"The Power of Passion discusses Hawthorne's profound ambivalence toward women and passion in his finest stories. This essay is part of a larger study, 'Hawthorne and Merry Old England,' that notes how Hawthorne tends to equate art, joy, and sensuality with Shakespearean England—a theme that achieves its richest expression in The Scarlet Letter, when Hester and Pearl embody the world the Puritans thought they were leaving behind."
This quote, from William Heath's essay, is from one of the critical analyses you may have chosen. After reading your chosen article, post your review of the article. In your post, identify the theme of the article, write a short synopsis, and agree or disagree with the author, supporting your argument. After that, read through the other posts, choose one more that interests you, read that critical analysis, and post a response.
Due date for first posting is by December 19th. The second posting is due by January 2nd.
36 comments:
All articles for this assignment are available in the BHS library. Please use the Public Access Catalog, biblio.org to locate the book that your article is in. If you have trouble locating an article, please ask Mrs. Fazzina for help.
The essay “Densely dark, with a Spot of Vivid Colour” by Henry James is a contradictory criticism which insults Hawthorne’s excessive use of symbolism and then turns around to praise Hawthorne’s writing style and calls The Scarlet Letter “beautiful, admirable, [and] extraordinary.” James also goes forth in saying that the novel is very dark and “consistently gloomy” which accounts for the fact that the novel takes place in the age of Puritanism. The puritans are portrayed as colorless humans and it is in their nature to exile and ignore sinners like Hester Prynne which adds more weight to the story. James continues to describe the characters as having “a certain coldness and exclusiveness of treatment” towards Hester Prynne of course and he adds that the Puritans think in “a single state of mind”. This is what makes them so exclusive and what makes Hester so isolated.
The main theme of this essay is the criticism of the amount of symbolism in the story. James says, “It is overdone at times, and becomes mechanical; it ceases to be impressive.” Other critics and readers may look upon Hawthorne’s use of symbolism to be a masterpiece and could only be composed in the imagination of a genius. The most detailed symbol in the novel is of course the scarlet “A” which James finds the most faults in. He says that, “too much is made of the intimation that Hester’s badge had a scorching property.” James calls the constant reappearance of the letter comical especially when it appears in the sky to the Reverend Mister Dimmesdale. James continues to criticize Hawthorne and contradict his complements about the language when he picks out Hawthorne’s repetitive use of specific words such as “sphere” and “sympathies”. James calls this, “the solitary defect of his style” and says, “It counts as a defect partly because the words in question are a sort of specialty with certain writers immeasurably inferior to himself.” After pointing out the faults in The Scarlet Letter, James continues to say that the novel “has the inexhaustible charm and mystery of great works of art. It is admirably written.” James also says that in the novel, “its weaker spots… they are mere light flaws and inequalities of the surface.” James blatantly contradicts himself with these statements after weighing so heavily on the faults of symbolism but like most readers he agrees that the novel is a classic and “the finest piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in the country.”
The novel is a masterpiece and its plot is intricate and interesting but I am in agreement that the symbols were excessively used and hinted at so often along the story that they got boring and almost obnoxious. Hawthorne talks so frequently about the burning quality of the letter “A” and so frequently about Dimmesdale’s own condition that it becomes overly obvious that they are symbols of pain and sin. Other than the overuse of symbols the novel was artfully crafted to make an interesting read.
Madeline C
Carol Bensick's "Demystified Adultery in The Scarlet Letter"
Carol Bensick's essay "Demystified Adultery in The Scarlet Letter" summarizes Nathaniel Hawthorne's psychoanalysis of adultery in The Scarlet Letter and juxtaposes his opinions with those of Leo Tolstoy, as portrayed by the latter's novel Anna Karenina. By examining the similarities between Hester, Anna, and their respective male counterparts, Bensick presents the classic literary figures of adultery, and by noting the differences between Hawthorne and Tolstoy's views, she deems The Scarlet Letter truly unique in its probing and contemplative comments about society.
Bensick pries deeply into the psyche of Hawthorne's characters. Hester's hatred of and revulsion toward Chillingworth is considered a product of the unfaithful wife's search for a reason for her betrayal. Unlike Tolstoy, Hawthorne does not condemn this, but places equal guilt upon Chillingworth for having married a woman whom he knew had not been in love with him. Bensick's ensuing study of Chillingworth is intriguing in its sympathy and leniency toward a character Hawthorne often used as a symbol for the devil. Bensick claims that the rift between an adulterer and her husband is merely a communication problem. Despite the appearance of callousness, and the effect produced by his name, Chillingworth, Bensick argues, is actually quite an emotional character. She cites his initial "writhing horror" upon seeing Hester on the scaffold, and their conversation in the jail cell, as proof that he is greatly moved by the situation. However, he hides his emotion, a mistake that causes Hester to believe that "by his typical pretense to experience no emotional reaction even to infidelity…then surely nothing she can do will move him," (Bensick 150).
In terms of the larger picture, Bensick contends that, as described by Hawthorne, adultery is harmful not through the deed itself, but through the aftermath, and the forgiveness withheld. Hester's piety only hurts her, as her religion condemns her actions but does not explain why they were wrong. Further, not only does religion obstruct resolution, but societal standards as well; both Hester and Chillingworth see marriage idealistically, as the supreme manifestation of maturity and happiness, but not practically, and thus cannot resolve it practically.
Whereas The Scarlet Letter and Anna Karenina have corresponded to this point, Tolstoy and Hawthorne diverge regarding resolution. Like nearly all other literary adulterers, Anna ultimately kills herself, and her illegitimate child faces a dismal future. Tolstoy, Bensick declares, "throws up the problem" by presenting adultery merely in terms of extremes of right and wrong, and by not even being able to align himself with either extreme (160). While Hawthorne does not offer a decisive moral conclusion either, his ambiguity is honest and purposeful: he suggests that, despite the obstacles of human nature, religion, and society, perhaps a couple divided by adultery might make amends. He proposes that, if taken responsibly into one's own hands, successful communication and forgiveness are within reach. For Hawthorne, "tragedy is not the only worthy dramatic form," (160).
I agree with Bensick's conclusion about Hawthorne. Despite what I feel was an excessive humanization of Chillingworth, she traces well the psychological evolution of characters distraught by their actions. Her analysis of Hester is mature but not condemnatory, and, despite Dimmesdale's death, I agree with her praise for Hawthorne's rather indefinite moral conclusion. Further, she aligned The Scarlet Letter and Anna Karenina quite dexterously, especially to one who had not read Anna Karenina, and also supported her argument with the introduction of other literary adulterers, such as Emma Bovary, Julien Sorel, and Edna Montpellier.
Yet as regards more far-reaching matters, one leaves the article feeling oddly unsatisfied. The phrase "demystified adultery" in the title is highly deceiving. First, she neglects a central theme of the novel, perhaps one that transcends that of adultery itself, which is the theme of self-exposure and public "repentance"; namely, the question of why Dimmesdale could only die in peace once he had revealed his sin to the community, and why Hester, although permanently wounded by her constant humiliation, was considered slightly luckier for having not had to hide her sin from the community. Through Dimmesdale, Hawthorne clearly suggests that the burden created by adultery might be revealed by such public confession, but Bensick does not mention this as a means of relief. Second, she overlooks the matter of why adultery is considered so shameful at all; why one is supposedly limited to drawing all of one's happiness from one specific person, and why enjoying one person's company supposedly detracts from the enjoyment one gets from another's company. Bensick claims that the different expectations for relationships that society imposes upon men and women separately accounts for marital rifts; she does not discuss it, but one might infer from such a statement further delusions created by society than those that are merely superficial. Finally, as regards the novel itself, Bensick describes the root of Hester’s deed as having been general marital misconceptions and differences in expectations, but does not mention that Chillingworth was actually not present when Hester began her affair with Dimmesdale. There is a difference between an affair occurring while one still daily converses with one’s spouse, and an affair occurring when one’s spouse has been absent for years. Hester’s loneliness may have been more powerful than any disputes from past years.
“Three Orders: Natural, Moral, and Symbolic” by Hyatt Howe Waggoner.
In this analysis of The Scarlet Letter Waggoner discusses the main symbols of the book and the moral values that they suggest. In addition, he analyzes the relationships between inanimate objects and characters presented in the book.
First, Waggoner notes that the cemetery and prison are negative values, while the rose is a positive one. Natural and moral evils are apparent in the opening scenes as well. Furthermore, Waggoner says, “...death and sin turned out to be more convincing than life and goodness,” (Waggoner 310). He names Chillingworth as the chief sinner, and notes that Chillingworth is associated with weeds and dark flowers throughout the story.
Next, he aligns Pearl with the rosebush, because she is the “gem of her mother.” Hester is also linked to flowers and natural beauty. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, is less admirable. However, as the author points out, “He emerges at last, that is, into the light of day...,”(Waggoner 313).
As for the moral aspects and journeys of Hawthorne’s story, Chillingworth’s darkness and physical deformities represent how his morals disappear as he becomes increasingly obsessed with torturing Dimmesdale. Waggoner believes that the moral and natural elements of The Scarlet Letter are crossed and that fact and value are always intertwined in Hawthorne’s work.
Waggoner concludes his analysis by stating his beliefs. From a natural point of view, he says, beauty and ugliness coexist. However, on a moral plane, evil and suffering are the most prominent factors and that, “Hawthorne’s vision of death was a good deal stronger and more constant than his vision of life,” (Waggoner 317).
I agree with the author in regards to his analysis of the moral and natural elements of the book. Also, I understand the symbols and themes that he identifies. However, his analysis was not as in-depth as I thought it would be. A considerable amount of his critical analysis was devoted to discussing the more obvious symbols from The Scarlet Letter. Although I ultimately agree with his assessments of natural and moral symbols, I wish he had focused on the less studied parts of the book in order to discuss the more complex topics that are presented in Hawthorne’s work.
"Hawthorne's Fiction; The Light & The Dark" by Richard Harter Fogle, Chapter X: The Scarlet Letter (132-149)
(For The Scarlet Letter, it should be The Head and The Heart.)
This passage reveals many of the themes found throughout The Scarlet Letter, and even compares the themes in this novel to the themes throughout Hawthorne's other works. However, since our class in particular was not blessed with reading any other of his writings, I chose to exclude most of those comparisons in my evaluation.
However, a significant difference in The Scarlet Letter which Fogle initially acknowledges is that the sense Hawthorne gives light in this novel is different than in his other novels. For instance, sunlight and light usually mark a momentary relief, yet in The Scarlet Letter, light is dangerous and delusionary. And as dawn usually symbolizes hope and regeneration, it represents a much darker feeling of the never-ending life Hester is living.
