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Nathaniel hawthorne essays
Nathaniel Hawthorne's impact on American literature
Hawthorne and his writing's impact
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French philosopher Albert Camus once said, “With rebellion, awareness is born.” Society imposes a set of preconceived notions of how one ought to act—to obey the law, uphold civic virtue and always respect the authority of the sovereign. These ideologies are what sustains society; however, Camus refers to another form of sustenance required in society: rebellion. Rebellion paves the way for conscientization as individuals learn both the levers of oppressive power structures and how to combat them. Another form of rebellion is contextualized by conflicting interests within oneself. Rebellion allows for critical perceptions of how our lives are shaped and molded by authorities. The conflict between our inner beliefs and the beliefs of an authority …show more content…
ultimately result in the conflict that rebellion follows. The Scarlet Letter, a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is centered around the idea of rebellion as a method of interrogating the way that both external power structures, such as the Church, and our internal struggles shape us.
Camus’ quote mirrors the demonization of complicity in The Scarlet Letter where author Nathaniel Hawthorne shows his support for the opinion expressed in the aforementioned quote. Hawthorne does so because he too abhors Puritan society and utilizes rebellion as a means to expose the hypocrisy within Puritan society. Camus’ statement indicates the utility of rebellion as a method to expound personal beliefs to an oppressive authority or as a tool to resolve internal struggles between contradicting thoughts and actions. In the same way, the use of contrast throughout The Scarlet Letter allows Hawthorne to commend the growing awareness of his characters due to their acts of …show more content…
rebellion. The contrast between Hester Prynne’s beliefs and those prevalent within the strict Puritan society is highlighted from the beginning of the chapter where her gold and red embroidery is compared to the dull letter “A,” suggesting that Hester is rebelling in small ways against society.
Hawthorne explains, “She bore on her breast … a specimen of her delicate and imaginative skill.. To add the richer and more spiritual adornment of human ingenuity… This contrast shows how Hester has a unique perspective of society from the position of an outsider and thereby allowing Hawthorne to reveal the ways Puritan society is deceptive by nature. Hester’s role as a rebel forces her to the outskirts of society and contributes to her increasing awareness of the hypocritical nature of Puritan society, where even the governor’s sister can practice witchcraft, as opposed to the civilians who are unable to conclude the true nature of Puritan society because of being complicit within it for so long. The use of contrast in this instance reveals how the Puritans may on the surface reject material belongings but still purchase Hester’s embroidery, in spite of the fact that she has committed a major sin. This forces the reader to reflect on the contradictory nature set forth in Puritan society by Hawthorne, thereby revealing Hawthorne’s position in support of the opinion within the quote, as he describes how Hester’s isolation from society leads to her awareness and the reader’s awareness of the
deficiencies in Puritan society. Another contrast occurs between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale. Starting with Chillingworth’s discovery of Hester’s pregnancy, he begins to antagonize Dimmesdale as the author contrasts them, with Chillingworth being portrayed as cynical and set on revenge while Dimmesdale is portrayed as pure and virtuous. This contrast further develops itself as they both vie for Hester’s attention through different means. This may seem intuitive at first, but when the reader realizes the irony in that the town’s reverend, Dimmesdale, is the one committing sins with Hester, the nature of Puritan society is revealed as deceptive. On the outside, the Puritans offset an appearance that is moral and just, however, within the confines of society, their reverend is unable to repent or even own up to his sins. As Dimmesdale’s inner debate between religion and his pride continues, he works harder to bring himself to defy the strict nature of Puritan society as he plans to reveal his sin and claim Pearl as his own. This supports the opinion within the quote, as when Dimmesdale’s frustration builds up and he becomes unable to handle the contradictory nature of his soul, he decides to rebel allowing him to become aware of what was the right thing to do all along *Insert quote when he does that*. Hawthorne uses the contrast between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale to show the nuances and convolutedness of Puritan society, as they aren’t aware of the sinful nature of their own reverent. Part of this is due to their complicity within society, they follow moral authorities blindly, something Hawthorne indirectly critiques by showing Dimmesdale’s conflict with himself. Lastly, Pearl is contrasted with the other children throughout the story as her existence represents rebellion. *Insert quote where she doesn’t belong or something along those lines* She shouldn’t exist in an orthodox Puritan society; however, she flourishes as she grows and becomes increasingly alienated by her peers. As she grows up and rebels against her biological father, she becomes aware of her precarious situation, where she is a physical manifestation of her mother’s mistakes, and her father refuses to accept her. Dimmesdale’s flaws are highlighted through the contrast between Pearl’s experience and her schoolmate’s. When the supposed reverend is unable to come forward with his sin and pushes his daughter away from him, the reader is forced to contemplate the clear internal problems with Puritan society. This further indicates why Hawthorne supports the opinion in the quote: as a method to indict the practices used in Puritan society, Pearl’s devilish behavior juxtaposed with a literal pearl forces the reader to reflect on why that came to be and leads to the conclusion that Pearl’s situation is in part due to the mockable attitude of Puritan society. These acts of rebellion throughout the story, coupled with Hawthorne’s continuous use of contrast demonstrate Hawthorne’s support for the utilization of rebellion to find new ways to view the world and think differently. The same way Camus was able demonstrate the validity of rebellion, Hawthorne does the same through the transformation of Hester’s and Dimmesdale’s character as they grow more aware through simple acts of resistance.
