The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne

1. A The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne

2. ABorn to Captain Nathaniel Hathorne AAdded w to his name after he graduated from college AAfter father’s death was forced to live with female relatives – never had a strong male influence – may account for his shyness and introverted personality AThis period of his life was mixed with love of reading and financial concern ADidn’t really like school – injury allowed him to stay home for a year, where all he did was read

3. AWent to college with some impressive people (writers and a President) AGraduated and the next 12 years lived in basic isolation in his mom’s house – writing A1st novel – Fanshaw: A Tale – paid to have it published – bad Gothic novel – tried to buy them all so no one could read it

4. AIt was 25 years later before he published another novel A Did write a lot of short stories – couldn’t generate a lot of interested for them A A friend finally published them – Twice-Told Tales is now considered a masterpiece and is viewed as defining the short story A Hung out with Thoreau and Emerson, transcendentalist thinkers – Hawthorne was very much influenced by the importance of intuition rather than intellect in uncovering truth of nature and human beings

5. AEventually got married and lived in Concord, Mass. AMost happy and productive time of his life A1849 wrote The Scarlet Letter – won him fame and a reputation AFinal years were spent in England as a US consul ADied in his sleep – buried in Sleepy Hollow at Concord AOne of America’s foremost writers

6. Writing of the ScArlet Letter ACreated a form of fiction he called the psychological romance A Wove elements of Gothic lit. throughout it ACulmination of his own reading, study, and experimentation with themes about Puritans, sin, guilt, and the human conflict between emotions and intellect ASince first printing – never been out of publication A Beauty lies in the layers of meaning and uncertainties of the symbols and characters

7. The ScArlet Letter Gothic Romance A Hawthorne defined the romance ABlends the enchanted with the actual APoint was to make strange things look like the truth ANovel included elements that are not realistic, but believable for the setting AThey believed in devils, witches, and a vengeful God

8. Psychological Romance ADelves into the human mind AHe wanted to study the effects of sin on the lives of his characters ADelves into human alienation and what it does to the soul GothicA features supernatural events, gloomy atmosphere, castles, and the mysterious Aa crime, often illicit love, is usually the subject Ahave a villain who is identified as the evil person by some deformity Anature is often used to set the atmosphere and provide some of the symbols

9. The PuritAns AHis knowledge of their beliefs and his admiration for their strengths is balanced by his concerns for their rigid and oppressive rules AThe novel shows his attitude towards these people A Arrived in Plymouth, Mass. – 1st winter half died AAnother group settled in present-day Boston – called the Mass. Bay Colony – setting for novel

10. ALeft England because they wanted to purify the church AThought services should be simpler and that religion should contain an intense spiritual relationship between God and the individual ACreated a “city upon a hill” where as long as they followed His words and did their work to glorify His ways, God would bless them, and they would prosper A Followed John Calvin who saw the world as a grim conflict between God and Satan A Calvinists searched their souls for evidence that they were God’s Elect

11. AThe Elect were people chosen by God for salvation ABelieved a merciful God had sent Jesus to die for man’s sins, but only a few would be saved – the rest, known as the “unregenerate,” would be damned eternally ABelieved all mankind was depraved and sinful because of Adam and Eve AMost of them could be sure of one thing: eternal punishment in hell with the few “elect” going to heaven AHad trouble in loving the sinner and hating the sin AThis rigid belief dominated politics

12. AOnly males and members of the church could vote AMinisters guided the elected officials AStocks were a form of public punishment – emphasis on public appearances and penance for sin – irony here because of all the “silent sin” ADisagreed with the laws of the colony, you were banished, persecuted, and in some cases, executed AVery clear rules – no gray areas ARepressive with little room for individualism AThe “path of righteousness” was very narrow and taught through stern sermons on guilt and sin

13. However, rigid structure enabled the colony to survive A

14. A Symbolism A To understand the novel – must understand symbolism APuritans saw the world through allegory ASimple patterns, like meteors, became religious or moral interpretations AObjects, such as the scaffold, were ritualistic symbols for such concepts as sin and penitence ASome symbols change meanings, other do not – like Mr. Wilson (Church) or Gov. Bellingham (State)

15. A Char cters Hester Prynne symbol of the public sinner who changes and learns from her own sorrow to understand the humanity of others Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale symbol of the secret sinner who recognizes his transgressions but keeps it hidden and secret, even to his own downfall Symbol of hypocrisy and self-centered intellectualism Sin and its acknowledgment humanize him

16. Pearl Symbol of the product of adultery and of passion and love Natural law unleashed – freedom of the unrestrained wilderness – the result of repressed passion Roger Chillingworth Symbol of evil, of the “devil’s handyman” Consumed with revenge and devoid of compassion Symbol of cold reason and intellect Compared to a snake (allusion to Eden) Defines the unpardonable sin as the domination of intellect over emotion

17. Governor Bellingham Symbol of civil authority and Puritan Theocracy Mistress Hibbins symbol of super or preternatural knowledge and evil powers Historical figure – executed for witchcraft John Wilson Symbol of religious authority and Puritan Theocracy

18. A Most obvious symbol besides the characters Has various meanings ASign of adultery, penance, and penitence ABrings about Hester’s suffering and loneliness – also rejuvenates her A1st appearance is actually a material object – then it become an elaborately gold-embroidered A over Hester’s heart – later it is an immense red A in the sky, a green A of grass arranged, an A of Dimmesdale’s chest – finally, an epitaph

19. Light and Color A play a role in the symbolic nature of the background and scenery A Context determines its meaning – sun is symbol of untroubled, guilt-free happiness, or approval of God and nature – daylight is the symbol of exposure/night is symbol of concealment AChillingworth always associated with darkness A Hester has sunshine every once and awhile ARed is used heavily to symbolize different things ABlack/Gray associated with Puritans, gloom, death, sin

20. Setting Avillage with its marketplace and scaffold is symbol of rigid rules, concern with sin and punishment and self-examination AScaffold is symbolic of public humiliation and penance APeople/community symbolize the rigid Puritan point of view with unquestioning obedience to the law AForest symbolizes freedom, however, a moral wilderness – sometimes evil because witches gather there – once it symbolizes man’s temptation

21. Hawthorne’s ability to introduce these symbols and change them is one reason The Scarlet Letteris considered his masterpiece and a perfect example of the romance novel.