This reversed tone from light in The Scarlet Letter connects to the intensity of the novel. Between the dramatic irony from Hawthorne to his readers, the concentration of the already intense Puritan ideals, and the ambiguity of the truth, Hawthorne created an incredibly tense novel. Yet he manages to balance the intensity with his satrical tone as the narrator. Also, he decides to use that ambiguity to develop a theme that whole truth cannot be found in a single choice.
But, looking at the larger picture, Fogle suggests that the entire novel's main theme is unremittance (if I could bolden that word, I would.), or persistance, which does help to create much intensity.
Fogle also responds to Hawthorne's human "levels" which he creates, which exist with the head and the heart. The head represents the supernatural and the heart represents nature; nature is a stage man passes through, whereas Heaven is his ultimate destination. Yet even in Heaven, complete fulfillment and absolute understanding and justice is impossible. In the theory of head and heart, Dimmesdale would be mostly head; Chillingworth would represent the heart; Hester would be a combined heart and head; and Pearl signifies and pure heart, as she is the living reminder of Hester's sin. The Puritans, thus, were considered generally unnatural, of course, there were the exceptions. However, their ideals theoretically defied Nature.
Personally, I enjoyed the analysis of the Heart and the Head, because I was once told, "The longest path is from your mind to your heart." Sure it's pretty lame, but it's true; it's unbelievably difficult to make any sense of your emotions, they're simply just there, they're natural. Those who can simply be without second thoughts of why they're possibly doing what they're doing are people with a stronger heart, such as Pearl. Yet those who need reasoning for all actions are more head, such as Dimmesdale (or so says Richard Fogle).
The essay “Hester Prynne: The Dark Lady as ‘Deviant’” written by Judith Fryer makes comparisons to Hawthorne’s life and Adam and Eve to The Scarlet Letter. Fryer also discusses Hester’s character more in depth and analyzes most of the main characters in Hawthorne’s book.
According to Fryer, Hawthorne led a very secure life by alienating himself from society and marrying his safe Sophia. Hawthorne “needed the security of community” but would be afraid to come out and see the world (Fryer 107). By marrying Sophia he was able to have a link to society. Hawthorne had a strong opinion toward strong women and Fryer depicted this by quoting Hawthorne’s book Mrs. Hutchinson. In this novel Hawthorne states that a woman’s ideas should never resemble a man’s ideas and “when she feels an impulse of genius” she should “obey the inward voice with sorrowing reluctance” (109). If she does not then she will be abandoning her true self.
Fryer states The Scarlet Letter is about a failed community and supports this by saying Hawthorne believed the establishment of the Massachusetts Bay Colony would be a failure from the beginning. Fryer believes there were deviants within the community that must be locked up like Hester Prynne. Then Fryer compares the appearances of symbols and their effects like how the rose bush appeared to be beautiful but it was still wild and how the scarlet letter on Hester’s chest was beautifully embroidered but tended to isolate her from society.
Hester was considered a threat to the community because, like Eve, she disobeyed God. Both women were described as beautiful and Hester had an elegant body. In this way Fryer tries to compare Eve with Hester showing that both were beautiful but went against expectations and were punished for it. Even though Hester has much beauty her scarlet letter still keeps her alienated. According to Fryer as a result of her alienation Hester has more self-reliance which sets her apart from every character. Fryer continues to compare other characters to the Garden of Eden like Chillingworth being Satan and Dimmesdale being Adam. Dimmesdale is very weak in the end but Hester tries to “revive in him the inner strength for which she first loved him” but he has no self-reliance anymore which ultimately makes him weaker and so he dies.
Fryer continues to analyze the symbols of the book by saying Hester’s house is like a shell and it alienates her from society because it is so far away from town and closer to the forest. The forest eventually becomes Hester’s home where she is able to be herself and let down her hair. Fryer believes the forest represents the differences between Hester and Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale represents society and culture while Hester does not because the forest is a place of mystery.
The theme of this essay is to show being an individualist can lead to alienation but creates more self-reliance. In Hester’s case due to her sin she alienates herself and because no one else is around she becomes more dependent on herself. This makes her character stronger and still able to accept herself. However, Dimmesdale does not have much self-reliance which allows him to become weak and die.
I agree with Fryer’s analysis of Hester and the rest of the characters in the book. I like how the comparison was made between the Garden of Eden and the characters. Fryer is able to make accurate comparisons that portray the characteristics of Hester more accurately. For example, Fryer states that Hester was a threat to society and disobeyed God which linked her back to Eve. Fryer constantly mentions Hester’s alienation from society which reinforces the them that it will give her more self-reliance.
"Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter" by David Levin
My critical analysis is “Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter” by David Levin. The theme of this analysis is to introduce and explain Hawthorne’s writing style. David Levin wants to introduce the writing techniques of Nathaniel Hawthorne and how he approached the writing of his novel. The analysis is positive and very supportive of the novel, The Scarlet Letter.
In the analysis, David Levin attempts to explain the value of Hawthorne’s method of writing, while also summarizing the novel. He explains Hawthorne’s use of allegory to give The Scarlet Letter “a new intensity of psychological analysis,” (Levin 13). Allegory is the use of symbolism. Hawthorne wrote in a time that showed a strong interest in romantic histories. Romantic histories were grand epics in which heroic explores or military leaders moved through sublime scenes, and most of the popular writers of romance had been accustomed to treat their characters as stereotypes (14). In Hawthorne’s writing about Puritans he was able to bring his readers into a world of people who considered their own lives to be allegorical (15). Hawthorne called his fiction psychological romance, where his novel did not have to restrict itself to the probable, but reach out to the marvelous and real, only if it stays true to what he called the truth of the human heart. The time period and setting of The Scarlet Letter was perfect for his technique. He chose a community the recognized no clear line between the real world and what people call fairyland, or fantasy. Hawthorne chose a community that had an extremely hard time distinguishing between the actual and the imaginary (16). David Levin explains in his essay how Hawthorne uses this technique of romantic psychology to represent his characters as sinners. Hawthorne is able to do this with Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth.
I agree with David Levin. I think it is remarkable how Nathaniel Hawthorne uses his own fiction to create such a powerful novel. Hawthorne is able to portray Hester’s sin as a natural transgression and an excessive passion. Through her expression of her vital energy, she is stronger than either Dimmesdale or Chillingworth (18). Hawthorne is able to show a remarkable study in psychology through Dimmesdale’s secret sin. I agree with this because Dimmesdale’s private and partial regret for sinning only becomes a bigger problem, and he shows this by punishing himself. “The principle he violates is the most important article of Puritan belief and of nineteenth-century romantic individualism: the requirement that a man be a true believer, or a true confessor, that he reveal to God and to the world what he really is,” (19). With his knowledge of human psychology, Hawthorne is able to represent Chillingworth as an unpardonable sinner. Hawthorne does this by using the problem of guilt and forgiveness. Hawthorne’s belief to what constitutes unpardonable sin was the violation of another soul, another heart, simply for the purpose of finding out how it would react (20). There is now doubt Chillingworth did this to Dimmesdale to expose him.
The Power of Passion: Hawthrone’s Tales of Thwarted Desire, by William Heath discusses Hawthorne’s perception of women in some of his best novels. Through Heath’s analysis he speaks about a few themes, nature of women, power of passion, role of artist, and the discovery of evil. These themes represent “the depths of our nature”. Nature also symbolizes the freedom that a person can have to be himself or herself, and where all secrets can be let out in the open. Heath often repeats the fact that Hawthorne’s writing is a reflection of what goes on in his personal life with his own secrets, inner conflicts, and the questions that he has.
In the first part of the analysis it became apparent that many of Hawthorne’s novels carry the same message throughout each. For example it speaks about one theme being, “hearts burdened by loathsome secrets.” This connects to the Scarlet Letter, in the way that Dimmesdale was keeping his secret from everyone until the very end. Then immediately following this statement Heath states that this might have a correlation to a secret that Hawthorne might be keeping. “Did Hawthorne sleep with his sister or commit a murder?” This makes it seem as though Dimmesdale might be a representation of himself.
In part two of the essay Heath discusses the conflict that Hawthorne has within himself. This relates back to the Scarlet Letter in how conflict within people such as Hester, to be who she really is, and conflict in society, was constant. Heath puts it simply when he says, “ This puzzlement is at the heart of Hawthorne’s artistic dilemma; he simply can’t decide what to make of women.” The analysis states that Hawthorne thinks there cannot be two different qualities in one woman. He says how their can’t be the “sexless and saved” and the “sensual and damned”. If you have passion, passion particularly in your love life, will lead you to be “poisoned” and corrupt. When it comes to “pure” women the reference to the Puritan life is made. Hawthorne held tight the fact that the Puritans thought they were leaving behind worldly elements that did no good, but later we learn, in the Scarlet Letter, that Hester and Pearl are the evidence and reality of the fact that they did not. It is not realistic to have a woman with no sensual side, not even a Puritan can leave that behind.
Hawthorne struggled and questioned this for many years, the fact that women have to be one or the other. Hawthorne often used the instance when going into the forest that that promoted, or instigated the option for becoming “poisoned”. Heath goes as far as using examples of people going into the forest and getting in touch with their “sexual side” (to say the least). With examples like these it just made Hawthorne even more puzzled and made him believe that a woman couldn’t be considered pure if she did things like this in the forest.
His marriage to Sophia was the motivation for four stories which all spoke about “the conflict between ideal beauty and earthly desire”. Once again, Hawthorne’s writing is a reflection of his own life. He persistently had the thought that due to the fact that passion is so powerful, it could change a woman in a second.
After critiquing and analyzing Hawthorne and his conflicts, Heath states that before the Scarlet Letter and the character of Hester will be excellent, Hawthorne needs to grasp the concept that women can be both sensual and still have a side of innocence. I have to say that I do agree with Heath’s opinion. I feel as though Hawthorne finally came to a conclusion to the fact that a woman can have both qualities because the character of Hester displays this. She has a sexual, sensual side, which brought Pearl to life, yet she has a side of innocence and shyness to her. Pearl represents the fact that “treasure” and goodness can still come after the power of passion when in love. Hester is the depiction of a real woman. She brings out all the true qualities that women have. If Hawthorne didn’t grasp this concept I don’t think the Scarlet Letter would be considered such an influential, remarkable novel.
The Shape of Hawthorn’s Career
The Major Phase I: 1850
Nina Baym
“The final scent on the scaffold seems to suggest that the public institutions of society and the private needs of the personality are irreconcilable,” (141).
