Transcendentalism are both literary movements that were appreciated in the American literature. Both movements are quite similar; however, Romanticism is a strong motivational force that depicted emotions, patriotism, and imagination. Dark Romanticism, on the other hand, is a branch of Romanticism that focuses on the evil qualities of the man. Not only it is a branch of Romanticism, however, it is a reaction of Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism focuses on self-realization, empowering the connection between man and nature, and the goodness of man and nature. Throughout the years, American authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe projected dark romantic features in their work, “Young Goodman Brown” and “Tell-Tale Heart”, where they show the conflict between the good and evil. However, Emerson portrayed transcendentlistic characteristics in his book “Nature” as he shows the power of knowledge, nature, and divinity.