Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter and American Romanticism - Book Report/Review Example

Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850. It was a work of fiction which was written in a historic setting. The story is about a woman named Hester Prynne who has committed adultery and conceives a daughter as a result of it. The story was part of the American romanticism and transcendentalism movement which influenced the literature with their religious and social themes. The novel portrays some of the themes such as social reform, the nature of sin, guilt, legalism, and the identity and society which are in relation to the themes of the American romanticism and transcendentalism; these movements also had some common themes which make it easier for the reader to relate to the complex subject of the novel. The paper will assess how the themes of the movements and the novel interrelate and influence one another. The American Romanticism is a movement in arts, literature, and music which started in the 1700s and flourished in the 1800s. It was the time when the formation of the modern mass culture was taking place which is commonly adopted now. There was a rise of the nation states, increasing social and geographic mobility, new technologies taking form, individualism, and idealization of childhood, love, families, nature, and the past. It was the historic period of literature in which readers began to see their own desires and conflicts (‎Seabrook 345). As this movement was flourishing, The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850 giving the readers a sense of the nature of human condition and evil of the society. With the influence of the American romanticism, it was easier for the readers to relate with the character of Hester who faced difficulty in coping with the society especially after her sin. On the other hand, Transcendentalism was a philosophical, religious, and literary movement which arose in the nineteenth century, roughly in 1836 to 1846 the movement was flourishing. It however left its influence until later decades. This movement was a religious concept which rooted the ideas of American democracy. It was then a group of Boston ministers came together and decided that the Unitarian Church was too conservative, so they created a new philosophy which privileged the wisdom of the human soul over the church law and doctrine (Colacurcio 51). However this movement supported the wisdom and power of the human soul which is contrary to the themes shown in the novel such as guilt, sin, and nature of evil. For readers who have been influenced by the transcendentalism movement, this novel would support contrary themes in response to which readers may develop a conflict against the character of Hester. In this novel, the main character Hester is led to the scaffold because she has committed adultery and she is publicly ashamed. She is also forced to wear the letter A at all times on her gown. A scarlet A is stitched on her dress to give a sense of elegance to the letter. Hester has conceived a girl named Pearl who she carries with her at all times. She is also forced to disclose the name of that man but she refuses. Her husband is an old man who has come from Amsterdam and is known as Roger Chillingworth. His real identity is unknown to everyone and he takes a promise from Hester that she won’t tell anything until he finds Pearl’s father (Hawthorne 43). Hester lives her life in solitude with Pearl in a cottage where she earns through stitching for local dignitaries. Chillingworth finds the man named Arthus Dimmesdale who is an ailing minister. Dimmesdale is hiding his secret and is so ashamed of himself that he has the scarlet A emblazoned on his chest. Hester soon realizes that Chillingworth is killing Dimmesdale slowly and so she convinces him to run away with her and Pearl. Just one day before they are ready to run away on a ship, Dimmesdale gives his Election Sermon in which he walks on the scaffold unexpectedly and confesses his sin (Hawthorne 54). He opens up his shirt and shows the scarlet letter that is emblazoned on his flesh. He falls on his knees and dies right there. Hester and Pearl leave the town and then Hester returns after several years. It is known that Pearl has gotten married and has a family in Europe. Hester thus never removes the scarlet letter and when she dies she is buried right next to Dimmesdale (Hawthorne 175). This was a romantic story with many important themes which can be understood by the reader in relation to the understanding of the American romanticism and transcendentalism. One of the most important themes is the identity and society which reflects the flourishing Romantic Movement which was at its peak at that time (Hart 345). The story reflects that Hester is ashamed publicly and forced to wear the scarlet letter as a sign of humiliation but she doesn’t want to leave the town which is a puzzling gesture. She is not physically held anywhere and leaving the town would mean that she could remove the scarlet letter and live a normal life. However, she shows an unexpected reaction when she learns that the town fathers are allowing her to remove the letter (Hawthorne 132). Through these behaviours, it reflects that Hester is ashamed in her own eyes and she desired to determine her own identity instead of others determining it for her. Hester reflects to the readers that removing the letter or running away from the town would show that she is overpowered by the society and the letter is something she wants to get rid of as it reminds her of her guilt. Thus she wears the letter to remind herself of her character and experiences. She believes that running away from her sin would only make her weak and in denial. Hester’s character and her determination of her own identity in the society are understandable when the reader learns and knows about the Romantic Movement. It was a movement which promoted the ideas of wisdom, heroic individualism, desire as personal motivation, common people as source of true common sense, and nostalgia for the past. Most of the literature of this time