In the same way that Hawthorne begins his book with an explanation of his current life at the Custom House, so does Baym. She explains that after the Whigs took over political control, Hawthorne, out of work, turned to the only thing he had left: writing. “The Scarlet Letter was written in a mod of grief and anger and seems to have had a therapeutic effect on him,” (Baym 123). Baym says that The Scarlet Letter and “The Custom House” were actually to separate and distinct works that were written concurrently. The two were added together by Hawthorne in order to balance the tone of the novel, increase the length, and to take revenge—thus supporting her assumption that the book had a “therapeutic effect.”
As Baym more deeply analyzes The Scarlet Letter, she makes the distinction that this particular novel is different from Hawthorne’s other works in that there is a more intense focus on secular, verses religious, standards. Because adultery violates one of the Ten Commandments, Baym suggests that Hawthorne thought saw it as a crime against ‘Divine Law.’ Though Hawthorne obviously had to include divinity into a novel taking place during the Puritan era, it is used more like a tool to support the secular power of figures like Bellingham and Dimmesdale. Baym makes the allegation that “Puritans venerate authority, not because it is an instrument in God’s service, but because they believe secular authority itself to be divine,” (127).
Nevertheless, in the Puritan society, Hawthorne makes clear that the people who hold great power are old men. This characteristic immediately sets Dimmesdale, who is young, and Hester, who is young and a woman, apart from the back drop of the rest of the story, thus making their rising of status a most trying journey. Baym, through the juxtaposition of Hester and Dimmesdale, shows that not only did Hester struggle with open sin and the disadvantage of the time of being a young women, she was an outsider to the community; Hester was sent to Massachusetts by her husband. Immediately, Hester is portrayed as a more independent and a stronger character than Dimmesdale. This difference is further enforced by the fact that Hester, unlike Dimmesdale, wears her sin outwardly for all to see, and also by Dimmesdale’s weakening of moral after their meeting in the woods.
Ultimately, Hester’s strength as a character leads, to what Hawthorne sees as, a victory against the narrow perfection of Puritan society. As Hester returns to the town from her meeting in the woods, “she does not acknowledge her guilt. Rather, she admits that the shape of her life has been determined by the interaction between that letter, the social definition of her identity, and her private attempt to withstand that definition. Her life is neither the letter, nor resistance—neither the inner nor the outer—but the totality,” (130). Over the course of the novel, Hawthorne shows how Hester’s social community begins to look beyond the original meaning of the letter, but sees Hester as a person. In so doing, a slight change, which Baym regards as a victory, is made to their community, a slight weakening of Puritan repression. However, Hester’s ‘victory’ disregards the fact that in the end, Hester leaves the community because she knows that she and Pearl would never be able to flourish under such scrutiny from society.
In order to arrive at this victory, however, Baym agues that Hawthorne creates Hester and Pearl as two parts of the same person. Thus, Pearl’s wild creativeness is actually a trait within Hester. Baym suggests that Hester’s intent in embroidering the Scarlet Letter was a deliberate attempt to challenge the Puritan society. By ornately decorating this letter, Hester is taking the flat label of the A on her chest and deepening the meaning into profound passion and enthusiasm. Baym provides the example that Pearl’s elaborately decorated clothing is Hester’s demonstration of her rebellious attitude through her ‘alter-ego.’ However, Baym agues, if society had not judged her on her sin, then Hester would not be in rebellion. Conversely, she previously makes the statement that Hester has to rise so far from her original status of a young woman and a new-comer. If it is the goal of an individual to rise in status from such disadvantages, a great extent of rebelliousness and eagerness to change society’s ideas is necessary.
Although Hester is initially labeled guilty by society, she grows to reject this label, ultimately shattering the social implications. On the contrary, Dimmesdale admits his guilt to society though he is previously thought of as innocent. Baym suggests that Dimmesdale would, in any society, be a major part of religion because of a profound wish to conform to society. Unlike Hester’s strength to perceiver through society’s degrading views, Dimmesdale would be unable to live in the eyes of public disgrace. Dimmesdale has an intense fear of being rejected by society, but also has an internal need to be punished for his sin.
In his attempt to suppress his inner terror of being publicly revealed, Dimmesdale melts into a nervous and sick man. Baym compares Dimmesdale to Chillingworth as another set of alter-egos. Chillingworth’s superficial cover as a physician reflects Dimmesdales attempts to stifle his true passions and feelings. Unlike Pearl’s representation of Hester’s id (the part of the conscience in control of inner desires), Baym argues that Chillingworth is Dimmesdale’s super-ego (in control of managing how to deal with what needs to get done).
Hawthorne suggests through The Scarlet Letter, that individuals pay a high price in order to be a part of society. In earlier works, Hawthorne expresses negative views on self neediness, however in The Scarlet Letter, he steps into a new vision of romantic exploration of genuine self needs. Like Hester’s artistic rebellion through embroidery, Hawthorne is able to twist his message into a story in accordance with the tastes of his times. Through “The Custom House,” Hawthorne provides a window into which readers gaze to understand the meaning of the story in relation to him. Through this window, readers are lead to believe that Hawthorne’s own inner struggle is with the history of his family at Salem. In his outer struggle, Hawthorne makes clear that, by society, he was ousted from his job at the Custom House. Baym’s interpretation of The Scarlet Letter stresses the passion and self-expression of Hester and Dimmesdale which she sees as an analogy to Hawthornes’s social defiance in the Costume House and discontent with Salem History.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Hawthorne Revisited: Some Remarks on Hellfiredness
This article takes a somewhat different, or controversial approach to The Scarlet Letter. Robert Penn Warren has many opinions on the overall downfall of the novel. He frequently discussed the way Hawthorne had an "inclination to treat violent materials in the long perspective of the past. He speaks about the way Hawthorne takes the emotion out of very emotional subjects. Our past is still alive. However, Hawthorne over intellectualizes events, making them dead. He overanalyzes drama. I agree with Warren on this. I think Hawthorne takes away the opportunity for the audience to make a personal connection.
To further explain the story, Warren breaks it into five parts. Each one teaches, or displays, a lesson or theme. Each one explains the past, and tells about the future. Throughout the article he reviews the bo0k chapter by chapter. He tells the significant events and relates them back to what he believes are the overarching events. One of these is sexual gratification. Hester and Dimmesdale are bound by their immortal torture. They have an intimate, secret, passionate secret. They are restrained by their "sexually repressive society." Another unifying theme is nature. He explains each character as having some sort of natural trait about them. I think it is all a play on human nature. "the tension, in life and in man, between 'nature' and 'idea.' Warren also believes that nature holds the freedom these characters desire. I agree. They can relieve themselves of their burdens, such as Hester's A.
As the article continues, Warren breaks down the characters more intensely. As he speaks of Chillingworth he segways into his description of Dimmesdale. Warren realizes that "In the end, the two men are more important to each other than Hester is to either; theirs is the truest "marriage"- and a marriage of two perfect egotists." I agree with this in the sense that these two men are extremely self obsorbed. However, I think Chillingworth needs Dimmesdale more than the other way around. Chillingworth needs to quench his thirst for revenge, and quiet the guilty voice in his head. I think Chillingworth is hurt by being cheated on. His ego was bruised more than anything. However, in terms of Dimmesdale, he is quite narcissistic as well. Even during his final breath on the scaffold, he dies gloriously. He needs to amplify his religiousness, and beautify his demise. His overzealousness toward religion is just an escape from his wrongdoings. This article made me see this. In terms of Hester, Warren sees her as underplayed, left out, and outshown. He believes she is a small part of a bigger story. He thinks she is unnatural. He also comments on how easily she accepts her given identity. She allowed herself to be shaped by her surroundings.
More than anything, I believe Warren wanted to say, "man is doomed to live in a world where nature is denied and human nature distorted, and- most shatteringly of all - in a world where love and hate may be 'the same thing at bottom' and even vice or virtue may represent nothing more than what Chillingworth calls ' a typical illusion.'" Each of the three main characters had to "live by logic of their illusions" I think Warren says it perfectly. I think it rings somewhat true to what Hawthorne was trying to say. However, Warren grasped it more cleanly and wholeheartedly. If this had been the end to The Scarlet Letter, everyone would have felt every emotion each character felt. They would have taken a step back to analyze the harsh unfair aspects of life. If the book had been written in this style, I probably wouldn't have hated it.
Leland Schubert
Structured Prefiguration: Motif and Symbol
My article pointed out and described in detail the major motifs and symbols used in The Scarlet Letter. When reading the book for the first time, the reader most likely misses many of the important symbolic events that make this story so fascinating. Hawthorne uses his symbols many times to make his point clear and obvious, as well as to make the reader ponder the occurrences of the novel. Many of the symbols present have more then just the obvious literal meaning, and Schubert’s article makes identifying these motifs simple and interesting.
One of the most reoccurring symbols in The Scarlet Letter is the letter itself which Hester wears on her chest at all times. Of course, it literally represents the sin that she has committed, but also it stands for her morality as the story goes on. Schubert points out how many times in each chapter a reference is made to “the letter,” or one of the many other names used to describe Hester’s “A,” over one hundred and fifty times throughout the whole book (Schubert 278). In this sense, Hawthorne makes sure that his reader will never forget it. I agree that this is the most prominent and important symbols used in just about all the literature I have read.
Next of course, there is Dimmesdale’s brand, which the reader doesn’t discover until later in the novel. However there are several hints given that something plagues his mind. Dimmesdale is constantly noted as “clutching his heart,” not only out of pain or guilt, but also because he too has a letter to bear (279). Chillingworth also heightens Dimmesdale’s pain from his constant medical experiments and questioning about who Pearl’s true father is. Dimmesdale grows weaker throughout the novel, showing more and more signs of “the pain on his chest” (279). I agree that the signs Dimmesdale shows do add to the story in a climatic way, making the reader wonder if he is actually the fellow sinner, or just has some sort of chest pain.
One of the other major symbols from The Scarlet Letter is Pearl. She is a constant reminder of Hester’s (and Dimmesdales’) sin as well as the connecting piece between Hester and Dimmesdale (280). Everything relates back to the “single thread” that Hawthorne has woven in the beginning of the story, creating one of the most famous rhythmic motifs in literature (280). Overall, I agree completely with Schubert. Hawthorne uses these elements of symbolism and motif so well that the reader cannot help but be enthralled with this story, and continue to wonder what will happen all the way to the end.
