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NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE' S USE OF WITCH AND DEVIL LORE APPROVED: Major Professor Consulting Professor Iinor Professor f, sr. auifUvi Chairman of" the Department of English Dean of the Graduate School Robb, Kathleen A., Nathaniel Hawthorne;s Fictional Use of Witch and Devil Lore. Master of Arts (English), December, - v 1970, 119 pp., bibliography, 19 titles. Nathaniel Hawthorne's personal family history, his boy- hood in the Salem area of New England, and his reading of works about New England's Puritan era influenced his choice of witch and Devil lore as fictional material. The witch- ci"aft trials in Salem were evidence (in Hawthorne's inter- pretation) of the errors of judgment and popular belief which are ever-present in the human race. He considered the witch and Devil doctrine of the seventeenth century to be indicative of the superstition, fear, and hatred which governs the lives of men even in later centuries. From the excesses of the witch-hunt period of New England history Hawthorne felt moral lessons could be derived. The historical background of witch and Devil lore, while helpful in illustrating moral lessons, is used by Hawthorne to accomplish other purposes. The paraphernalia of witchcraft with its emphasis on terrible and awesome ceremonies or practices such as Black Sabbaths, Devil compacts, image-magic, spells and curses, the Black Man in'the forest, spectral shapes, and familiar spirits is used by Hawthorne to add atmospheric qualities to his fiction. Use of the diabolic creates the effects of horror, suspense, and mystery. Furthermore, such 2 elements of witch and Devil doctrine (when introduced in The Scarlet Letter, short stories, and historical sketches) also provide an aura of historical authenticity, thus adding a v dimension of reality and concreteness to the author's fiction. In developing fictional characters Hawthorne uses witch and Devil lore, too. Self-idolatry, inner predilections to evil, and the presence of psychological inner "devils" or "demons" are matters which confront Hawthorne's characters in the language or atmosphere of witch and Devil tradition. The diabolic and all its accompanying paraphernalia even lends itself to humor and irony. Hawthorne often uses his Devil and witchcraft material to emphasize the discrepancy between appearance and reality. Whimsy, fantasy, and illusion are the forms which Devil and witch lore adopt in less serious contexts. Hawthorne uses the terminology of witch and Devil tradition to satirize, amuse, and comment ironically on man and society. Whether employed seriously, humorously, or ironically, Hawthorne's frequent use of the language, imagery, symbolism, and atmosphere of witch and Devil lore indicates that he found it to be a valuable literary tool. Manipulated in various ways, the lore of witches and the Devil either adds historical con- creteness to' ambiguous and fantastic plots or characters, or it provides the necessary illusion and whimsy to make a plot 3 acceptably light and fanciful. Characters, settings, psycho- logical insights, and themes revolve around witch and Devil lore in a number of Hawthorne's works. v NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE'S USE OF WITCH AND DEVIL LORE THESIS Presented to the Graduate Council of the North Texas State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the. Degx-ee of MASTER OF ARTS By Kathleen A. Robb, B. S. Denton, Texas January, 1971 PREFACE In The Scarlet Letber and several short stories such as v "Young Goodman Brown," "Alice DoaneTs Appeal," "My Kinsman Major Molineux," "The Hollow of the Three Hills," and "Feathertop," Nathaniel Hawthorne uses his conception of the Devil and the historical background of the Salem witch de- lusion. Hawthorne's ancestry partly accounts for his inter- est in Salem witchcraft. One of his ancestors (whom he mentions in the introduction to The Scarlet Letter) partici- pated wholeheartedly in the witchcraft period of New England's history. During the twelve years after 1825 that Hawthorne spent in Salem in secluded study, he immersed himself in a study of the history and legends of New England. From his readings in various sources Hawthorne drew material for the historical background of his writings. Milton and Bunyan provided a classic Puritan description of the Devil and his activities. Histories of New England were factual sources for material on the Salem trials and exe- cutions. By reading the accounts of the Devil and his con- federates in the works of Cotton and Increase Mather, Hawthorne derived information about seventeenth century New England doctrine and mythology concerning the diabolic wonders of the invisible world. 