These quote from chapter twenty (The Minister in a Maze) offers a unique view into the minds of Arthur Dimmesdale. He is a young, pale, and physically delicate person.We get to know the young minister’s daily experiences and his thoughts about Hester, Pearl and the other characters who surround him. Hester is a young woman sent to the colonies by her husband, who plans to join her later but does not make it since they presume he is lost in the sea. Normally, one cannot serve two masters at a go since at the long run one of a person’s characters will oversee the other. In this essay herein, we are going to highlight the characters and actions of Dimmesdale and Hester in relation to the quote,"No man for any considerable period can wear
In the well known book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it discusses the theme of deception within a numerous number of characters. This theme can be explained in Chapter 20 “The Minister in a Maze” Hawthorne wrote “ No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true”. I believe this quote means, within this book there are individuals that seem to be one person but end up being a totally different person, those individuals can only be that different person for a period of time before someone out..Within this quote the two characters who certainly explain this quote are Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth. The major characters
“Measured by the prisoner's experience, however, it might reckoned a journey of some length; for, haughty as her demeanor was, she perchance underwent an agony from every footstep of those that thronged to see her, as if her heart had been flung in the street for them all to spurn and trample upon.” (Hawthorne 38) Very early in this novel we can see that one of the main themes is going to be isolation. This quote summed up, basically says that everyone in the town has turned up to shame her, her being Hester Prynne, publicly and that she is surrounded and totally alone, isolated. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of this book has a bad history with the Puritan belief and writes against, and makes fun of it constantly in his works. He does this
Light and Dark Light and dark is an everyday aspect of life, The Scarlet Letter really reveals how light and dark everyone can be. Though it was sometimes hard to read, the book made me think more about the good and evil in everyone. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne uses the symbols of light and dark to depict good and evil among the characters Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. Hester Prynne is considered a light and dark character in the book; many of the things that are noticeable about Hester in the book involve the sunshine. Hester explains this to Pearl in the book “Thou must gather thine own sunshine I have none to give thee” (Hawthorne 95).
The central theme in The Scarlet Letter is that manifested sin will ostracize one from society and un-confessed sin will lead to the destruction of the inner spirit. Hawthorne uses the symbol of the scarlet letter to bring out this idea. In the novel, Hester is forced to wear the scarlet letter A (the symbol of her sin) because she committed adultery with the clergyman, Dimmesdale. Because the public's knowledge of her sin, Hester is excluded physically, mentally, and socially from the normal society of the Puritan settlement. She lives on the outskirts of town in a small cottage where she makes her living as a seamstress. Though she is known to be a great sewer amongst the people, Hester is still not able to sew certain items, such as a new bride's veil. Hester also has no interaction with others; instead she is taunted, if not completely ignored, by all that pass her by. Despite the ill treatment of the society, Hester's soul is not corrupted. Instead, she flourishes and improves herself in spite of the burden of wearing the scarlet letter and she repeatedly defies the conventional Puritan thoughts and values by showing what appears to us as strength of character. Her good works, such as helping the less fortunate, strengthen her inner spirit, and eventually partially welcome her back to the society that once shunned her.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s well known novel, The Scarlet Letter, extensive diction and intense imagery are used to portray the overall tone of the characters. In particular, Hester Prynne, the wearer of the Scarlet Letter, receives plentiful positive characterization throughout the novel. Hester’s character most notably develops through the town’s peoples ever-changing views on the scarlet letter, the copious mentions of her bravery, and her ability to take care of herself, Pearl, and others, even when she reaches the point where most would give up and wallow in their suffering.