The Genius of The Scarlet Letter
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope, the author of this article, certainly has a great deal of respect and admiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne, and his novel The Scarlet Letter. Multiple times, Trollope comments that this novel is weird and mysterious, but in a positive way with a thrilling charm. Trollope states, “…readers should be carried out of their own little mundane ways, and brought into a world of imagination in which their intelligence might be raised,” (Trollope 237). He questions how Hawthorne possibly allowed his mind to wander into such a melancholy place, and produce unimaginably miserable, that was simultaneously entrancing.
After practically six full pages of Trollope describing his reverence of Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter, Trollope then begins to discuss the major characters and themes of the novel. He says the novel is a story of love and jealousy, “…in which love is allowed but little scope, but full play is given to the hatred which can spring from injured love,” (240). He then says that the reader is expected to sympathize with, and only with, Hester. Although, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is the greater sufferer between himself and Roger Chillingworth, the audience is not expected to sympathize with the Reverend because he maintains personal peace throughout the novel. As for Pearl, Trollope regards her as a child who speaks, acts, and thinks like an elf. He claims that Pearl is not an aid for the novel, but rather a drawback. However, Trollope says that Hawthorne could not be so cruel as to make Hester live truly alone throughout all of her persecution for the letter “A”.
After the summarization, Trollope begins to state what he feels are the three major passions of the novel. He claims that hatred, fear, and shame are the three true passions of The Scarlet Letter. Hatred occurs in the way that Chillingworth hates Dimmesdale so much that he is willing to sacrifice everything is his life. Dimmesdale fears the public’s knowledge of his sin to the point where he will not rescue his soul when the opportunity comes. Finally, an unbelievable amount of shame is put on Hester, before the eyes of all men. Trollope then says that together, these three passions are the sole point of Hawthorne’s novel, and that he was completely successful in portraying them.
Trollope then describes Chillingworth in greater, and a more controversial, depth. Trollope says that when Chillingworth discovers the plot of Hester and Dimmesdale to escape on a ship, he crushes whatever hopes they had by saying he will go with them. In referring to Chillingworth, Trollope says, “The reader almost fears that he is again about to enjoy the satisfaction of a happing ending,” (244). In this way, Trollope credits Hawthorne for his ruthless depiction of Chillingworth, which certainly adds to the novel’s melancholy tone.
I completely agree with Trollope’s depiction of The Scarlet Letter as an effectively melancholy novel. The novel truly is melancholy in every way shape and form. In this novel Hawthorne certainly, “…values the realities of life while it rejected the frivolities,” (238). The life of Hester Prynne is forever changed by the scarlet letter, and the reader must pity Hester for her the solitude that she is forced to live in. Hawthorne makes it quite simple for the reader to put themselves in Hester’s life and imagine the misery that she must face each day. For this reason, while the novel is surely dismal and gloomy, it is successful in that successfully takes the reader to a new level away from the unrealistic, and elaborate stories of fairy tales and fables.
Roy R Male’s article, Transformations: Hester and Arthur, describes, on a kind of obvious level, the development of both characters in their ascension. He also focuses on their connection with the letter “A” and how this letter also transforms by the end of the novel. Male begins the article with his views on the symbolic aspects of the garments. He believes they are adequate manifestations of reality, whether it be inner truth or false covering. For example, Hester’s garment, the scarlet letter is a correct representation of her inner reality. Dimmesdale, however, wears a priestly robe that is a cover-up of his sin and his inner guilt. It is only at the end of the novel when he relieves himself of the robe to expose the truth, that he is no longer falsely shielded by this garment of saintly character.
Male suggests that truth is expressed by the main characters in the novel in different ways. A significant expression is achieved in art, such as Hester’s embroidery. Also, Dimmesdale’s confession during his election day sermon depicts the truth through word. However, Male states that “the highest form of intuitive truth, … ,is the life that is patterned like a work of art (Male 331). Before Male begins discussing the transformation of Dimmesdale he remarks that Dimmesdale almost reaches this level of saintliness through his final sermon.
Throughout Male’s analysis, I feel like he summarized the novel in an unknowingly obvious manner. Although his focus is the transformation of Hester and Arthur, he includes many unnecessary scenes from the novel which take away from his personal views.
The author begins his analysis of Hester’s transformation with an intuitive observation of the platform scene that I hadn’t noticed myself while reading the novel. As Hester stands atop the platform the weight of society’s eyes are upon her looking from one perspective, as she is looking in another. While standing above society, Hester is able to see all aspects of the situation; she can look “inward” to her life prior to her sin and her guilt, “downward” to Pearl and the letter on her chest, and “upward” to the seated authority that is observing her in her moment of ridicule.
Male sites the obvious aspects of Hester’s transformations that most people reading the novel could pick up on on their own. Hester, through her art, begins to develop as a new person. Through her needlework she is able to find truth; she becomes more involved in society and, through her embroidery, is enabled to put all the stages of life into perspective, except, of course, marriage. Male also refers to Hester, the scarlet letter, and pearl as “lights shining in the darkness of the community (334),” during the beginning of the novel.
Dimmesdale’s state in the beginning of the novel is also put in perspective in this sense; he “preaches words that place him in a false light (334).” Male believes that Hawthorne suggests that Dimmesdale would be among the “group of true saintly fathers”, whose only fault was not being able to communicate truths to the public, due to his natural abilities as a minister, if he hadn’t sinned. I do not exactly agree with this statement because in the end, he preaches his best sermon through confession of sin, and he is able to connect with his worshipers in a saintly way. Male is contradicting his original statement that “Dimmesdale’s final symbolic gesture approaches this saintly level (331).” Although I do agree that until Dimmesdale confesses he is put into a dishonest spotlight.
As Hester continues to help society with her good deeds , Male refers to the scarlet letter now as a “badge of mercy”. I don’t agree that the letter is necessarily merciful; the puritans are not feeling forgiveness towards Hester. The connotation of the “A” is changing however, into, perhaps, “able” or “appreciated”. I do agree though with Male’s argument that the word represented by the scarlet letter “has failed in its traditional rhetorical discipline (336).”
Male illuminates the forest scene with Hester and Dimmesdale. Here, both of their situations are put into perspective freely. As was read that Hester suggests to Dimmesdale a plan of freeing themselves from sin and moving to Europe, male puts the situation nicely; “The parishioner is now preaching to the pastor (337).” While in the forest, it is suggested that Hester only wants to remember the good things in her past instead of focusing on the sin that has overpowered every aspect of her day. However, this fantasy only lasts a few moments until Pearl, the object of Hester’s and Arthur’s combined sin, brings them both back to reality. It seems as though a common theme is the boundary between the past and present, reality and fantasy. Pearl is the combining element that puts everything into a sort of high truth for both parents.
Male secludes the two points now dwindling in Arthur’s transformation; his attempted ascension to individual freedom from guilt, and his position as minister, now a “minister in a maze”. Dimmesdale’s transformation is noticed since the beginning, but it is now intensified during his preparation for his election day sermon. “Now he is able to join the new vision with the rich utterance of the past (339).”
Male believes Dimmesdale’s sermon to be not only a representation of his individual sin, but of “Original sin”, which is also part of the thoughts of some of the puritans listening to the speech. Male associates Arthur’s final action with that of the spectators’ beliefs in that it is a representation of “Christ’s sympathy for the adulteress”. I partially agree with this interpretation, but I think the spectators feel more that the sermon and the death were representations of the sins of society rather than Christ’s sympathy; several people saw it as a saintly act to connect with the audience rather than a symbolic act of a higher level like that of Jesus Christ.
Male’s closing statements include an opinionated remark about reaching truth in life. It is unreasonable that total truth can be achieved by an human being; the closest any one can get to the truth is through expression, such as “art, symbol, gesture, or parable.” It is evident that through the transformations of Hester and Arthur that these forms of expression lead to some knowledge of truth.
Concluding Male’s analysis, he puts, intelligently, the symbolic value of the letter “A”. The novel states that “adulterer” transforms into “able”. Male’s viewpoint is that the letter also comes to mean things such as “art, atonement, ascension, and the Acts of Apostles (341).” I am in complete agreement with his final statement on the letter “A”; each side of the physical letter represents the ascension of Hester and Arthur. The two sides of the “A” eventually conjoin at the top and become one. The link in between the two sides of the letter represents Pearl and her connection with the two sides of the letter, her parents. “And fused in the entire symbol are the flesh and the spirit, the word and the light (341).” The novel is based on this one letter that has led to guilt, transformation, and redemption. It is a manifestation of both sin and virtue, reality and fantasy.
Evan Carton’s “The Prison Door”
The article “The Prison Door” explains that The Scarlet Letter is about representation and how all of the major aspects of the novel reflect or re-create the tension of Hawthorne’s position in the custom house. Also many of the different symbols of the novel symbolize the relationship between principal and social matrixes. There are many links between Hawthorn’s representative position and the custom house which permeate the novel. According to the article the novel is basically how Hawthorne is expressing himself through his link to the past, Hester Prynne.
Hawthorne’s representative situation poses the problem of representation itself which can be linked to multiple analogues in the novel (The Prison Door 126). Hester is Hawthorne’s link to his Puritan past and his ancestors. The prison door are the first words of the novel which suggest the relations of inner and outer space, solitude and community, bondage and freedom, that create the novel (126). The prison door is the threshold of the narrative which begins there and moves on. In "The Custom House" Hawthorne at first says that he is only the editor of The Scarlet Letter but later he claims that through the "dressing up of the tale" has basically made the novel his own. Hester's relation to her letter mirrors Hawthorne's to The Scarlet Letter. By dressing up their "texts" they have each made it their own and transformed it. Hester used embroidery in order to help dress up the “text” that she had to present to the public and the article goes on to explain the significance of Hester’s art. To Hester embroidery is an expression of human presence, human will, human value, and a means of laying claim to the world and to oneself. Hester knows just like Hawthorne that by changing and dressing up their texts they changed the meaning of it. The scarlet letter A that Hester dressed up has constitutive power, obliquity, and its conduciveness to deception and even self deception. The paradox of material immateriality, or over determined indeterminacy, shows not only the plot elements of The Scarlet Letter but also the characters. Hawthorne’s treatment of Chillingworth illustrates the narrative’s inclination to withhold the bases for absolute moral, social, or ontological judgments. Chillingworth is first depicted as a natural outsider who is old, deformed, odd, and unnaturally intelligent. The article then goes on to explain the Chillingworth goes on to become an agent of social power and justice by punishing Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale regularly converts his falsehood into truth and his truth into falsehood. His sin is inextricable from his saintliness and the perpetuation of both states depends on the openness to interpretation to his own needs of his language. Dimmesdale cannot escape his hypocrisies and his connection to both sin and the light. Hester and Dimmesdale’s relationship drive them each mad and they cannot escape the puritan society that is doing this to them. Through Hester Hawthorne attempts to escape alienation in the Custom House he tries to reaffirm the intimacy in Salem terms. This is not meant to be and Hawthorne is to remain alienated until the end of his stay at the Custom House. Basically throughout the article it points out that each symbol in the scarlet letter has double and opposite meanings and is very problematic to find the true meaning of each symbol.
