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Nathaniel Hawthorne's background influenced him to write the bold novel The
Scarlet Letter. One important influence on the story is money. Hawthorne had
never made much money as an author and the birth of his first daughter added
to the financial burden ("Biographical Note" VII). He received a job at the
Salem Custom House only to lose it three years later and be forced to write
again to support his family (IX). Consequently, The Scarlet Letter was
published a year later (IX). It was only intended to be a long short story,
but the extra money a novel would bring in was needed ("Introduction" XVI).
Hawthorne then wrote an introduction section titled "The Custom House" to
extend the length of the book and The Scarlet Letter became a full novel
(XVI). In addition to financial worries, another influence on the story is
Hawthorne's rejection of his ancestors. His forefathers were strict Puritans,
and John Hathorne, his great-great-grandfather, was a judge presiding during
the S! alem witch trials ("Biographical Note" VII). Hawthorne did not condone
their acts and actually spent a great deal of his life renouncing the Puritans
in general (VII). Similarly, The Scarlet Letter was a literal "soapbox" for
Hawthorne to convey to the world that the majority of Puritans were strict and
unfeeling. For example, before Hester emerges from the prison she is being
scorned by a group of women who feel that she deserves a larger punishment
than she actually receives. Instead of only being made to stand on the
scaffold and wear the scarlet letter on her chest, they suggest that she have
it branded on her forehead or even be put to death (Hawthorne 51). Perhaps the
most important influence on the story is the author's interest in the "dark
side" ("Introduction" VIII). Unlike the transcendentalists of the era,
Hawthorne "confronted reality, rather than evading it" (VII). Likewise, The
Scarlet Letter deals with adultery, a subject that caused much scandal when it
w! as first published (XV). The book revolves around sin and punish ment, a
far outcry from writers of the time, such as Emerson and Thoreau, who dwelt on
optimistic themes (VII). This background, together with a believable plot,
convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel
Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter to the develop the theme of the heart as a
prison.
The scaffold scenes are the most substantial situations in the story because
they unify The Scarlet Letter in two influential ways. First of all, every
scaffold scene reunites the main characters of the novel. In the first scene,
everyone in the town is gathered in the market place because Hester is being
questioned about the identity of the father of her child ( Hawthorne 52). In
her arms is the product of her sin, Pearl, a three month old baby who is
experiencing life outside the prison for the first time (53). Dimmesdale is
standing beside the scaffold because he is Hester's pastor and it is his job
to convince her to repent and reveal the father's name (65). A short time
later, Chillingworth unexpectedly shows up within the crowd of people who are
watching Hester after he is released from his two year captivity by the
Indians (61). In the second scene, Dimmesdale is standing on top of the
scaffold alone in the middle of the night (152). He sees Hester and Pearl wal!
k through the market place on their way back from Governor Winthrop's bedside
(157). When Dimmesdale recognizes them and tells them to join him, they walk
up the steps to stand by his side (158). Chillingworth appears later standing
beside the scaffold, staring at Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl. In the final
scaffold scene, Dimmesdale walks to the steps of the scaffold in front of the
whole town after his Election day sermon (263). He tells Hester and Pearl to
join him yet again on the scaffold (264). Chillingworth then runs through the
crowd and tries to stop Dimmesdale from reaching the top of the scaffold, the
one place where he can't reach him (265). Another way in which the scenes are
united is how each illustrates the immediate, delayed, and prolonged effects
that the sin of adultery has on the main characters. The first scene shows
Hester being publicly punished on the scaffold (52). She is being forced to
stand on it for three hours straight and listen to peop! le talk about her as
a disgrace and a shame to the community (55) .
Dimmesdale's instantaneous response to the sin is to lie. He stands before
Hester and the rest of the town and proceeds to give a moving speech about how
it would be in her and the father's best interest for her to reveal the
father's name (67). Though he never actually says that he is not the other
parent, he implies it by talking of the father in third person (67). Such as,
"If thou feelest it to be for thy soul's peace, and that thy earthly
punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to
speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer" (67).
