Sample Student Research Project 2015: Essay
LITR
4328 American Renaissance / Model Assignments
Sample Student Research Project 2015:
Essay
Taylor Fraze
2 May
2015
Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Development of Characters and Symbolism in
The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne is given credit for writing one of the most well
regarded novels in literary history. The
Scarlet Letter is a full embodiment of Hawthorne’s stylistic elements; it
showcases elements of the gothic, religious themes that pertained to human
sinfulness, and no distinct separation between good and bad rather, a vagueness
about moral judgment. According to the American critic, Malcolm Cowley, as
quoted by Richard Chase, Hawthorne himself was “’cold and sensuous, sluggish and
active, radical and conservative, and a visionary with a hard sense of money
values’” (146). Hawthorne’s own personal characteristics influenced his writing
and molded the stylistic elements that defined him as an author. In his works,
which include The Scarlet Letter,
The Minister’s Black Veil, and many
others, Nathanial Hawthorne’s artistic writing style is strongly showcased and
uncovers why he is considered, by today’s literary critics, one of the American
Renaissance’s most influential and well-known authors. Hawthorne’s use of
religious ideas, the development of each character, and the use of symbolism
progresses the storyline of The Scarlet
Letter, allowing Hawthorne’s personal beliefs and writing style to be
demonstrated.
Religion and religious ideals plague multiple novels written by Nathaniel
Hawthorne; for many, the first novel to come to mind when relating religion to
Hawthorne is The Scarlet Letter,
because of its puritan time period and Hester’s being condemned for adultery.
Though the village as a whole, and not a specific religious organization,
condemn her, the influence from the Puritan heritage connects the religious idea
to the condemnation. Hawthorne famously links Hester to the well-known Anne
Hutchinson. In her book, Student
Companion to Nathaniel Hawthorne, Melissa Pennell claims “Hutchinson serves
as a model of what might happen to Hester should she give voice to the radical
thoughts she entertains in her solitude” (84). Hutchinson is known as a rebel
against the authority of the clergy; therefore, a similarity can be drawn and
Hester can be seen in the same light. Looking further in the religious ideals
and at the stylistic elements that define Hawthorne’s writing,
The Scarlet Letter supports the
specific element of Hawthorne’s that combines the moral idea of good and bad.
Dimmesdale’s last words to Hester support the notion that every action made,
both good and bad, were for the glory of God and to serve his purpose (Pennell,
73). By giving a religious reasoning to their behavior, there is not only a
dismissal of their negative behavior, but a molding together of both good and
bad behaviors.
Hester’s own reaction to her situation develops the idea of religious
condemnation and the crossing of moral rights and wrongs. In his book
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet
Letter”, Harold Bloom argues that “whether or not [Hester] achieves such
ultimate purification, there is no question that by courageously facing up to
her ordeal she does strengthen and enhance her moral awareness” (15). Hester’s
own moral growth supports the moral lessons that Hawthorne includes in his
novel. The actions made by Hester are really the same as everyone else; the only
difference is that Hester could no longer suppress her sinful desire, but rather
she explored them. Because of this, as Bloom acknowledges in his book, Hester
becomes more aware of the specific sinful desires that live in the heart of each
individual. Bloom refers to this as a
“hidden sin”, which describes it as something which is pushed down and resisted,
hoping that those around will not recognize the sin one holds inside themselves.
Though each person’s sinful desire maybe different than other people, according
to Bloom, everyone has a desire inside of them. Because of this, it is ironic
how the people that surrounded Hester were so quick to judge her and her
actions. By doing so, they removed the attention off their own sinful desires
and magnified the actions of Hester.
The setting of The Scarlet Letter
plays heavily into the religious dynamics of the novel; set in Boston,
Massachusetts during the 17th century, the Salem Witch Trials
particularly influenced not only the novel, but also Hawthorne as an individual.
Witchcraft was greatly despised by the residents of Puritan Massachusetts
because it was linked to the devil, bad behaviors, and bad thoughts; Pennell
makes known that some accusations “were often made to seize property”, while
others saw witches “ as threats to the order of society” (104, 84). Because they
were viewed as threats to the societal order, it can be understood why the
people of Puritan Massachusetts were so quick to speak accusations towards
Mistress Hibbins and to place judgment on Hester. However, due to Shakespeare’s
famous Macbeth and other influences,
this mindset had been around for some time before Hawthorne began writing and it
can be understood why Hawthorne included it in his writing. On a more personal
level, witchcraft affected Nathanial Hawthorne’s ancestors and many believed he
used that family background as inspiration for his novels. Ancestors of his
served as magistrates and one served as a judge during the Salem Witch Trials
(Pennell, 104); since this related to Hawthorne on a personal level and he had
family background in this particular historical event, he was able to
incorporate it into his novels. The incorporation of witchcraft into the novel
gives a supernatural twist on the idea of religion throughout the text. This
connects to the idea of Hawthorne fading the line that separates the good and
the bad, which supports his unique characteristics and writing style.