I agree with this article in that many of the symbols in The Scarlet Letter can be found to have one meaning in the beginning of the novel but change as the novel goes on. It can be very confusing as you can take many different meanings from the same exact symbol because of the people that represent it. Almost everything changes to have an opposite meaning at one point throughout the novel and I agree with what this article is saying.
Okay Mrs. Teed…….I’m just going to be honest, this was really hard, but this is what I got out of this paper.
Lawrence begins this paper discussing novels, and in specific romances. He claims that in romances, everything is perfect, and is in fact, too perfect. Lawrence claims that although Hawthorne writes romances, he is not this type of writer, even though in The Scarlet Letter, “nobody has muddy boots…” (Lawrence 39).
The main point of Lawrence’s writing seems to focus on women, and how Hester is a representation of all women. Lawrence condems all women. “Hester Prynne is a devil” claims Lawrence (47). He says that women only want to seduce men, and that that is their goal in life. Hester’s seductive nature and her efforts to bring the purest of men to the evil side, is a representation of all women. Lawrence also talks of how women pass the devil on through their daughters, and he claims that Hester did this too with Pearl. He writes, “The devil in Hester produced a purer devil in Hester” (51).
In response to Lawrence, I do not agree at all with what he says. I do think that some womens’ main goal is to seduce men, especially in America, but I still have faith that there are some nice females out there who have goals of knowing a man for his character, intelligence and integrity. Not all women contain “a voluptuous, oriental characteristic” (47). His negative and seemingly jaded tone turned me off, and caused me to disregard his accusative and angry assumptions as that of a man who may have been cheated or hurt by these types of women in past relationships.
In Hawthorne: A Collection of Critical Essays, Van Doren primarily discusses the complexity of the characters in The Scarlet Letter. He begins the analysis by explaining the significance of the novel in terms of Hawthorne, suggesting that it is his biggest success due to its freshness and naturalness of execution. He states that the themes were nothing new, but Hawthorne honors the characters as individuals and refuses to define good and evil, resulting in a unique masterpiece.
Van Doren described Hester as having passion so immense that it was clearly evident to the reader without direct mention from the author. He said that the evidence existed in her description, as well as in the way she brought color to otherwise dim circumstances. Van Doren also pointed out the audience’s natural fear that the life of such a magnificent woman as Hester was wasted for a few days of love followed by years of dreariness. He later states that the conclusion proves this fear wrong in that its events suggest that nothing was meaningless. Van Doren interestingly refers to Dimmesdale and his “tremulous” behavior as well as his tendency to hold his hand over his heart. In response to the constant reference to these two actions of Dimmesdale, he stated, “So constantly, indeed, that we might grow tired of the information were it not so relevant to the agony within.” The author says that Dimmesdale is beautiful due to his suffering, and he is more simply and directly seen than Chillingworth, who is portrayed as evil. The author does mention a seemingly obvious theme of the novel, calling it the “burden imposed by secrecy on the soul”, describing Dimmesdale’s condition because of the internal damage he causes himself through deceit. Van Doren describes Pearl as the ultimate accident, causing bittersweet emotions from Hester. He also stated that Hester does good deeds, but does not give her mind the rest it needs, and that the novel is written with more feeling than thought. Another major theme, the scaffold, was also mentioned by Van Doren. He said that the scaffold finally completed its job, which began at the beginning of the novel, and finished at its conclusion.
Van Doren was all over the place in his analysis, but his major point was seemingly the significance of the characters and their depth resulting in Hawthorne’s best work. I agree, in that it is clear that plot line does not set this novel apart, but rather, the qualities and actions of the people who are described in great depth. Their descriptions primarily consist of their actions, rather from the author’s literal descriptions. Van Doren’s views are not exactly radical, but an interesting way to look at the novel and its hidden reasons for success. The subtleties result in a work of art from Hawthorne, and his freshness, as Van Doren pointed out, could not later be duplicated in his future works, making The Scarlet Letter his first and last real success.
The Absolved, the Redeemed, and the Damned: A Triangle
Herbert Gorman
Herbert Gorman shows that The Scarlet Letter is the “completest epitome of Hawthorne’s genius” in “The Absolved, the Redeemed, and the Damned: A Triangle” (Gorman 249). The Scarlet Letter is especially characteristic of Hawthorne’s writing, as Hawthorne “never got clear of the… dusky web” of old New England, and presumably of his ancestry (250). This connection manifests itself in Hawthorne’s skillful translation of the repressive, complex world of old New England into one a reader may more easily understand. Gorman specifically draws attention to the fact that Hawthorne’s primary focus is on a theme, which the characters and symbols simply serve to illustrate.
The Scarlet Letter presents an atypical love triangle, for though the lover, wife, and husband are present in the novel, the triangle is completed after the affair. This, according to Gorman, is because Hawthorne is concerned not with the sin itself, but with the impact of the sin. His interest lies in the psychological, spiritual, and behavioral impact that the “consciousness of sin” has upon those involved (250). Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth are each affected and changed in different ways as a result of the same sin. Hester, the absolved, is publicly humiliated and punished; yet this punishment, along with her years of service to the community, serves as her atonement. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, does not choose to reveal himself and so becomes a hypocrite, though he is constantly tortured by guilt. However, he redeems himself with his confession at the scene of his death. Chillingworth is unique in that he is not the sinner, but the sinned against. Upon being wronged, however, he is corrupted by his own fiendish obsession with vengeance, and so is damned.
The scarlet letter itself is a representation of an abstract idea, and Gorman deals with it individually. In the article, he comments that Hawthorne, “always concerned with symbols, here brings them to their highest and most concerted pitch” (251). Gorman contradicts many critics in saying that its symbolism is not overdone, except for the one instance of its heavenly appearance. Instead, Hawthorne’s fault lies in that he does not confidently handle Dimmesdale’s mark.
Perhaps Hawthorne’s greatest quality is the skill with which he brings abstract ideas to the forefront using characters and symbolism. As Gorman says, “the reality… is implicit in the reality of their emotional and mental reactions” (252). In allowing background development to take a secondary role to psychological and behavioral aspects, Hawthorne focuses more clearly on the ramifications of sin.
I was quite pleased to find that the ideas this article presents coincided so nearly with my own. Gorman’s analysis of the focus on theme, specifically the consciousness of sin, articulates almost exactly what I was thinking as I read The Scarlet Letter; it mainly deals with the effect the consciousness of sin has on humans. However, I disagree with Gorman on Hawthorne’s use of symbolism (I grew weary of the constant references to the letter long before reaching the last page), and as I have not read any of Hawthorne’s pieces except The Scarlet Letter, I cannot judge whether or not it is the epitome of his work.
Sam pretty much covered every aspect of "Densely Dark, with a Spot of Vivid Colour" by Henry James. Most of her statements I wholeheartedly agree with. James seemed to be confused on his stance of the book. He began his analysis by stating that Hawthorne's novel was "consistently gloomy." However, he proceeded to call it "the finest piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in the country." He also said it had "an indefinable purity and lightness of conception." Next James slowly segways into the many flaws of Hawthorne and the novel. He remarks on Hawthorne's poor representation of the historical period. He was not detailed enough. Plus, the language was not quite true to the age. Likewise to the original article i read, James comments on the coldness of this novel. This factor is undeniable. I think this was the downfall of the book. It could have been brought to a different level if it could tell the same story, but including emotions. However, abiove all, James puts the biggest on Hawthorne's overuse of symbolism. I would also agree with this. This novel is natorious for its symbolism. However, when practically every item present in a scene contains a second meaning, it becomes too much for the reader to absorb. The symbols he relies on, such as the A,become predictable and mundane. I fully agree. Hawthornes extensive use of symbols caused me aggrivation when reading. I wanted to skip over another monotanous line. However, after this, James quickly and abruptly changes topics and opinions. He begins to emphasize the positive qualities of Hawthorne and the novel, as if he were a repentful kid who felt bad for being mean. James comments on Hawthorne's natural talents. He also praises him for his theory that "it was better practice to write about trifles, because it was a greater tax upon one's skill to make them intesting." Even though Hawthorne did not impress me with his novel, I believe it is practices such as these that make a good author. i give him credit for that. I agree with the article for the most part. However, unlike James, I am content with expressing my discontent.
Response to:
Heath, W.
The Power of Passion: Hawthornes’s Tales of Thwarted Desire
This essay, written by William Heath, certainly goes into great detail discussing Hawthorne’s confusion regarding women and passion. After numerous examples of stories in which this idea is expressed, Heath states, “Until he can outgrow his recoil from sensual experience and renounce his tendency to idealize instead of embody the physical world, the masterpiece he has been striving for will elude him,” (Heath IV). This statement definitely represents Heath’s failure to respect Hawthorne as a developed writer. To add to this first statement, Heath then states, “He will never be able to create Hester and write The Scarlet Letter,” (IV). This final conclusion, once again, is a strong insult toward Hawthorne on Heath’s part. In this statement, Heath basically denies that The Scarlet Letter was ever written by Hawthorne and denies that Hester was created, because Hawthorne never renounced his tendencies. As Lauren said, I disagree with Heath on this opinion. I feel that Hester was a well developed character, and she certainly portrayed the realistic ideals of woman. Hawthorne did indeed manage to balance Hester’s sensual and more innocent sides.
Heath also states, “Thus Hawthorne, in a sense, had to fool himself to become a great writer. He had to subvert his conventional rhetoric and sentimental stereotypes as well as his semiconscious neurotic compulsions,” (III). I disagree with this statement as well. I do not feel that The Scarlet Letter was a result of Hawthorne fooling himself. I feel that a novel so powerful and relatable could only be written if the author truly felt the emotions within novel for himself. Otherwise, the themes of the novel, such as, “…the nature of women, the power of passion, the role of the artist, and the discovery of evil,” (I), would not be portrayed as effectively.
I am writing in response to the same article Dan Sheridan did. This article talks about the symbolism that Hawthorne uses in his novel The Scarlet Letter. Like Dan said, these symbols may not be very obvious when reading the book for the first time. Yet after reading Leland Schubert’s description of the many symbols and motifs, I can easily recognize them in the book.
