“The Custom House” from The Scarlet Letter

1. “The Custom House” fromThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

2. Puritan Culture • Hawthorne is the first American novelist to make an impact in Europe • In 1630 hundreds of newly arrived Puritans established a number of settlements in Massachusetts. • The Puritan movement began in the 1500s among people who believed that the Church of England was too influenced by the Crown and the Catholic Church.

3. Puritan Culture • Rejected belief that divine authority is channeled through any one person • Believed that the only way to salvation was through the Bible; Kings and Queens of England did not agree • America equaled religious freedom • Residents of Boston in the mid-1600s were much as Hawthorne depicts them— hardworking and devoted to their way of life.

4. Puritan Culture • Their society had been carved out for them by John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts and a resident of Boston. • As a leader of the first residents of the colony, he established a government based on a combination of religious and civil ideals. • The colony was intended to be an ideal Christian community.

5. Puritanism, Defined Further • Puritanism can be seen as a form of covenant theology, or a contract with God • A covenant of works: Adam and Eve broke the contract (original sin) • A covenant of grace: Abraham establishes religion, elects few to follow • Deals in the idea of total depravity, where man cannot obtain salvation on his own

6. Puritanism, Defined Further • God is omnipotent (all knowing); man is evil inherently and prone to evil • Man is predestined, or has his destiny predetermined • God saves who he wants with no regards to faith or works • Belief in Divine Providence, where all things happen and will happen from God

7. Puritanism, Defined Further • Belief in Sin of Presumption, where no one can know what God’s plan is; however, there are symbols and signs that can be read • Bible is the literal word of God; governs all human behavior, functions as a typology, or guide to living • Very anti-Catholic: goal is to purify the Church of England

8. Puritanism, Defined Further • Puritans felt they were on a mission from God to show the world they were right • The new world (America) was a place of trial, or grounds for them to prove themselves • Nature served as the Devil’s playground with the Indians serving as his children • America: a place of profit with the freedom to rule themselves without interference

9. Notes on the Introduction • Though the piece is highly autobiographical, the narrator for The Scarlet Letter, “The Custom House” included, is not Hawthorne; the narrator writes in the third person omniscient point of view. He analyzes and depicts the characters in a way that shows he knows more about them they know about themselves; however, he is subjective, being that he offers his own opinions of these characters.

10. Ironic Point of View The lines “But, as thoughts are frozen and utterance benumbed, unless the speaker stand in some true relation with his audience, it may pardonable to imagine that a friend, a friend and apprehensive, though not the closest friend, is listening to our talk; and then a native reserve being thawed by this genial consciousness, we may prate of the circumstances that lie around us, and even of ourself, but still keep the inmost

11. Ironic Point of View me behind its veil. To this extent, and within these limits, an author, methinks, may be autobiographical, without violating either the reader’s rights or his own” lends itself to irony: Hawthorne is having a Surveyor (like Hawthorne was) narrate the story, who speaks about an author using a fictional narrator so that one could be autobiographical.

12. The Custom-House, Modern Day

13. Annotations • Customs are duties, or a type of tax due to the state and levied by law; a tax on certain items purchased abroad • Custom house also controlled the flow of goods in and out of the country

14. Annotations • Hawthorne was appointed surveyor in 1846 by president James K. Polk • As surveyor, Hawthorne’s job was to inspect and report on all cargo and happenings on and at the port • Hawthorne’s writing of The Scarlet Letter serves an ironic purpose: he acts as a surveyor of customs, which in this case, means the customs, or habitual practices, of his New England town

15. Annotations The Old Manse: on their wedding day, Sophia and Nate moved into the Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts. The house had been built by the grandfather of Ralph Waldo Emerson. The Hawthorne’s lived there until the fall of 1845, when they moved in with Hawthorne’s mother and sisters in Salem.

16. Annotations P. P. Clark of this Parish: a satire by Alexander Pope about people who write contemporary memoirs. King Derby: Elias Haskett Derby, Salem merchant and ship owner. “...last war with England”: The War of 1812

17. Annotations “...like Matthew...were Custom-House officers.”: Reference to Matthew 9:9: “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of the custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.”

18. Annotations “...other wharf-rats as haunt the Whapping seaport.”: Whapping is a suburb of East London on the river Thames, and provided the main entrance to the London docks. Slop-sellers could refer to several things, including inexpensive clothes.

19. Annotations “...Locofoco Surveyor.”: a reform minded faction of the Democratic party in New York, called the Equal rights party. Locofoco refers to a type of friction match that party members used for illumination when conservative Democrats turn out the lights on Tammany Hall before one of their meetings.