Chillingworth's first reaction is one of shock, but he quickly suppresses it
(61). Since his first sight of his wife in two years is of her being punished
for being unfaithful to him, he is naturally surprised. It does not last for
long though, because it is his nature to control his emotions (61). Pearl's
very existence in this scene is the largest immediate effect of her parents'
cr! ime (52). She obviously would never had been there had her parents
resisted their love for each other. The second scene occurs several years
later and shows the effects after time has had a chance to play its part. It
begins with Dimmesdale climbing the stairs of the scaffold in the middle of
the night because it is the closest that he can come to confessing his sin
(152). This scene is especially important because it shows how pitiful he has
become. Dimmesdale shows just how irrational he is when he screams aloud
because he fears that the universe is staring at a scarlet token on his breast
(153). It also shows how much guilt he is carrying by the way he perceives the
light from a meteor as the letter A. He believes it stands for adulteress
while other people think it stands for angel since the governor just passed
away (161). This scene also shows how Hester is managing her new situation.
When Dimmesdale tells her to come up the scaffold and asks her where she has
b! een, she replies that she has been measuring the robe that the gov ernor is
to be buried in (158). This statement implies that Hester's reputation as a
talented seamstress has spread. Ironically, her first well known piece of work
was the scarlet letter that she wore on her chest. As a result, she owes her
own success to her infamy. Besides growing older, Pearl's most significant
change is in her perceptibility (158). In this scene, she constantly asks
Dimmesdale if he will be joining Hester and herself on the scaffold tomorrow
at noon and accuses him of not being true (162). Neither Hester nor Dimmesdale
ever told Pearl who her father was, but she figures it out by the way he
always holds his hand over his heart (159). Chillingworth's derangement is
evident in this scene also. His contempt for Dimmesdale is so acute that he
risks his cover when he gives him a look so vivid as to remain painted on the
darkness after the bright meteor that just passed, vanishes (161). The third
scene is very critical because it is the last glimpse int! o every characters'
mind and the last time that everyone is alive. At this point in time,
Dimmesdale's fixation on his sin has utterly corroded him to the point of
death. After he gives his election day sermon, he goes to the scaffold and
asks Hester and Pearl to join him because he is so weak that he can hardly
support himself (265). He finally exposes the truth and tells his followers of
how he deceived them (267). The only good that comes out of conceding his
guilt is that he passed away without any secrets, for he was already too far
gone to be able to be saved (269). This scene is important to the
characterization of Hester because it is the first time that she is not in
complete control of her emotions (264). Her dream of escaping to England with
Dimmesdale is lost when he decides to confess (264). The unanticipated arrival
of Chillingworth and Dimmesdale's feeble appearance distresses her, and for
the first time, she can not control the outcome (264). The greate! st
transformation in Pearl's life occurs in this scene. While sh e used to be
perceived as elfish, she now shows the first signs of normal human emotion.
After Dimmesdale confesses his sin, she kisses his lips voluntarily (268).
"The great scene of grief…had developed all her sympathies; and as her tears
fell upon her father's cheek, they were the pledge that she would grow up amid
human joy and sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but be a woman in
it" (268). Ultimately, Chillingworth takes a severe turn for the worse when
Dimmesdale reveals his sin. Since Chillingworth based the rest of his life on
playing games on Dimmesdale's mind, he was left without any goals, and his
life became meaningless (268). On that account, it is clear that Hawthorne
uses the scaffold scenes, not only as a unifying device, but as a means to
keep the reader interested in the novel by providing plenty of action.
The main characters sharply contrast each other in the way they react to
Hester and Dimmesdale's sin. To begin, Hester becomes stronger, more enduring,
and even more sympathetic. She becomes stronger because of all the weight she
has to carry. She is a single mother who suffers all of the burdens of
parenthood by herself. They live on the edge of town, and Pearl has no one to
give her food, shelter and emotional support besides Hester. Pearl is
especially difficult to raise because she is anything but normal. Hawthorne
gives a pretty accurate description of Pearl when he writes:
The child could not be made amenable to rules. In giving her existence, a
great law had been broken; and the result was a being whose elements were
perhaps beautiful and bril- liant, but all in disorder; or with an order
peculiar to themselves, amidst which the point of variety and arrangement was
difficult or impossible to be discovered (91).