The first major symbol that Schubert talks about is the letter A. He shows how it is referenced in almost every chapter, and is referred to by different names such as, “the letter A…the ignominious brand… [or] the fatal symbol” This symbol stands for Hester’s mortality. Most importantly, the A is the symbol that represents Hester’s sin of adultery.
Dimmesdale also committed adultery, and therefore has a symbol for his sin. He always clutches his heart, or his breast. This shows how his sin his hidden, and Hester’s is worn on the outside almost proudly. Schubert makes reference to this. These movements may seem strange to the reader, but the reader has no evidence until the end, that these movements are the result that Dimmesdale is Hester’s lover. Like Dan, I agree that these movements of an unknown motive add to the story, and make it more of a mystery.
Lastly, the symbol for both Hester’s and Dimmesdale’s sins together is Pearl. She is a daily reminder for the readers, and the characters in the story of the sin of adultery. Both Hester and Dimmesdale broke the Puritan mold, and went against what society accepted. What occurred as a result of this was Pearl. As Schubert says, “Pearl too is ‘a born outcast of the infantile world.’” (Schubert 284) Pearl is a reminder to Hester and Dimmesdale of their sin, and also a mirror image of them in terms of her difference in society.
It are these symbols that may be easy to miss at first, especially without knowing the outcome of the book, that become obvious when reading this review. Schubert’s write up helped me understand the symbolism in The Scarlet Letter, and I agreed with Dan’s write up about it.
Critical Response to Josh Sullivan’s article, Nathanial Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter by D.H. Lawrence.
This article covers many themes of Hawthorne’s writing in The Scarlet Letter. Lawrence makes it clear that many romance novels of the time were set up so everything was harmonious and smooth flowing. However, he notes how The Scarlet Letter differs from this pattern, containing much pain and anguish throughout the story, and not much of a “fairytale ending.”
One of the other main points that Lawrence emphasizes is how woman are depicted in the story. He claims that it is their only goal in life to seduce men, therefore causing problems for everyone. So overall Lawrence says that Hester stands for all women in the story, even going as far as saying that she is “the devil,” like Josh mentioned. Overall, I disagree with his statements, because I think that Hester brought much more to the story then being completely cynical. And to go as far as to claim that Pearl was even more of the devil then Hester is pretty radical.
All in all, I agree with Josh’s statements and think that Lawrence was far too harsh on his judgment of The Scarlet Letter. While at some points it may be seen as if Hester (amongst other women) is “evil,” I cannot agree that her sole purpose was to seduce men and make life a living hell for everyone. Lawrence made several good points about the themes of the time period, but overall had too rash of a viewpoint on the other main points of the story.
Tessa summarized Anthony Trollope's article The Genius of the Scarlet Letter very accurately and concisely. Trollope is certainly enthralled by Hawthorne, although his admiration is unique mainly because Trollope himself was a novelist. Trollope holds Hawthorne in such high esteem primarily because Trollope is unable to write as Hawthorne does, despite their common profession. Trollope declares that he has always written of commonplace, realistic situations and characters, in order to make his stories as credible to the reader as possible. Yet Hawthorne, Trollope marvels, is successful in creating stories "with persons and incidents which were often but barely within the bounds of possibility". To Trollope, Hawthorne's imagination is untamed and restless. The gloominess of Hawthorne's story adds to such genius, as works like The Scarlet Letter are almost completely dismal, and yet the author succeeds in creating a darkness that is simultaneously glorified and gallant, and, thus, appealing.
I agree with Tessa's conclusion that Trollope is correct in praising the dreariness of The Scarlet Letter. Yet I do not think the allure of such melancholy is as extraordinary as Trollope deems it. I think humans are often more drawn to stories of suffering and grief than to those of glossy cheer. Sick as it may seem, and reluctant as many may be to admit it, we revel in the downfall and humiliation of others. Such perverted pleasure may be seen in countless cultures throughout history, and remains a part of society today.
Further, Trollope seems to focus too much on the plot of The Scarlet Letter and too little on theme. He summarizes the book in a paragraph, but spells out only the most superficial, narrative aspects of the story. He seems to regard it as a novel to be enjoyed purely for its leisure as a story, and not to be understood as Hawthorne's profound and complex analysis of Puritan society. This is further reflected in Trollope's aforementioned amazement at Hawthorne's imagination. While The Scarlet Letter may not be thoroughly credible, it is not because Hawthorne was a surrealist, or wildly artistic; on the contrary, only the most strictly disciplined and focused mind could have produced a novel of such meticulous symbolism and thematic structure.
Finally, while Tessa agrees with Trollope that one should sympathize with Hester, I do not. Trollope writes of Dimmesdale and Hester: "Of the two, indeed, he is the greater sufferer. While shame only deals with her, conscience is at work with him. But there can be no sympathy, because he looks on and holds his peace. Her child says to him…"Wilt thou stand here with mother and me to-morrow noontide"? He can not bring himself to do that, though he struggles hard to do it, and therefore we despise him." As regards feelings toward Hawthorne's characters, I can only speak for myself: while I found it hard to relate to either character, I had almost no sympathy for Hester and more, comparatively, for Dimmesdale. The difference between their struggles is that between adapting to something constant and wrestling with an uncertain potential, the latter of which I find more trying.
My disagreements with Trollope stem from the fact that he reads books from a novelist's point of view, and, further, that he seems to be a novelist not inclined toward allegory or rigorous symbolism. Hence, he seems to judge The Scarlet Letter with an eye more toward plot than toward theme. A prime example of this is his criticism of the presence of Pearl: he declares that she is too extraordinary, and too much of a comfort to Hester, for the story, while I see her as a crucial facet of the story's thematic network. Thus, while I appreciate his plot-based praise for Hawthorne and commentary on the novel, we have fundamental differences about the importance of its literary elements.
In Robert Penn Warren’s Hawthorne Revisited: Some Remarks on Hellfiredness, Warren maps out the novel into different sects based on how many times the scaffold appears. This theory is perfectly apparent in the novel and therefore I do agree with this division of the novel but Warren makes an odd comparison between Dimmesdale and Pearl that is absurd considering Pearl at first rejects Dimmesdale. He remarks on their laughs and their elf-like qualities that are not human at times and “light, airy [and] childish.” Only for one instance does this comparison hold true which defeats the purpose of mentioning this infantile distinction entirely.
His unexplainable comparisons are followed with the mention of the “natural” behaviors of Hester Prynne. For example, when Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the forest Warren describes the scene as “natural” and continues to call Hester “seductive” and he states that this quality of hers is also “natural”. Warren also describes Hester throwing away the scarlet “A” a “natural” occurrence. Maybe Warren means “natural” in the sense of predictable or most likely necessary, but one theme of the criticism is surely the “natural” behaviors and places in the story.
Warren also suggests that The Scarlet Letter is either a “tale of sin and conscience” or its main focus is Hester being a “martyr for the liberation of women- and of men too- from a sexually repressive society.” I agree with both of these statements because Hester was forced to sacrifice her freedom and was forced to publicize her sins where other women and men could hide their sins behind their seemingly normal daily lives. Hester was indeed a martyr for that cause and the novel is undeniably about sin.
In response to the other outlook on this passage by Warren, I never found Dimmesdale to be “narcissistic” or his death to be filled with “glory”. He suffered an equal amount as Hester and was punished by it. I suppose one could mistake Hawthorne’s constant return to Dimmesdale and magnifying his suffering as narcissism but Hawthorne just wanted to highlight his suffering. I also agree that Chillingworth needed Dimmesdale for his revenge and their relationship was based on mostly attaining revenge but on the other hand, Hester was in no way a small part of the novel being mentioned and magnified probably more often than Dimmesdale.
Anthony Trollope’s essay “The Genius of the Scarlet Letter” mainly praises Hawthorne’s unique writing skills and imagination. Trollope states that Hawthorne has a “powerful, active, continually effective mind less round, more lop-sided” (Trollope 236). For a length of time Trollope describes Hawthorne’s writing style and is obviously very fond of him as a writer. With Hawthorne’s writing the reader brought into a place of imagination and their mind grows. Hawthorne has a certain technique to his writing, a combination of romance and soberness, which makes it so different.
Trollope describes The Scarlett Letter as of love and jealousy and the reader will become entranced and will want to continue to read the novel until the end. It is the story of the love between Hester and the minister but of jealousy from the husband. By being jealous the husband seeks revenge and ultimately attempts to bring him mental misery. After admiring Hawthorne’s style, Trollope describes The Scarlet Letter characters in depth. Trollope claims that the minister is the greater sufferer in the novel than Hester which appears to be true. While Hester holds her shame in public the minister is forced to hold his inside and carry his guilty feelings everywhere. I agree with Trollope’s statement that the minister is the greater sufferer. Although Trollope also states that the minister struggles to be out in public with Hester and her child and for this the reader hates him. This is untrue because the minister is trying to stay with society’s expectations and follow the rules of priesthood. Therefore the reader should not hate the minister. Trollope continues to analyze Pearl and Hester and their character traits.
I agree with Tessa’s response that the novel was melancholy but I disagree that the reader should sympathize with Hester. Although she has a burden she must carry, she carries it openly. I think the reader should sympathize more with Dimmesdale. He is forced to live a lie and carry his burden. He cannot rely on anyone in society to tell because they all hold Puritan values. Dimmesdale has no one to turn to and plus Chillingworth is constantly trying to destroy him. Dimmesdale is ultimately trapped and can only turn to himself for advice but even then he has become a weak character.
Trollope does an excellent job assessing Hawthorne’s novel and describing his writing style. Trollope has nothing but positive comments towards Hawthorne and praises him for his genius on the novel. He does a good job analyzing the characters and finding the major points of the novel. I agree many things that Trollope had to say about Hawthorne and his characters.
The essay “Scarlet A Minus” by Frederic I. Carpenter is an analysis of all the possible views of The Scarlet Letter and to be more specific, Hester Prynne. This includes the traditional moralist, the romanticist and the transcendentalist’s idea of what really was Hester’s sin, if she even sinned at all.
The essay starts off with Carpenter saying how The Scarlet Letter was timeless during the 1850’s, however, now Carpenter sees many imperfections that might have been unnoticed during a time when many of the same views were shared and it should now only be considered a minor classic. In the end Carpenter would only give the novel an A-.