20. Annotations “...and a view of the alms-house at the other...”: Gallows Hill, at the southern edge of Salem, is the area where nineteen witches were hanged in the summer of 1692. “...which has since become a city.”: Hawthorne’s great-great-great grandfather, William Hathorne became a notable figure in Salem and settled there in 1636.

21. Annotations “He was likewise a bitter prosecuter...”: William Hathorne ordered a Quaker woman, Ann Coleman, to be whipped through the streets of Salem. Hawthorne added the “w” to the family name when he was in his twenties.”

22. Annotations “From father to son...”: Hawthorne’s father, Nathaniel Hathorne, was a sea-captain who died of yellow fever in Surnam when Hawthorne was not quite four. “On emerging from the Old Manse...have gone somewhere else.”: Hawthorne was appointed surveyor by president James K. Polk. He was fired by president Zachary Taylor under the spoils system.

23. Annotations “General Miller...”: fought in the War of 1812 and served as governor of Arkansas; held the position of collector at the Port of Salem while Hawthorne was there. “...Whigs.”: The Democrats and Whigs were the two major political parties in the middle of the nineteenth century: The abolitionist northern Democrats formed the Republican party in the 1850’s. Lincoln was their first president.

24. Annotations “...the new Surveyor was not a politician...”: Hawthorne has very little interest in politics; however, did lobby when he lost his job that he was apolitical. The Whig party felt, claimed with some truth, that he was more politically active than he said.

25. Annotations “...Boreas...”: god of the north wind in Greek mythology. “...was a certain permanent inspector.”: William Lee served as Inspector. Lee’s daughters never forgave Hawthorne for his “trivializing” sketch. Hawthorne later regretted writing disparagingly about him. “...days of the elder Adams...”: John Adams, second president.

26. Annotations “...like Ticonderoga...”: one of the first major battles of the Revolutionary War; was a successful attack on British troops in what is now upstate New York. “...on Chippewa or Fort Erie...”: important victories for American in the War of 1812. General Miller fought at the Battle of Chippewa; Hawthorne was 10.

27. Annotations “...I’ll Try, Sir!...”: what General Miller said when General Winfielf Scott commanded General Miller to take the battery at Lundy’s Lane. “There was one man...gave me a new idea of talent.”: Zachariah Burchmore, Secretary of the Democratic Party in Salem; served as Custom-House clerk and was an ally of Hawthorne’s in his effort to retain his job.

28. Annotations “...bretheren of Brook Farm...”: George Ripley founded the utopian community in 1841 in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Hawthorne lived at the farm for a few months, but grew to dislike it. “...who had known Alcott.”: Hawthorne knew many intellectuals, including Emerson, Thoreau, Longfellow, and the prominent, eccentric, and intellectual Bronson Alcott.

29. Annotations “...Burns or of Chaucer...”: poet Robert Burns and Geoffrey Chaucer held similar jobs. Hawthorne’s appointment was definitely one of patronage. “The Custom-House marker imprinted it...through the office.”: refers to the seal that labeled each box, “/Salem/ N Hawthorne/ Sur /1847.” Anatto is a small evergreen tree whose seeds are used to produce and orange-red dye.

30. Annotations “...old Billy Gray---old Simon Forrester...”: William Gray was a wealthy merchant elected lieutenant governor of Massachusetts; Simon Forrester was a wealthy merchant and ship owner, and brother-in-law to Hawthorne.

31. Annotations “...the Protectorate...”: name given to the English government under Oliver Cromwell. Monarchy was restored with its end. “...now on ‘Change...”: Merchants Exchange in Boston. “...seal of Governor Shirley...” William Shirley was royal governor of Massachusetts from 1741-1756; Surveyor Jonathan Pue was appointed in 1752.

32. Annotations “She had flourished...close of the seventeenth century.”: Hester Prynne must have arrived in Boston in 1640 where she has been in residence for two years when the novel opens in 1642. Roughly speaking, her life encompassed the period between 1620, the year the Pilgrims emigrated in Plymouth, and the Salem Witch Trials in 1692.

33. Annotations There is no evidence that the scarlet letter or these papers ever existed outside of Hawthorne’s imagination. “...with a little pile of glittering coin...”: Gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in California in January, 1848; first wave of gold seekers arrive in 1849. “If the guillotine...”: Zachary Taylor’s political appointments in 1849 were reported as “beheadings” of Democrats.

34. Vocabulary Activity 10/20/10 Scan the chapter “The Custom House” from The Scarlet Letter for at least 10 words you do not know. Next, look those words up in the dictionary and define them. Then, write a story using at least 10 of those words correctly. Your story should be a minimum of 100 words in length.