In
another collection of works entitled
Nathanial Hawthorne, a chapter is devoted to Richard Chase’s essay
The Ambiguity of “The Scarlet Letter”,
in which he discusses the many ways that the novel uses symbolism to explain
society and the blurred line between good and bad. Chase looks at Hester’s
daughter, Pearl, in a unique way. Pearl is the offspring of Hester; therefore,
according to Chase, is an extension of the scarlet
A. He goes on to explain that Pearl
is now “the intuitive, lawless poetic view of the world” (151). The scarlet
A is most known for representing Hester’s actions and serving as a constant
reminder of the sinful life she chose; however, looking at it from Chase’s
perspective, Pearl becomes a symbol of the scarlet
A. This is intriguing because she is
representing something that was originally intended to be a symbol in and of
itself. Moreover, Pearl is used to symbolize a multitude of things; building off
the idea that she is a symbol of a symbol, Pearl also represents the
consequences of Hester’s sinful actions. Because of this, Pearl and the scarlet
A parallel as symbols and a share a
common theme.
Harold Bloom, mentioned previously, also expands on the character Pearl
and what her role is in the novel. Apart from Pearl and the scarlet
A being a parallel representation of
each other, Pearl also has another unique relationship with the letter that has
marked her mother. From early in her childhood, Pearl’s behavior was a physical
representation of what the letter meant. From her actions within the text,
Pearl’s behavior can be described as defiant or unruly. Bloom goes on to argue
that the readers are meant to interpret her as a representation of the wild
(16). In terms of the gothic, the wilderness is seen as a place of unruliness
and where one can live out their inner desires. Pearl, being described as wild,
can be seen as a consequence of Hester living out her sinful desires. Because
she was the result of sinful behaviors, Pearl is therefore the representation of
sinful desires, similarly to how the scarlet
A is a representation of those same
sinful actions. This connects back to the idea of Pearl and the scarlet
A being a parallel representation of
each other. Furthermore, this representation of Pearl allows the reader to see
the uncivilized side of human nature, something that is quite opposite of
Puritan Massachusetts. Pearl’s conduct supports several themes with in
The Scarlet Letter. Initially her
conduct opposes the normal behavior found in a puritan community supports the
claim that Hawthorne uses his writing to show both sides of moral conduct, the
good and the bad. Moreover, it helped to define the novel as a gothic. The
ability to use one character to define a multitude of themes and ideas,
compounded by the use of symbols representing symbols, within a text is a unique
characteristic of Hawthorne’s writing and contributes to the reason he is known
as one of the greats in American Renaissance literature.
Hester Prynne, as a character, evolves and grows to become a more complex
and stronger character. Harold Bloom’s work contains other critics’ literary
analysis of The Scarlet Letter; in
the short article, Hawthorne’s Literary
Development, George E. Woodberry argues that Hester is the cause of the
climax found in the novel; furthermore, Hawthorne uses Hester as a display for
his characteristic markings that define him as a genius in the art of writing
(32). The ability to evolve a character as much as Hawthorne did Hester gives
reason to why he is considered one of the greatest writers from the time period.
Moreover, Hawthorne does not have to define the characteristics of Hester.
Rather, his writing defines her in a unique way. In another article from Harold
Bloom’s book entitled Hester Prynne in
Conflict with Her Society, Mark Van Doren states “Hawthorne does not need to
call [Hester] passionate” (34); instead, Hawthorne uses her actions to describe
her characteristics. Hawthorne has evidence to show Hester’s passion: “her state
of excitement, bordering on frenzy…her pride…her power of speech” (Bloom, 34).
The style of Hawthorne’s writing helps to evolve Hester as a character. In
return, Hester’s evolution helps portray the unique ability Hawthorne had as a
writer.
The Scarlet Letter is a unique
novel that represents how historical events can effect the storyline of a novel,
while also looking at how the author’s use of symbolism helps to better
understand a character and their personal evolution as the novel continues.
Though not well respected at the time of its publication, Nathanial Hawthorne’s
A Scarlet Letter as made its place in
literary history as a classic that explores religious ideas and symbolism. The
literary criticism that is connected to the novel is vast and covers a broad
arrangement of topics; however, the most common are those that Harold Bloom,
Melissa Pennell, Richard Chase discuss: religion, character development, and
historical content with in the novel.
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