In the traditional moralist’s view Hester Prynne was a sinner. She cheated on her broke the commandments and because he of this she will join “the romantic lovers of [Dante’s] Inferno, in the highest circle of Hell,” (Carpenter 285). Even though she has sinned less than her male counterparts she is a sinner none the less and because of her sin, disaster and death result. However, there are still two traditional views. Even though it is agreed upon by both traditionalists, the first being Orthodox and the second being Christian, Christians feel that because she wore the letter A for the rest of her life, she has achieved salvation. This would allow her to ascend to Heaven. Further is the argument that if she never found it evil, how has she sinned? This is because she has tempted her lover to do something he finds sinful. Thus, even with two different views of how her afterlife would be, the traditionalist thought “her sin was certain, the law she broke was immutable, and the human tragedy was inevitable,” (286).
To the romanticist Hester never sinned; she loved. Considered the ideal woman, romanticists feel that Hester “is doomed to defeat by an inflexible moral tradition,” (287). She only obeyed her heart and because of this, she gave everything to love. Carpenter continues to say how romanticists feel she was a loyal and loving person and because of this she was looked down upon by society and more specifically the Puritans. She had no flaws and only social expectations caused the downfall of Hester and her lover, Dimmesdale.
These two radical views are brought together in the opinion of the transcendentalist. They feel she has sinned, but not in the same way the traditionalist feels and they feel that she did give up everything to love, but it did have a purpose and it wasn’t blind like the romanticist thinks. Her real only sin is truth. She never told the truth to her husband, even though he found out, nor did she tell the truth to Dimmesdale about Chillingworth’s real identity. That is the only thing Hester really cared about, that was what was killing her. She never thought that what she did was a sin. The only reason it broke her down was because society judged her so much. She also sinned because “she did not go beyond human love,” (289). She was never perfect and because of this, she didn’t wasn’t the perfect transcendentalist. Even if she was perfect, the tragedy that happened still would have occurred.
Carpenter goes further to pick out the flaws in Hawthorne’s writing. Even though he says the novel was a “dramatic, objective presentation of conflicting moralities in action,” (290), he still felt that there was a contradiction that Hawthorne was unable to distinguish between romanticism and transcendentalist the latter of the two being what Hester really is. He felt that she was a transcendentalist in spite of Hawthorne’s attempt to make her a romanticist.
As we all learned in English class, Hawthorne was against transcendentalism and even though Hester was one, I don’t find it contradictory of Hawthorne. I think he did it on purpose to show how tragic being a transcendentalist could be or, if not that, just the problems that comes with it. I do feel he did not distinguish between the two, romanticism and transcendentalism very well. I feel he very well knew that he wasn’t making Hester a romanticist because of the forest that what really hurt her was not being able to tell the man she loved the truth.
In response to Sarah's post:
The scarlet letter is the most complete compilation of Hawthorne’s themes and ideas. A triangle is drawn between the lover, the wife, and the husband and is paralleled to forgiveness, redemption, and damnation. The article discusses different reactions to the sin in comparison to the different natures of each of the three main characters. Gorman, however, says that Hawthorne does not look at the act of adultery as a sin in any sense at all, but a deprived act of desire. He claims that Hawthorne’s only interest in the novel is the reactions to sin. Regardless, however, the sin was in fact the starting point of the whole novel. Unlike other novels of the time, Hawthorne writes in the dark: “There is a glow in [The Scarlet Letter] but it is never a warm glow,” (Gorman 250). Through his usage of symbols, Hawthorne illustrates abstract lessons to his readers. “In The Scarlet Letter, [Hawthorne’s] characters were the subsidiary counters in a theme and the theme was all,” (252). Gorman says that during the scene in the forest with Hester and Dimmesdale, Hawthorne reveals his overall intent of the novel: inspiration to release oneself from the constraints of society. Through the themes illustrated in the novel, Gorman concludes that, contrary to Hawthorne’s ability, the characters were intentionally not developed into actual characters, but merely left as demonstrations of forgiveness, redemption, and damnation; thus following that The Scarlet Letter is the epitome of Hawthorne’s ideas.
Although there are plenty of ideas that are expressed in this article, there doesn’t seem to be much support for any of them. The theme of the article was that The Scarlet Letter was Hawthorne’s best work; however, the logic used to ‘prove’ the point seems to be circular and inconclusive. Although there were several references to how and what the three people in the triangle felt, the references seemed to literal interpretations of the basic plot. The allegations that Hawthorne’s characters were built with the sole purpose of serving as symbols seem farfetched in one sense, (that symbolism was their primary function) but accurate on another (aren’t all characters in novels meant to portray universal themes and ideas?). Unlike Sarah’s interpretation of the article, I was skeptical of how well suited it was to The Scarlet Letter. I would have liked to seen more support for Gorman’s ideas… but then again, that could just be because I might not have fully understood the message he was trying to convey.
As a direct response to Cristi's analysis and thoughts of Carpenter's "Scarlet A Minus," I can't help but disagree with Cristi's position on how Hawthorne meant to portray Hester. Of course the novel is ambigious, but I definitely don't feel that Hawthorne was stuck on how to label Hester--romantic or transcendentalist. Honestly, I think that Carpenter is way too intent on labeling the novel, along with the main character, Hester. I appreciate the notion that Hester's real sin was her inability to tell the truth rather than her adultery sin, I find that interesting and a much deeper view at Hester. However, that view is lost in the entire need to label her and her sin as romantic or transcendentalist.
I believe that Hawthorne would much rather appreciate his audience to see Hester as Human, not Puritan, not traditional, not romantic, or transcendalist. Rather, it would be best to simply see her as a person who follows their heart and their head. For instance, she follows her heart as she reacts upon her true love and desires, yet reacts with her head as she denies the truth to the town, specifically Chillingworth and Dimmesdale.
Honestly, I feel that Hester's purpose as a character and role model has been lost in the need to catagorize and label her. Of course, as to human nature, we all fall victim to categorizing and reacting with our heads rather than our hearts, which I feel is Hester's true purpose, to inspire her audience to step back and follow their own personal law rather than resorting to the society's ideals.
In response to "The Power of Passion: Hawthorne's Tales of Thwarted Desire" by William Heath.
As Lauren accurately pointed out in her summarization of this article, Hawthorne based much of his writing, specifically his "tales of hearts burdened by loathsome secrets" (Heath 3)on his own life and feelings. Heath even suggests that Hawthorne may have had his own deep and dark secrets that influenced his stories. Regardless of whether this was true or not, it is clear that Hawthorne struggled with how to portray women in his writing.
This is evident in The Scarlet Letter because he is attempting to show the sensual side of Hester, which is considered to be a huge sin in her world, and the shy and innocent side of a woman as well. This was hard for him to portray, as he most likely found it difficult to imagine that there could be elements of both sexuality and innocence in a person (especially in the days of the Puritans.)
As Heath states, "The anxious fear of entangling alliances with women is an article of faith for the budding author," (Heath 2). Furthermore, Hawthorne was alive at a time when women were still viewed as "angels whose mission was to refine and redeem masculine clay," (Heath 5). Furthermore, some critics believe that Hawthorne was unsure of his portrayal of women because his "reverence for the spiritual is a disguise for his revulsion from the physical" (Heath 5). Essentially, many people think that Hawthorne’s own beliefs about physical relationships and sexuality were the root of his problem in creating a character whose life was based upon a sexual sin and her passion.
However, as Lauren points out, Hawthorne must have finally realized that a woman can have this multi-faceted personality (making them both innocent and sensual) for him to do such a great job in his portrayal of Hester. Ultimately, I agree with what William Heath said about Hawthorne and his possible issues with writing the book and creating such a character as Hester. Also, I agree with Lauren's opinion that The Scarlet Letter would not have contained such an accurate and great depiction of women without Hester and, consequently, without Hawthorne's ability to create the character despite any initial issues he may have encountered.
A response to Cristi’s post:
In Cristi’s article “Scarlet A Minus” By Frederic I. Carpenter, Carpenter tries to categorize Hester’s sin into one of three groups. He tries to put her into either the traditionalist view, the romanticist view, and the transcendentalist view.
The traditional view is that Hester has committed an unforgivable sin and is going to hell for it. The Christian traditionalists believe that Hester can repent her sin of adultery and does by wearing the scarlet letter and can ascend to heaven. The orthodox traditionalists believe that there is no way to repent for the sin that she committed and that bad things are all that can possibly result from it.
The romanticist view is that she did not commit any sin, she only loved. She is considered the ideal woman because she went with her heart and gave up everything for love. Romanticists feel that she was loyal and loving that that she did no wrong but society judged her in a different way and that was her downfall.
The transcendentalists feel that she sinned but her sin was not adultery, it was truth. They also believe that she didn’t give everything for love but she didn’t reveal the truth in many instances and this was what ate her up inside and was her eventual downfall.
I agree with Cristi in some ways. I believe that Hawthorne portrayed Hester in the transcendentalist view because he wanted to show how futile transcendentalism was. He had a more gloomy view of the world then transcendentalists did after he tried their lifestyle and eventually decided that they were wrong. I thing that he portrayed her as a transcendentalist very well and did not muddle the two because all throughout the novel she was in line with the view of the transcendentalists and that her giving everything blindly to love was not her downfall but her not telling the truth to the people around her ate her away inside and this eventually lead to tragedy with Dimmesdale’s death. I feel that one of the purposes of Hawthorne writing this novel was to portray the downfall of the transcendentalists and show how their way of life could never survive. Hester followed her heart and wasn’t truthful with some people which was her eventual downfall.
In response to Sarah’s analysis of Herbert Gorman’s The Absolved, the Redeemed, and the Damned: a Triangle Hester is the absolved because of her public sufferings from the sin she committed. She was able to change the A into a symbol of, how Hawthorne puts it, how “able” she was to over come it all. Dimmesdale is the redeemed part of the triangle as he was able to present himself on the same scaffold to tell everyone of his sin. Even though this was the same thing that caused his death, he was able to die by telling the truth. Chillingworth is the last part of the triangle which makes him damned. He lost his wife, and can never get her back because she is in love with someone else. The secret he was holding against that man was revealed and so now he lost that as well; he lost his chance at revenge.
Like many other essay summaries I’ve read through the blog, this author explores the endless symbolism throughout The Scarlet Letter. He doesn’t necessarily explain all of the symbolism, but how wonderfully Hawthorne used it from beginning to end. The symbol he beats to death is the scarlet letter, the power it could hold but how Hester defeated that, even if he does start to affect her, she ultimately defeats the barrier it holds against her. Overall the purpose of Gorman’s essay is to convey the theme “consciousness of guilt” (252). This is seen throughout the three characters of the triangle in how they each new what they were doing when they did it, yet they all committed something that would be on their mind of the remainder of their lives.
