Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered as one of the most significant American novelist of romantisism of the early 19th century. The interplay between contrasting and ambigious literary motifs can be taken as typical for the era of romantisism as well as for Hawthorne’s personal style of writing. In his novels he devoted himself in exploring moral and the social issues of the American society and its roots in the Puritan heritage. Thereby, he often thematised his own deep bonds with his Puritan ancestors and created story plots that both highlighted their weaknesses and their strengths. Whereas Hawthorne himself openly showed admiration for the strengths and determination of his Puritan ancestors, he also adresses his own negative concerns for their rigid and oppressive rules of living.
"The Scarlet Letter" from 1850, as a text book expample of his great literary works, shows Hawthorne’s attitude towards Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colonies in his portrayal of characters, his plot, and the themes of his story. This ten-page thesis paper attempts to probe into Hawthorne’s contradictory religious thoughts reflected in "The Scarlet Letter". In course of this, I vindicate the point of view that Hawthorne illustrates Puritanism as contradictory. Furthermore I claim that his critique on Puritanism is partly contradictory as well. This contradictoriness of his critique is also often accompanied by an ambiguity of his literary illustrations.
The 2nd and 3rd chapter of this paper will shortly expose the major characteristics of Puritanism and Hawthorne’s personal relation to it. The major focus is put on elaborating the contradictions of the depicted Puritanism and Hawthorne’s attitude to it in the 4th chapter.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. A brief profile of Puritanism
3. Hawthorne’s Puritanism
4. Contradictions of and around Puritanism in “The Scarlet Letter”
5. Conclusion
6. Bibliography
Objectives and Topics
This paper explores the complex and often contradictory representation of Puritanism in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel "The Scarlet Letter". It examines how Hawthorne depicts the rigid moral standards of the Puritan society while simultaneously revealing the hypocrisy and internal conflicts inherent within that same community, reflecting his own ambivalent relationship with his ancestral heritage.
- The core religious and social principles of 17th-century Puritanism.
- The influence of Hawthorne's family history and personal conscience on his writing.
- The portrayal of sin, judgment, and social exclusion in "The Scarlet Letter".
- The hypocrisy of Puritan leadership and the contradiction between public dogma and private behavior.
- Hawthorne’s shifting critique of Puritan ideology through his character developments.
Excerpt from the Book
4. Contradictions of and around Puritanism in “The Scarlet Letter”
Right in the second chapter of the novel, marking the actual beginning of the story’s main plot, Hawthorne describes the main character Hester Prynne as well as her Puritan neighbours from the Bay Colony of early Boston. The description of the letter “A”, being sewed on the bosom of her dress poses the first confusion for the reader and his general perception of Puritanism. Although the scarlet letter is Hester’s punishment for having committed adultery, she decorates it “[...] with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread [...] (Hawthorne, ch. II, p. 80). Whereas this emphasises Hester’s defiant and proud character, it can also be regarded as the glorification and justification of the colony’s punishment by Hawthorne as a Puritan believer of an individual’s sin (Orians 1952, p. 429). Additionally, putting Hester on the scaffold to face the crowd’s anger leads the focus on the Puritan colonist’s assessment of sin and self-reflection. Against the general Puritan moral concept that every human is born sinful, Hester’s Puritan neighbours do not question their own guilt and sinfulness. Indeed, Hester becomes a scapegoat and the public nature of her punishment makes her an object for voyeuristic contemplation. By assigning all the guilt to Hester and her fault, particularly her female neighbours got the chance to demonstrate - or convince themselves of - their own piety by condemning her as loudly as possible. Hester’s condemnation has even such a great significance for the Puritan colony that it is made a public holiday (ib., p.83).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the author’s research aim, which is to analyze the contradictory nature of Puritanism and Hawthorne’s critical perspective within his novel.
2. A brief profile of Puritanism: The author provides a historical overview of the rise of Puritanism, focusing on Calvinist doctrines such as predestination and the strict regulation of public and private life.
3. Hawthorne’s Puritanism: This section investigates Hawthorne’s personal connection to his Puritan ancestors and how this heritage influences his dark romanticism and thematic focus.
4. Contradictions of and around Puritanism in “The Scarlet Letter”: This chapter performs a detailed analysis of characters like Hester Prynne and Minister Dimmesdale to reveal hypocrisies and inconsistencies within the Puritan society depicted in the book.
5. Conclusion: The author synthesizes his findings, arguing that Hawthorne presents Puritan ideology as inherently contradictory and concludes that his own critique is similarly complex and ambiguous.
6. Bibliography: This section lists the academic sources and texts utilized to support the analysis of Hawthorne's work and the historical context of Puritanism.
Keywords
Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, Puritanism, Calvinism, Hypocrisy, Contradiction, Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Sin, Predestination, Romanticism, Moral, Society, Colonialism, Ambiguity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research paper?
The paper fundamentally examines the representation of Puritanism in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter", specifically focusing on the inherent contradictions and the hypocrisy depicted within the Puritan society.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The main themes include the Calvinist influence on American Puritanism, the conflict between individual sin and community judgment, the social role of outcasts, and the author's own psychological struggle with his ancestral past.
What is the primary research goal of the work?
The objective is to demonstrate that Hawthorne illustrates Puritanism as a contradictory ideology and that his critique of these rigid structures is itself partly contradictory and ambiguous.
Which scientific method is applied in this research?
The author uses a literary analysis approach, examining specific character actions, plot developments, and critical literary theory to interpret the religious and social dynamics presented in the text.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the paper?
The main body covers historical Puritan ideals, Hawthorne’s personal background regarding the Salem witch trials, and in-depth character analyses of Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale to highlight their role in mirroring societal contradictions.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, Puritanism, Hypocrisy, Calvinism, Contradiction, and Moral.
How does the author interpret Hester Prynne's scarlet letter?
The author interprets the letter not just as a mark of shame, but as a point of confusion and defiance, noting that its elaborate embroidery reveals a duality in how the Puritan community judges and simultaneously utilizes Hester's talents.
What is the significance of the character Minister Dimmesdale in the argument?
Dimmesdale is identified as a major source of contradiction because, as a hypocritical sinner who preaches Puritan values, he represents the internal failure of the Puritan leadership to adhere to their own strict moral code.
How does the author explain the role of Mistress Hibbens?
Mistress Hibbens is used to highlight the hypocrisy of the Puritan town leaders, who overlook her status as a witch because of her family connections, while severely punishing others for lesser offenses.
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- Sebastian Nickel (Autor:in), 2017, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Puritanism and its Representation in "The Scarlet Letter", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/444883
