Paper XVII. Unit 1 Nathaniel Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letter 1
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Paper XVII. Unit 1 Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter 1. Introduction 1.1 Objectives 1.2 Biographical Sketch of Nathaniel Hawthorne 1.3 Major works of Hawthorne 1.4 Themes and outlines of Hawthorne’s novels 1.5 Styles and Techniques used by Hawthorne 2. Themes, Symbols and Structure of The Scarlet Letter 2.1 Detailed Storyline 2.2 Structure of The Scarlet Letter 2.3 Themes 2.3.1 Sin, Rejection and Redemption 2.3.2 Identity and Society. 2.3.3 The Nature of Evil. 2.4 Symbols 2.4.1 The letter A 2.4.2 The Meteor 2.4.3 Darkness and Light 3. Character List 3.1 Major characters 3.1.1 Hester Prynn 3.1.2 Roger Chillingworth 3.1.3 Arthur Dimmesdale 3.2 Minor Characters 3.2.1 Pearl 3.2.2 The unnamed Narrator 3.2.3 Mistress Hibbins 3.2.4 Governor Bellingham 4. Hawthorne’s contribution to American Literature 5. Questions 6. Further Readings of Hawthorne 1. Introduction 1.1 Objectives This Unit provides a biographical sketch of Nathaniel Hawthorne first. Then a list of his major works, their themes and outlines. It also includes a detailed discussion about the styles and techniques used by him. The themes, symbols and the structure of The Scarlet Letter are discussed next, followed by the list of major as well as minor characters. This unit concludes with a discussion about Hawthorne’s contribution to American literature and a set of questions. Lastly there is a list of further readings of Hawthorne to gain knowledge about the critical aspects of the novel. 1.2 Biographical Sketch of Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne, (1804- 1864), short-story writer and novelist, was one of the foremost nineteenth century writers in America. He was born on 4th July, 1804, in Salem Massachusetts as Nathaniel Hathorne. He later added a ‘w’ to avoid association with one of his ancestors, Judge Hathorne. His Puritan ancestors were the first settlers in the state and included two prominent judges. By Hawthorne’s time the family had retired from public eminence. Hawthorne was a quiet, meditative child and a good student. In 1821 he attended Bowdoin College in Maine. His classmates were generally of the view that he was aloof. He graduated in1825 with a class that included the poet H.W Longfellow and Franklin Pierce, who later became the President of United States. Hawthorne was an active writer and published at his own expense a novel called Fanshawe in 1828. He quickly felt it was not up to his quality and attempted to remove all of the copies. For the next several years he created many impressive works such as, An Old Woman’s Tale, The Hollow of the Three Hills, My Kinsman, Major Molineux, Roger Malvin’s Burial, and Young Goodman Brown. In 1937, Hawthorne published his first commercial book, Twice Told Tales with little financial gain. In 1839 he obtained a position as an inspector at the Boston Custom House, weighing and measuring the goods shipped in and out of the harbour. Distracted from doing any literary work, Hawthorne was glad to be relieved of his job when the administration changed in 1844. Hawthorne moved to Lenox, Massachusetts, where he began writing The House of Seven Gables. In 1851, he wrote The Snow Image and Other Twice Told Tales. From Lennox, Hawthorne moved to Newport, where he wrote The Blithedale Romance (1852), a book that satarized the pretensions and delusions of social reformers. Hawthorne was appointed as consul to England from 1853 to 1857. He was dissatisfied with the job and moved to Italy where he wrote his last complete novel, The Marble Faun, (1857). He took ill in the spring of 1864, and died at Plymouth in New Hampshire on May 19, 1864. He was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Massachusetts. 1.3 Major works of Hawthorne - Novels i. The House of Seven Gables ii. The Blithedale Romance iii. The Marble Faun iv. Fanshawe - Short Stories Collection i. Twice-Told Tales ii. Tanglewood Tales: A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys iii. Mosses from an Old Hill Manse - Selected Short Stories i. Rappaccini’s Daughter ii. The Birth-Mark and Other Stories iii. The Minister’s Black Veil iv.Young Goodman Brown 1.4 Themes and Outlines of Hawthorne’s novels For his novels, Hawthorne drew on Puritan orthodox thought to examine the individual and collective consciousness under the pressure of suffering. He sought to dramatize themes such as sin, guilt and punishment. His writing is marked by introspective depth and an urge to get inside the character he created. He attempts to give a genuine picture of the times by presenting a realistic setting and real puritanical philosophies. Hawthorne frequently focussed more on a character’s inner struggle or a central theme than on heated encounters between characters. One of Hawthorne’s recurring themes throughout his works was his own view on human nature. He explored an interesting human psychology through his exploration of the dark side of human consciousness. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne introduced a profound comment on the breakdown of human relationships in the society of the seventeenth century. His theme that human nature is full of wickedness is also evident in Young Goodman Brown when the title character faced great difficulty is resisting temptation. Hawthorne’s modern themes were modelled by his own religious beliefs. For example, he raised questions concerning the morality and necessity of Hester’s exile in The Scarlet Letter. One reason for these inquiries was Hawthorne’s disbelief in heaven, hell, angels or devils since modern science was undermining the Bible. He also employed allegory as a way of presenting themes. He achieved it by placing characters in a situation outside of the ordinary. He explored the themes of penance for sins and cowardliness when Dimmesdale struggled with himself to make his sin public. In conclusion, Hawthorne’s literary style did indeed contain elements such as description and dialogue which seemed out of place when compared to modern twentieth century literature. However, his style was typical of the literary style of the time. 1.5 Styles and Techniques used by Hawthorne Hawthorne shaped his own literary style. Although his writing style was viewed as outdated when compared to modern literature, he conveyed modern themes of psychology and human nature through the use of allegory and symbolism. During the time when he wrote, printing technology was not advanced enough to reproduce photographs in books. Therefore Hawthorne frequently wrote lengthy visual descriptions. One example of such description is in The Scarlet Letter when Hawthorne intricately describes the prison door and its surroundings. Another aspect of his writing which was exclusive to his time was the use of formal dialogue which remained consistent from character to character. He adopted this technique partly from a British writer, Sir Walcott Scott, whose works were popular in the United States and Great Britain. Sir Scott used an unknown, mysterious character whose main function is to add mystery and complicate the plot. We find that character in Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter. The caricature of minor characters, somebody exaggerated or distorted was found in Sir Scott’s works, we find a likeness of that in Mistress Hibbins in The Scarlet Letter. Sir Scott used elaborately detailed scenes planned on a huge scale, we find that in the initial scaffold scene as well as in the third scaffold scene where Dimmesdale confesses his sin, of The Scarlet Letter. Although his dialogue was overly formal, it was an accurate tool to describe human emotion. He also uses some of the techniques used in theatres, for example, the action in his novels are seen as if they were being enacted on stage. The audience’s point of view is of much importance, also the reflections of some characters are perceived as asides. He was also fascinated by some of the many devices of the Gothic novel. He used them immediately in the initial chapter, when describing the scarlet letter, and the effects it provokes on him; later with the description of Hester’s dark prison, Bellingham’s elaborately decorated mansion and with the sinister descriptions of the Puritan ministers. Besides, we find some Gothic Elements in Chillingworth’s appearance. Chapter wise Summary and Analysis: Summary Hawthorne begins The Scarlet Letter with a long introductory essay that generally functions as a preface but, more specifically, accomplishes four significant goals: outlines autobiographical information about the author, describes the conflict between the artistic impulse and the commercial environment, defines the romance novel (which Hawthorne is credited with refining and mastering), and authenticates the basis of the novel by explaining that he had discovered in the Salem Custom House the faded scarlet A and the parchment sheets that contained the historical manuscript on which the novel is based. Analysis The preface sets the atmosphere of the story and connects the present with the past. Hawthorne's description of the Salem port of the 1800s is directly related to the past history of the area. The Puritans who first settled in Massachusetts in the 1600s founded a colony that concentrated on God's teachings and their mission to live by His word. But this philosophy was eventually swallowed up by the commercialism and financial interests of the 1700s. The clashing of the past and present is further explored in the character of the old General. The old General's heroic qualities include a distinguished name, perseverance, integrity, compassion, and moral inner strength. He is "the soul and spirit of New England hardihood." Now put out to pasture, he sometimes presides over the Custom House run by corrupt public servants, who skip work to sleep, allow or overlook smuggling, and are supervised by an inspector with "no power of thought, nor depth of feeling, no troublesome sensibilities," who is honest enough but without a spiritual compass.