Nathaniel Hawthorne and Puritanism
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Nathaniel Hawthorne is closely identified with the Puritan era in his fiction, and notably in his novel The Scarlet Letter. The Puritan era in American history left a rich and complex legacy that continues to this day. The Puritan ethic included a provision regarding hard work as a way of life and as proof of dedication to God that has been seen as one of the primary reasons for American business success, and the term is still used today to refer to the work ethic which infuses manufacturing, business, and other sectors in the American economy. The other arm of Puritanism that had great power was a form of asceticism and prudishness supposedly embodied in the New England idea of "banned in Boston," for instance. The legacy of Puritanism also created a good deal of guilt over sins real and imagined, and the excesses of the Puritans, seen in the Salem witch trials, would become an important literary theme in writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne. Puritanism also involved a good deal of hypocrisy and self-righteousness against which the new American society would rebel. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a product of a Puritan family and was very familiar with the history of New England and with the nature of the Puritan era. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804, and his first American ancestor, William Hathorne (as it was then spelled) came to Massachusetts Bay with John Winthrop in 1630. William was a magistrate and ordered the whipping of a Quakeress in Salem. William's
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s more openly, but also less terribly.
PART III
1. "But she named that infant 'Pearl,' as being of great price,--purchased with all she had,--her mother's only treasure!" (61).
--This statement identifies the symbolism of Pearl and her name and associates each with a cost to her mother.
2. "On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A." (37)
--This description of the scarlet letter shows it to be beautiful as well as a stain on the woman's reputation, and this becomes a recurring theme as she uses the letter as a badge of honor as well as evidence of her shame.
3. "Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast. . . ." (54)
--Explains the purpose of the scarlet letter--to teach others not to act as has the wearer.
4. "'At the great judgment day! . . . Then, and there, before the judgment-seat, thy mother, and thou, and I, must stand together!" (105)
--Dimmesdale here acknowledges his cowardice in this world while noting that he will stand accused in the next and will finally be beside his daughter and her mother. This statement foreshadows the final scaffold
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2079
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
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