For the most part, I agree with what Sarah has to say and her analysis of the essay. However, different ideas came to my mind when I read the novel then what was depicted in this essay and Sarah agreed with. I thought more of how the sin was in the eyes of the beholder and in Hester’s eyes; she did not sin and therefore shouldn’t have been punished for something she didn’t believe in. I agree more with my original essay then the one I just read. Like Sarah, I have no opinion on The Scarlet Letter compared to his other pieces of work as I have not read anything else by Hawthorne.
I am responding to Hawthorne: A Collection of Critical Essays where Mark Van Doren’s main focus, while writing about The Scarlet Letter, is its characters. In the beginning the author discusses how Hawthorne came about to writing this novel. Hawthorne is able to create his characters for this novel through his ability to feel and honor them as individuals. Hawthorne was also able to cultivate in himself a weakness for the abstract, which is necessary to narrative (Doren 131). By doing this, in The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne has at last found individuals in each of his characters who can hold all of his thought.
Van Doren writes in his essay that Hawthorne has made Hester Prynne a character whose passion and beauty dominates every other person, as well as color each event. Van Doren wrote, “[Hester] is not the subject of a sermon; she is the heroine of a tragedy, and she understands the tragedy. She understands it because Hawthorne does; because at the same time that he recoils from the Puritan view of sin he honors its capacity to be a view at all,” (132).
Furthermore, in this essay, Van Doren writes about Dimmesdale as being “tremulous” as well as holding his hand over his heart. Hawthorne makes Dimmesdale a character who agonizes over himself. He tortures himself but he cannot purify himself. Van Doren also states that Dimmesdale is more of a person than Chillingworth because he is more simply and directly seen (134). Chillingworth is that unreal thing, a villain. Although Hawthorne makes Chillingworth acceptable, he is the devil.
I agree with Justin Baker, in that the characters are very significant in The Scarlet Letter. The way Van Doren stated how Hawthorne made his characters and how it ultimately lead to the novel’s success is an agreeable statement. Without Hawthorne’s characters, this novel would not have been the same. The characters make the novel unique, and they bring a new freshness to literature, as Justin has stated.
“Three Orders: Natural, Moral, and Symbolic” by Hyatt Howe Waggoner.
In accordance to what Amber stated about Waggoner’s analysis, he discusses the natural and moral symbols that were used throughout The Scarlet Letter. Through his work he explores things particularly in nature and then shows the symbolism between that and a main character.
For an example, he compares and contrasts the meaning of the cemetery and prison to a rose. When cemeteries and a prison comes to mind, darkness and evil is associated with that. In addition, you would never associate a flower such as a blossoming rose with a place, rather weeds and dead plants would be more common. With that said it is obvious that the atmosphere and symbolism of a cemetery and prison would be associated with the character Chillingworth, with his sinister self. Peal and Hester are associated with the rose for they blossom throughout the novel and exude the light of the story. Waggoner states how Dimmesdale’s character changes and blossoms as well, “He emerges at last, that is, into the light of day…”. These symbolic meanings have relations to the natural side of things in the novel.
Waggoner also talks about the moral aspects of the novel and how that influenced it as well. He uses the example of how Chillingworth formed into some sort of monster and all his time was now devoted to putting Dimmesdale into agony. His code of ethics gets completely erased for all he can focus on is what to do next to Dimmesdale to make him suffer.
I realize and agree that Hawthorne does include natural and moral symbols within his work, and that does make it more meaningful to the reader. I also thought it was interesting how he thought that Hawthorne focused more on death rather than life. That was one of the tings that were so obvious yet I overlooked it so I was glad that this analysis brought it to my attention. However, I was in agreement with Amber, I thought that the analysis should’ve spoke about more uncommon symbols that we might not have picked up on. I think most of us in the class realized the relationship between some of the natural things and how they connected to the main characters, but the things that were quickly read over by maybe should have been analyzed more. Also I thought that he would’ve included something about how Hawthorne’s personal life influenced the novel, but he Waggoner didn’t focus on that at all. Overall, it was good to reinforce some of the natural and moral symbols but I wish Waggoner would have compared something that I didn’t think of myself while reading The Scarlet Letter.
Responding to Sam’s analysis of Densely Dark, with a Spot of Vivid Colour by Henry James.
After reading James’ analysis, even before reading Sam’s, I thought James had no reasonable idea of what he was talking about. He is very contradicting in his analysis. One sentence consists of praise for the novel as “the author’s masterpiece”, and then he goes on to say that it is gloomy and has several faults; James will point his beliefs of what these faults are throughout the analysis, although he concludes that Hawthorne’s work is ultimately a great work of art, “The s Scarlet Letter has the beauty and harmony of all original and complete conceptions.”
I also agree with Sam with the theme of James’ analysis. He picks apart the most important symbol of the novel in a negative light, although we all know that this symbol is what makes the novel a work of art in the first place. He continually expresses his dislike in Hawthorne’s constant upbringing of the scarlet “A”. James believes that the scene with the meteor creating and “A” in the sky is played out to the point where the symbol is, as Sam put it, comical.
The most interesting part about reading this article was the amount of praise James gives to the novel, and yet the whole article is based on James’ dislike of the symbols and constant word references used by Hawthorne such as “sphere” and “symmetrical”. Near the end of his analysis James comments that, “I had not meant, however, to expatiate upon his defects, which are of the slenderest and most venial kind” when this is the basis of his analysis.
In response to Thomas’s post on David Levin’s critical analysis of Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter:
As Thomas successfully explained, Levin discusses Hawthorne’s personal connection and allegorical use as well as the significance of the time period, the three sinners, and Pearl throughout his critical analysis. Levin summarizes the novel while describing Hawthorne’s method in which he creates a new intensity of psychological analysis through the use of allegory. He states that, although not a Puritan himself, Hawthorne’s interest in Puritan history has been considered obsessive by many scholars. Levin explains, “Hawthorne, like his ancestors, was preoccupied with the moral life, with questions of responsibility and motivation, and with the moral and psychological effects of sin or misfortune” (Levin 15). This major theme of the article, in which it is stated that Hawthorne focuses on the morals of individuals, contributed to the success of the novel and shows the influence of the Hawthorne’s Puritanical studies.
Levin summarizes each of the three sinners in The Scarlet Letter. He describes Chillingworth as “Hawthorne’s idea of the unpardonable sinner” (19). Levin discusses Dimmesdale and his status as the secret sinner with both physical as well as psychological punishments. He says that the worst punishment is that all other reality becomes unreal. Hester is described as stronger than Dimmesdale or Chillingworth. Her sin is said to be “excessive passion; because it is a natural transgression, an expression of her vital energy”. Pearl is described as a living emblem of the mother’s sin, as well as the conscience of the community. Levin says that Hawthorne presents evidence of Hester communicating her own turmoil to the child through the Hester’s eyes and through the Puritan community’s interpretation. Levin is extremely favorable toward the effectiveness of Hawthorne’s allegorical use, and, he states, “Hawthorne brought to the American novel an admirable talent for symbolism and a serious interest in historical fidelity, psychological truth, and social order” (24).
I agree with David Levin and his constant reference to the success of allegory in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. As Levin stated, the symbols are also effective in that they take advantage of the Puritans’ interpretation of the smallest signs as expressions of the will of God. It is clear that Levin supports the success of Hawthorne’s novel, and Levin is able to further his view through the summarization of the plot while explaining the significance of the characters’ actions and situations. I also agree with Thomas and his explanation of Hawthorne’s personal connection to the powerful novel that resulted.
In response to Mel’s analysis of "Hawthorne's Fiction; The Light & The Dark" by Richard Harter Fogle, Chapter X: The Scarlet Letter (132-149):
There is very little that Melanie has left unmentioned in her analysis of Fogle’s article. The article compares The Scarlet Letter with Hawthorne’s other works, in particular its dark tone. Unlike his other works, Hawthorne’s dark imagery in The Scarlet Letter is relatively unalleviated by any light that would denote redemption from sin, imparting an unusual intensity to the novel. Yet it is not as somber as it could have been, for the Hawthorne’s prolific uses of extravagant wording and dramatic irony are able, to some extent, to lighten the tone. However, I would like to draw extra consideration to the Fogle’s discussion of Nature, Heart, Head, and the Heavenly, for I think it warrants more attention that Mel gave it.
In this part of the article, Fogle centers on The Scarlet Letter’s exploration of humans’ struggle against sin, which must be examined while remembering Hawthorne’s religiosity. He notes that sin has plagued and will continue to plague humanity despite their attempts to avoid it. This constant struggle against and return to sin is an eternal paradox: “human beings by their natures must fall into error –and yet it would be better if they did not.” Though humans strive for improvement and even, at times, perfection, they inevitably fall short of their ideals, often bringing disaster upon themselves. Even so, and in full knowledge of this, humans continue to attempt to break through their limitations, for there is something in humanity that drives us to seek ways in which these limitations may be transcended.
Fogle proceeds to establish the four levels of being that are found in Hawthorne’s work: Nature, Heart, Head, and the Heavenly, or Supernatural, and how they play into this paradox. Hawthorne’s description of “wild, heathen Nature…never subjugated by human law, nor illumed by higher truth” recognizes Nature’s inadequacy. Nature cannot help but be innocent-it has no laws to follow, as it has no knowledge of nor aspiration towards “higher truth”, as humanity does. Therefore, while Nature sympathizes with and understands humanity, it gives little help for humanity’s desire for “higher truth”. This “higher truth” lies on the other end of the spectrum, in “the sphere of absolute insight, justice, and mercy.” Fogle writes that this is the sphere of the Heavenly and Supernatural, the knowledge and understanding of which humans seek through religion, spirituality, and philosophy.
Humanity is constantly trying to resolve these two spheres, for they are connected with both in the linked levels of Heart (the Natural) and Head (the Supernatural). It is no wonder that humans find the discrepancy between aspiration and reality to be so great. The Head has knowledge of what greatness could be achieved, and aspires to be superhuman. Yet this is impossible because it shares the human limit of sin through the Heart, and the Heart inevitably “lapses into nature.” Yet the Heart, unlike Nature, is not innocent because it shares the knowledge of the Head, and so lapses into corruption.
I found Fogle’s article extremely disagreeable. The author apparently lacks the ability to get to the point, and seems to relish rambling about ambiguous ideas with little regard for the reader’s understanding. It took me an inordinate amount of time to figure out what Fogle meant in his discussion of the above, and he spent very little space and words on it considering the depth of the ideas presented. I am surprised that Fogle was able to actually publish his analysis, for his reasoning was at times almost incomprehensible, and has since been entirely discredited by his peers on points such as the description on the grave marker.
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