Puritanism, Romanticism And Transcendentalism In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne, in his bold novel, The Scarlet Letter tackles a variety of themes that include: sin, guilt, redemption, postfeminism, and organized religion's abuse of power. Hawthorne spoke in a somber and grim tone, designed to arouse a sense of suspense for his readers. The audience in which he was addressing would have been conservative Christians and women suffragettes, all of whom reflected the ideologies during this time period. By instilling clever diction, Hawthorne exposes hypocrisy in Puritanism and objects against the religion's superfluous punishments; which force individuals to endure unnecessary and extreme suffering.

     Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner. She has gone against the Puritan ways by committing Adultery. The Puritans believed that Hester was a lost soul that could only be saved by sincere and thorough repentance. For this

Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the greatest American authors of the nineteenth century. He published his first novel Fanshawe, in 1828. However, he is widely known for his novels The Scarlet Letter and The House of Seven Gables. His novel, The Scarlet Letter, can be analyzed from historical, psychological and feminist critical perspectives by examining his life from the past, as well as his reflections while writing The Scarlet Letter. In order to understand the book properly, it’s necessary to use these three perspectives.

In The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne is more than a literary figure in a classic novel, she is known by some people to be one of the earliest American Hero’s. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Hester commits adultery and has a child that she must care for all alone. She is forced to wear a powerful, attention grabbing “Scarlet A” on her chest while she must try to make a living to support her and her child, Pearl. Even though she must face all the harsh judgment and stares she does not allow her sin to stop her from living a successful life. She looks past the Letter as a symbol of sin and turns it into a sign of approval. Hester

The character of Hester Prynne changed significantly throughout the novel "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner; she has gone against the Puritan ways, committing adultery. For this irrevocably harsh sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her life.

In the book The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne remarks on his thoughts of his Puritan ancestors’ in his introduction and wording throughout the novel. In his introduction, he sets the tone on Puritanism by remarking, “” In the story itself, Hawthorne writes

The scarlet letter is a symbol of guilt with the power to transform not only its wearer, but everyone involved in its inaugural scandal. Pearl and the letter share a certain relationship, and at times seem to mirror each other, as they exhibit similar tendencies. As children of indignity alike, they unconsciously serve as emotional grim reapers, and together, they unwillingly carry out the supernatural mandate of punishment rationed to them through sadistic and demoniac means. Because the two chosen are but unwilling situational puppets strewn by fate, it is impossible for self proclaimed vigilantes of the paranormal to come out unscathed. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s thusly named romantic novel of 1850, the scarlet letter, its identity, and

    Dimmesdale on the other hand continues to suffer physically and mentally for the concealment of his sin.  Dimmesdale feels that he is safe from being condemned by Puritan society by concealing his sin, yet ironically, it eats away at his heart.  Ironically, a townsperson says to Dimmesdale, speaking of the searching out of sin, "methinks it

Chillingworth is first introduced to us as a mysterious man who happens to be intelligent and good with medicine. Although nothing seems too out of the ordinary Chillingworth fits into the description of rugged individualism because at the time Puritans preferred to be narrow minded about certain subject including medicine and with Chillingworth working as a doctor he had to have a vast knowledge on different subjects. "It grew to be a widely diffused opinion that the Rev Arthur Dimmesdale, like many other personages of special sanctity, in all ages of the Christian world, was haunted either by Satan himself or Satan's emissary, in the guise of old Roger Chillingworth" (Hawthorne pg 127), this suggests that their is an uneasy feeling the community had against Chillingworth making him a target of rugged individualism but because of his assistance and help to the Reverend they didn't dwell on the subject for too long. Through the outside we can see rugged individualism being shown through his education, where the community doesn't want to think to highly of him simply because he is educated, but what the community doesn't experience is what Chillingworth is like on the inside. Once again we see rugged individualism with Chillingworth's

Hawthorne’s work takes America’s Puritan past as its subject, but The Scarlet Letter uses the material to the greatest effect. The Puritans were

When Hester Prynne is first introduced to the story, she is described as “passionate”. Hawthorne first portrays Prynne in the book as passionate towards her baby, Pearl, and when the old puritans wanted to take Pearl away from Prynne in chapter 8 Hester “caught hold of Pearl, and drew her forcibly into her arms, confronting the old puritans magistrate with almost a fierce expression. Alone in the world, cast off by it, and with this sole treasure to keep her heart alive, she felt that she possessed

Susan Block once said that “Puritans, like poachers, shoot to kill your inner bonobo.” Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates a Puritan society that ridicules a young woman named Hester Prynne for committing adultery and not disclosing the name of the man who fathered her child in his Gothic Romance novel entitled The Scarlet Letter. The father, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, reveals this persona to the collective that he is a dutiful minister; however, he achieves individuation when he rejects Calvinism and redefined his faith after a troublesome battle with his inner self. His endeavor takes a toll on him mentally, physically, and emotionally as he struggles to seek a way to rid the guilt that is eating him alive.

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne displays the mindset of both Romantic and Dark Romantic authors. The novel’s very title introduces the reader to a central symbol that Hawthorne uses to represent two of the main characters’ sin and guilt. Hawthorne uses duality and juxtaposition throughout the novel, so that the reader makes observations on man’s guilt and fault, but also the freeing aspect of humans’ hearts and also to develop the theme that it is better for one to accept his or her guilt than to mask it and entrap it within his or her soul. In the beginning of the novel, Hawthorne portrays the scarlet letter as a binding symbol for both Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale, though Hester comes to accept it where Dimmesdale gradually degrades internally and

Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, shows two sides to one of the main characters, Hester Prynne. Throughout the book he shows two sides of her the good and the bad. Some of the good things she has done are giving to others in need, making people clothing, and she also ended up being a council for the people of her town. Although Hester did commit adultery, and said some mean things to her daughter that shouldn’t make her the worst person ever. Hester did do some things that were frowned upon by the Puritan society, but she, eventually, turned herself around and did well in her life.

Hester Prynne is a protagonist in the novel " The Scarlet Letter" She is described as a young tall women, with dark and glossy hair. So beautiful that "her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped." Hester Prynne suffers public humiliation, forced to wear the scarlet letter for the sin she has done. She then hides her beauty and sin underneath a cap for seven years. All the people who surround her look down on her and shame her, but after a long while. People begin to feel bad for her, telling her to remove the scarlet letter. Though, Hester disagrees and keeps the scarlet letter on. Leaving her with a burden on her back reminding her and the people for what she did. Hester continues with her