Necessary Rebellion Erich Fromm is a psychoanalyst and sociologist who has written many books and journals over the years. Fromm closely studied other psychologists such as Freud and Marx, and he published analytical works on both many other theories. In his essay, “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,” Fromm explains that as humans we start out with disobedience, and make it into something horrible—something for which we must repent, feel sorry for, and act as if we won’t do it again (621). Obedience is thought to be a high moral standard which we are to follow. On the other hand, disobedience is considered a moral flaw, a wrongness, or something you just should not do.
In this excerpt Hawthorne is conveying a change in Hester’s physical appearance to now being austere and bland. Hawthorne’s description of the changed Hester is in close comparison to the description of the Puritans. After seven years of being punished and looked down upon, Hester Prynne -once described as a halo- is now fitting in with the sorrowful, bland colored, hair in a cap, rotund Puritan woman.
As Hester wears the scarlet letter, the reader can feel how much of an outcast Hester becomes. When walking through town, “…she never raised her head to receive their greeting. If they were resolute to accost her, she laid her finger on the scarlet letter and passed on” (Hawthorne, 127).She believes that she is not worthy of the towns acknowledgments and chooses to ignore them. The guilt that now rests in Hester is overwhelming to her and is a reason of her change in personality.
Readers generally characterize the Puritan Townspeople in The Scarlet Letter by their attitudes in the beginning of the novel. When Hester first walks into the scene, most of the townspeople are very harsh and strict in their religions. They believe that adultery is one of the worst sins possible. One unyielding woman says, “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it? Truly, there is, both in the Scripture and in the statutebook. Then let the magistrates, who have made it of no effect, thank themselves if their own wives and daughters go astray.'; Although a young woman and a righteous man try to intervene with the angry old women, their voices are never heard. Also, Hawthorne associates ugliness with wickedness; therefore, all of the stingy women are described as being very ugly. They regard her not as a fellow sinner but as a woman so evil that she must be ostracized from her “perfect'; community. They view the scarlet letter that she wears upon her breast as a symbol of her atrocious crime of adultery and nothing more. The women in the beginning of the novel are so quick to pass judgment on others, yet they fail to recognize the sin in themselves. Once they realize this obstacle, the townspeople will become more understanding of Hester’s situation.
It seems as if Hawthorne wrote this scene for the purposes of exhibiting the harshness of Puritan society, and to allow the reader some insight into Hester's thoughts. Hawthorne places the focus onto Hester at this moment. The reader observes her before the full effect of the scarlet letter has had a chance to take hold of her. The reader is also able to see the cruel and judgmental behavior of the crowd through their language, such as when they call her a hussy. "This women has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it?"
Being socially alienated is viewed as a negative way to live life, yet in Puritan establishments during the 1600s it was viewed as a way to punish those who sinned. The punishment for the crime of adultery caused Hester Prynne, the main protagonist in the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, to live a life of social alienation. Although people fear being alone, the Puritans were ready to inflict this punishment on those who broke their laws. Such is the life of Hester Prynne, a young woman living in solitude in a Puritan society. Life in such loneliness gave her independence, character, and strength. Through this situation, Hawthorne shows the good that can come from societal alienation. Hester gained
Through Hester and the symbol of the scarlet letter, Hawthorne reveals how sin can be utilized to change a person for the better, in allowing for responsibility, forgiveness, and a renewed sense of pride. In a Puritan society that strongly condemns adultery one would expect Hester to leave society and never to return again, but that does not happen. Instead, Hester says, “Here…had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment; and so, perchance, the torture of her daily shame would at length purge her soul, and work out another purity than that which she had lost; more saint-like, because the result of martyrdom.” Hes...
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...
The naivete of a child is often the most easily subjected to influence, and Pearl of the Scarlet Letter is no exception. Throughout the writing by Nathaniel Hawthorne, she observes as Dimmesdale and the rest of the Puritan society interact with the scarlet letter that Hester, her mother, wears. Hawthorne tries to use Pearl’s youth to teach the reader that sometimes it’s the most harmless characters that are the most impactful overall. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Pearl has learned the greatest lesson from the scarlet letter through her innocence as a youth and her realization of the identity of both herself and her mother.