had narratives of Romantic characters that would operate by codes of honour. Hester is an example of such a character. Her character reflects the romantic characters of this period as they were subjected to the cultural and social changes. The social changes were seen first time after the Romantic Movement when topics such as adultery were becoming openly used in media and literature (Hart 345). The most important subject was the power of human spirit or will in shaping art and literature which was greatly shown by Hester’s character. Sin, knowledge, and the human condition are themes which are linked to one another and which reflect the religious movement of that period. Sin and knowledge are two concepts which are coming down from the Biblical story of Adam and Eve. They were sent to the earth and separated from the other divine creatures. They had committed a sin and as a result of their knowledge, they were forced to leave the Garden of Eden. In this story, Hester and Dimmesdale also reflect the stories of Adam and Eve as they commit a sin and their sin results in suffering and expulsion. However, it also results in knowledge of knowing how to be human. Hester keeps the scarlet letter to remind herself that her sin is a part of her and it can’t get away from her life. Dimmesdale is also suffering guilt due to his own actions and his guilt is reflected through his strong worded sermons. This religious aspect is related to the transcendentalism movement in which self-wisdom is the most common theme. This theme says that transcendentalism is simply a belief in which human beings gain self-wisdom by entering the flow of nature. Hester enters the phase of self-wisdom when she does not run away from her sin; instead she accepts it and lives with it believing it’s a part of her life that she can’t separate (Hawthorne 117). The theories of transcendentalism circle around the betterment of the self which is seen in Hester’s character. However the Puritan elders believed that these earthly experiences are the barriers on the path of heaven. The sin is seen as a threat to the society and the sinners must be punished. Hester and Dimmesdale’s experiences lead to self-wisdom in which they believe their sins can develop into personal growth, understanding of others, and sympathy. Transcendentalism also portrays the theory of social reforms which influence the reading of The Scarlet Letter. Transcendentalists had visionary attitudes towards issues such as social protest, women’s rights, elimination of slavery, creative education for children, and labour reform. The transcendentalism movement revolved around the concept of liberation (Walls 82). The main goal of these transcendentalists was the liberation of the soul and the betterment of the self. These concepts and themes are seen in the novel and thus the reader can better understand the themes of the novel as it was written at the time of the transcendentalism movement. The novel shows the society as it reformed during this period. Hester was shamed in front of the whole town and she was forced to wear the scarlet letter which means that the society didn’t accept her with her sin and gave her a symbol due to which she would always feel ignorant and guilty (Colacurcio 83). Her self-wisdom and betterment was simply ignored by the society and she lived alone to raise her daughter. The literature and arts in the Romantic Movement involved many popular and familiar values and impulses (‎ Seabrook 345). A romantic story in this period would not only be restricted to love, but also to other defining characteristics such as the journey of the couple, the quest for fulfilments, the attempt of the woman to rescue her baby, or the hero’s quest to take revenge from the villain. Some of these aspects were seen in The Scarlet Letter as it was written at the time of the Romantic Movement. It was a romantic novel but consisted of many twists and turns in the plot including the sin of adultery, the guilt in the society, the survival with a daughter, planning to run away, and lastly dying on the scaffold after confessing the sin (Seabrook 177). Other themes of the Romantic Movement which can help in understanding the novel are individualism; the worth, potential, and value of the inner self, the sentimental love of nature, the common feelings, the quest for something great, nostalgia, and escapism. Such themes are relatable to the story and to the characters. These themes can be easily relatable to the period in which the story was written and the depiction of the characters (Colacurcio 345). After understanding the themes of the American Romantic Movement and the transcendentalism movement, the reading of The Scarlet Letter becomes easy and much more understandable. The story is known to be a romantic novel but the period in which it was written shows many themes and concepts that would be understandable only when the Romantic Movement and Transcendentalism are understood. The themes of individualism, self-wisdom, identity and society reflect the characters in the story. The story has many hidden messages which can be accessed through the concepts of these themes. These hidden messages are silent themes which demonstrate the changing society perceptions and social reforms which were greatly a part of the 19th century. The Scarlet Letter is known as one of the most exemplary works of the nineteenth century which focus on the society, individualism, romance, and suffering. Along with these themes are the themes of the Romantic Movement and transcendentalism which greatly influences the reader when he goes through this novel. Thus, the themes of the novel and of these literary movements both influence one another. Work Cited ‎ Seabrook, Andrea. "Hester Prynne: Sinner, Victim, Object, Winner." National Public Radio. National Public Radio, 2 Mar. 2008. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. ‎ Colacurcio, Michael J. New Essays on The Scarlet Letter. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. Print. ‎ Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Reader's Digest Association, 1984. Print. ‎ Read More