1. Introduction:
The descriptions of nature in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories evoke an ambiguous impression. On the one hand, they occupy considerable space and therefore have to be regarded as essential parts of the story worth a close interpretation. The distinct attention for nature in Hawthorne’s work was instantly noticed by his contemporaries. A very early account is of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose poem “Hawthorne” cherishes the “tender undertone” in Hawthorne’s nature descriptions.(1)
On the other hand, the descriptions of nature are not really autonomous, but should rather be seen as background settings for the action. Nature, for example, provides the fitting surrounding for the protagonist who is just about to fall from grace (“Young Goodman Brown”), or it serves as a means of additional characterization (“The Gentle Boy” and “The Scarlet Letter”), or it is a realization of a moral message (“The Hollow of the Three Hills”).
Consequently, nature has an emblematic function, and its description can be regarded as a possibility to express a narrator’s emotional states of various kinds, which originate in the author’s own attitude to the action of the story.(2)
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1 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: “Hawthorne.” In: J. D. McClatchy: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Poems and Other Writings. New York, 2000. p. 474-5.
2 In her analysis of nature personification in The Scarlet Letter Janice B. Daniel finds that Hawthorne’s nature descriptions serve to provide “a disembodied voice [as] an effective device which allows the narrator to have differing perspectives.” Janice B. Daniel: “’Apples of the Thoughts and Fancies’: Nature as Narrator
Table of Contents
1. Introduction:
2. Argument
Research Goals and Topics
This paper examines how nature descriptions in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories function as symbolic representations of the author's struggle with his Puritan heritage and the intellectual landscape of nineteenth-century America.
- The emblematic function of nature in Hawthorne's narrative structure.
- The tension between Hawthorne as an artist and as a moralist.
- The tri-polar construction of town, margin, and wilderness in his fiction.
- The conflict between Romantic nature perception and Puritan ideology.
- The significance of the "path" as a recurring metaphor for moral and physical journeying.
Excerpt from the Book
2. Argument
The larger part of Hawthorne’s stories do not play in nature, be it a natural landscape yet untouched by man or a sheer wilderness, but in the settlements of New England, on the market-place, the nucleus of the Puritan community. Town and wilderness seem to form a bipolar construction. They are almost equivalent in “meaning, attractiveness, wholeness, and power as a fictive presence.” However, the Puritan community in Hawthorne’s stories rigorously rejects the wilderness and concentrates on the market place, which is consequently the point of departure for many of the tales.
The reader is introduced into the local settings through expressions like “There is a certain church in the city of New York […]”, “The sexton stood in the porch of the Milford Meeting House […]”, or “One afternoon, last summer, while walking along Washington Street […]”. And even in those narratives that set their action outside the settlements, nature seems to have nothing but a complementary, a background function. Nevertheless – taking into account Hawthorne’s original intention we find that a close look on nature was amongst his foremost artistic aims.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the ambiguous role of nature in Hawthorne's short stories, framing it as a conflict between the author's artistic inclinations and his inherent Puritan moralism.
2. Argument: This section explores how the "bipolar" tension between the Puritan settlement and the wilderness dictates Hawthorne's narrative choices, specifically analyzing how his characters navigate the margin between these two realms.
Keywords
Nathaniel Hawthorne, American Romanticism, Puritanism, nature descriptions, wilderness, settlement, moralism, artistic conflict, tri-polar construction, symbolism, nineteenth-century literature, New England, Hawthorne's short stories.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the complex relationship between nature descriptions in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories and the underlying influence of Puritan thought on his narrative style.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The study highlights themes such as the tension between the artist and the moralist, the dichotomy between wilderness and civilization, and the search for identity within a Puritan framework.
What is the central research question?
It investigates how Hawthorne's nature imagery mirrors his own conflicting ideas regarding his Puritan heritage versus his development as a Romantic artist.
Which methodology does the author use?
The author uses a qualitative literary analysis, examining specific short stories and applying historical and theological context to interpret the environmental descriptions.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section details the "tri-polar" structure of Hawthorne's landscapes—town, margin, and wilderness—and analyzes the metaphor of the "path" as a failed journey towards a spiritual destination.
What terms are essential for understanding this work?
Key terms include Puritan inheritance, the "howling wilderness," artistic distance, moral doctrine, and the opposition between Romantic perception and societal confinement.
How does the author characterize the "margin" in Hawthorne’s stories?
The margin is defined as a thin, intermediate zone where social misfits reside, representing an attempt to escape the rigid moralism of the Puritan settlement while remaining unable to fully embrace the wild, untamed nature.
Why does the author argue that a "Romantic peaceful unity" is impossible for Hawthorne's characters?
The author argues that because Hawthorne’s characters remain deeply rooted in the Puritan mentality of conquest and survival, they cannot transcend the conflict between humanity and nature to achieve a truly peaceful coexistence.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Silja Rübsamen (Autor:in), 2001, Challenging Puritan Thought? Nathaniel Hawthorne´s Nature Descriptions, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/3086