111 The many aspects of New England witchcraft which Hawthorne uses contribute historical authenticity to his work. Spectral evidence, Black Sabbaths, witches, wizards, Devil compacts, the Black Man, demonic Indian sachems, be- witched children, and familiars were all part of the para- phernalia of the witch panic of seventeenth century New England. I'ictional use of the Devil and witches or wizards provided Hawthorne with a realistic and vivid historical background, and qualities of horror, suspense, and mystery in the Gothic tradition. Hawthorne uses the Devil and his associates, however, as more than just historic backdrops or elements of sen- sationalism. The diabolic element is used to develop themes and characters. Using the terminology of witch and Devil lore figuratively and symbolically, Hawthorne employs the language and composite elements of diabolicism seriously, humorously, or ironically to achieve literary effects. Often the diabolic is Hawthorne's device for exploring such abstract concepts as sin, evil, and temptation in terms of demons, devils, and witches. Hawthorne found the elements of witch and Devil doctrine to be so adaptable to various fictional purposes that he includes them in many of his short stories, sketches, and novels. The diabolic was a valuable and frequent fictional tool for Nathaniel Hawthorne. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE . * iii Chapter Page I. HAWTHORNE*S USE OF THE HISTORY OF NEW ENGLAND WITCHCRAFT 1 II, HAWTHORNE'S USE OF WITCHCRAFT PARAPHERNALIA . 2k III. HAWTHORNE1S CHARACTERIZATION OF THE DEVIL AND DEMON!CS 56 IV. HAWTHORNE'S LIGHTER USE OF THE DIABOLIC ... 90 V. CONCLUSION ..... ....... 110 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......... 117 CHAPTER I HAWTHORNE'S USE OF THE HISTORY .OF NEW ENGLAND WITCHCRAFT The Devil and witchcraft are topics which figure promi- nently in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories, sketches, and in two of his novels. Hawthorne was able to draw on history and his own personal background for materials about witch- craft in seventeenth century New England. Often he used actual historical events and personages to lend authenticity and realism to his work. He selected some historical and traditional materials, and then altered history for literary effects. The witch and Devil beliefs of the seventeenth cen- tury are some external aspects of Puritan DeviL and witch- craft doctrine which Hawthorne employs. He uses these be- liefs to probe the hidden psychological or moral implications of his characters' actions. A great deal of Hawthorne's interest in the Devil and witchcraft stemmed from the author'-s awareness of his Puritan ancestry. Hawthorne could trace his Puritan background through five generations, starting with William Hathorne who came, to Massachusetts from England in 1630. "William Hathorne became a distinguished early citizen of Salem. He held the office of speaker in the House of Delegates and became a 2 major in the Salem militia.Hawthorne describes this illustrious ancestor in "The Custom House" as, "this grave, bearded, sable-cloaked and steeple-crowned progenitor" who was "soldier, legislator, judge . and ruler in the Church." Hawthorne found the "dim and dusky grandeur" of his first ancestor to be further darkened by the fact that William Hathorne was a "bitter persecutor" in his position as a judge.^ The Quakers, whose lively and unconventional forms of worship shocked staid Puritans, found Major William Hathorne to be a harsh foe. The Major ordered the chastise- ment of one Quaker zealot, Ann Coleman. She was publicly flogged through the streets of Salem--a fact to which Hathorne refers several times in his writings.3 Another early ancestor whose career interested Hawthorne and influenced his writings was Judge John Hathorne, son of Major Hathorne. Like his father, John Hathorne was a promi- nent citizen of New England. He was one of the two original justices of the preliminary witch examinations in Salem in 1692. Many magistrates at the trials took part in the pro- ceedings at various intervals. Hathorne acted as judge almost ^Randall Stewart, Nathaniel feawthorne, A Biography (New Haven, 1948), p* 1. Stewart says that Hawthorne changed" the family name,by adding a "w" shortly after leaving college. ^Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Works of_ Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by George Parsons Lathrop ("Boston, 1883), V,~2^TT Citations from Hawthorne in my text are to theL-athrop edition, hereafter cited, as Works. 3Ibid., II, 92; III, 462-463; V, 24. continuously through the trial period from its beginning to its end.*"1" Hathorne's steady attendance and zealous participation indicated to Hawthorne (as well as early colonial and modern historians) that Judge John Hathorne was a deep believer in the presence of the Devil in New England and in the diabolic work of witches and wizards. Judges John Hathorne and Jonathan Gorwin were, first sent to Salem Village to conduct preliminary examinations of accused witches on March 1, 1692. Transcripts of the trials indicate that Hathorne conducted the examinations and trials almost singlehandedly, although he presumably had Gorwin's consent and moral support.^ For the most part the Judge's conduct of the trials was not a model of equi- table jurisprudence. The guilt of the accused was not in doubt; the trials were conducted mainly to force confessions. Nathaniel Hawthorne and historians have consistently viewed Hathorne's judicial conduct with strong disapproval. Ac- cording to a modern historian, Chadwick Hansen: John Hathorne asked most of the questions and established the judicial attitude that was to prevail throughout most of the examinations and trials.
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