Introduction to The Scarlet Letter

AP English Literature and Composition

Nathaniel HawthorneA Balanced Approach to

Transcendentalism

The Life of HawthorneHawthorne was born

on July 4th, 1804 in Salem, Mass.

Father: Nathaniel Hathorne Sr. was a sea captain.

Mother: Elizabeth Clarke Manning was a descendent of blacksmiths

The Life of HawthorneHawthorne

attended Bowdoin College

After his graduation he turned to writing.

He wrote several successful short stories which were collected in Twice-Told Tales (1837).

The Life of HawthorneHawthorne returned to Salem where he met Sophia Peabody.

After a five year engagement, they were married in 1842.

The Life of HawthorneUnable to support

his new family by writing, in 1846 Hawthorne accepted a political appointment to the Salem Custom House as Surveyor of the Port .

The Life of HawthorneThis bureaucratic

position stunted Hawthorne’s creativity.

A change in administration, however, led to his termination in 1849.

Hawthorne’s mother died at the same time.

The Life of HawthorneSuffering these

losses, Hawthorne left Salem, which he called "that abominable city," saying that he now had no reason to remain.

He would never again return.

The Life of HawthorneSome critics have

suggested that the loss of both his position and mother provided the creative impetus to write The Scarlet Letter (1850).

The Life of HawthorneHawthorne’s

connection to Salem haunted him.

His great-grandfather John Hathorne was the chief-interrogator of the “Salem Witches.”

The Life of HawthorneThe story that

Hawthorne added the "w" to his name to distance himself from his Hathorne ancestors has no clear evidence to support it.

The Life of HawthorneIn 1830, however,

he published "The Hollow of the Three Hills," under the name of Nathaniel Hathorne.

After this date his name appears as Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The Life of Hawthorne

Other Published works:

Twice-Told Tales, The House of the Seven Gables, The Mable Faun, Our Old Home, and children’s books A Wonder Book, and Tanglewood Tales.

The Life of HawthorneNathaniel Hawthorne

died on May 18, 1864 in Plymouth, New Hampshire.

He is credited with writing the first truly American novel: The Scarlet Letter.

Influences upon Hawthorne’s Work

MarriageSophia desired to paint,

write, and pursue a profession

She was limited by social constraints and motherhood

Influences upon Hawthorne’s WorkFemale characters

are often portrayed as sympathetic

Idea of “Female Purity”Influence of Puritan heritage

Influences upon Hawthorne’s Work

Puritan New England Many works are set in

New EnglandPuritan belief in an

“active evil” (Devil)Salem communities

are often viewed as hypocritical – Salem Witch Trials

Literary Thematic ConceptsAlienation – a

character is isolated due to self-cause or societal-cause

Guilt vs. Innocence – a character’s sense of guilt caused by Puritanical values/heritage

Literary Thematic ConceptsIndividual vs. SocietySelf-reliance vs.

AccommodationHypocrisy vs.

IntegrityFate vs. Free WillUnconventional

Gender RolesImpossibility of

Human Perfection

ImageryHawthorne makes

use of the following patterns of images:

Light vs. DarkNatural vs.

UnnaturalSunshine vs.

Firelight or Moonlight and Reflections

Romantic/Gothic MotifsFantasiesDreamsReveriesOpen-ended

endings and unanswered questions – the open-ended possibilities of the idealistic Romantic

RomanticismStarted in Western Europe

and migrated into America lasting from 1800-1855. (The end of the Puritans and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution).

Reaction against “Classicism” and “The Age of Reason”.

Inspired by the nation’s westward expansion, youthful optimism, and desire for literary independence.

Classic Traits of Romanticism1. Imagination reveals the depth of the

human spirit.2. Enthusiastic about national life and

the common man.3. Celebrates the beauty and mystery of

nature.4. Celebrates and focuses on improving

the individual.5. Fascination with supernatural, the

afterlife, and the gothic.6. Sense of idealism and optimism or

exaggeration.

European Romance vs. The American Novel

Hawthorne struggled against the European model of the Romance.

Through The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne developed the first truly American Novel.

The advent of the Industrial Revolution brought on a darker vision of American life.

These romantics examined the complex and mysterious forces that motivate human behavior.

Dark Romantics: In your notes write how each of these writers exemplified “dark romantic” trends in their literary work.Nathanial Hawthorne - Scarlet LetterHerman Melville - Moby-Dick & “Bartleby the Scrivener”Edgar Allan Poe - Various poems and short stories

Split Romantic views led to the development of Transcendentalism

Hawthorne’s Views of Transcendentalism

Hawthorne did not conform to the Romantic focus on the emotions and abandonment of reason.

Hawthorne strove to create a balance between “head and heart.”

Hawthorne’s Views of Transcendentalism

Hawthorne believed that human fulfillment was achieved through a balance between mind, reason, heart, spirit, will, and imagination.

Hawthorne’s balanced approach placed him in opposition to other Transcendentalists – Emerson, Thoreau, and Longfellow.

Clash with TranscendentalismHawthorne saw

potential problems with Emerson’s idea of self-reliance.

Self-reliance can lead to excessive pride.

Hawthorne believed in determinism, or natural order.

Clash with TranscendentalismTranscendentalists

were overwhelmingly abolitionists – Hawthorne wasn’t entirely sure of his position.

He questioned the motives and principles of the Northern authorities.

Clash with Transcendentalism

Hawthorne’s Response:

"What a terrible thing it is to try to let off a little bit of truth into this miserable humbug of a world!"

The American NovelWhere the Romance

incorporated the Gothic elements of crime, religion, ghosts, etc. as the focus of the story, Hawthorne used these elements as a means to support his story.

Hawthorne’s Novel was not a means of escape, but rather a means to examine society and life.

His novel invited criticism of the worlds he reflected – Puritanism.

Hawthorne’s NovelHawthorne’s novel

found relevance as more than mere entertainment, but as something more prophetic and integral to the American Identity.