Hester's endurance is proven when the people of the colony completely change
their opinion of her. While a lesser person would run from the hostile
colonists, Hester withstands their insolence and pursues a normal life. After
years of proving her worth with her uncommon sewing skills and providing
community service, the colonists come to think of the scarlet letter as "the
cross on a nun's bosom," which is no small accomplishment (169). Hester also
becomes more sensitive to the feelings and needs of other people. She feels
that her own sin gives her "sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other
hearts" (87). So even though the people she tried to help "often reviled the
hand that was stretched forth to succor them," she continues her services
because she actually cares (85). While Hester tries to make the best out of
her situation, Dimmesdale becomes weaker by letting guilt and grief eat away
at his conscience. Dimmesdale punishes himself by believing that he can neve!
r be redeemed. He feels that he will never be seen the same in the eyes of
God, and that no amount of penitence can ever return him to God's good graces.
He is so touchy on this subject that when Hester says his good deeds will
count for something in God's view, he exclaims, "There is no substance in it!
It is cold and dead and can do nothing for me!" (202). Dimmesdale also
believes that his sin has taken the meaning out of his life. His life's work
has been dedicated to God, and now his sin has tainted it (202). He feels that
he is a fraud and is not fit to lead the people of the town to salvation. The
feeling is so oppressive that the chance of escaping his work and leaving with
Hester and Pearl makes him emotionally (and probably mentally) unstable. He
walks through the town with twice as much energy as normal, and he barely
stops himself from swearing to a fellow deacon (229). When an old lady
approaches him he can not remember any scriptures whatsoever to tell he! r,
and the urge to use his power of persuasion over a young maide n is so strong
that he covers his face with his cloak and runs off (230). The largest cause
of Dimmesdale's breakdown is the fact that he keeps his sin a secret. As God's
servant, it is his nature to tell the truth, so the years of pretending are
especially hard on him. His secret guilt is such a burden that instead of
going with Hester to England and perhaps having a chance to live longer, he
chose to stand, confess and perish on the scaffold (268). Ultimately,
Chillingworth responds to his wife's betrayal by sacrificing everything in
order to seek revenge. After he discovers that his wife bore another man's
child, Chillingworth gives up his independence. He used to be a scholar who
dedicated his best years "to feed the hungry dream of knowledge," but his new
allegiance becomes finding and slowly punishing the man who seduced his wife
(74). He soon becomes obsessed with his new mission in life, and when he
targeted Reverend Dimmesdale as the possible parent, he dedic! ates all of his
time to becoming his confidant in order to get his retribution (127).
Vengeance was also one of the reasons that Chillingworth gives up his
identity. The only way he can truly corrupt Dimmesdale is to live with him and
be by his side all day, every day. The only possible way to do that is to give
up his true identity as Roger Prynne, Hester's husband, and become Roger
Chillingworth. Since the only person who knew his true identity is sworn to
silence, he succeeds for a long time in tricking Dimmesdale until Hester sees
that he was going mad and finally revealed Chillingworth's true identity
(204). His largest sacrifice is by far, his own life. After spending so much
time dwelling on his revenge, Chillingworth forgets that he still has a chance
to lead a life of his own. So accordingly, after Dimmesdale reveals his secret
to the world, Chillingworth dies less than a year later because he has nothing
left to live for (272). In conclusion, Hawthorne's use ! of characterization
gives the book a classic feeling by showing H ester, Dimmesdale, and
Chillingworth's feelings indirectly through acts.
The novel revolves around two major symbols: light and darkness and the
scarlet letter. The book is filled with light and darkness symbols because it
represents the most common battle of all time, good versus evil. When Hester
and her daughter are walking in the forest, Pearl exclaims: Mother, the
sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is
afraid of something on your bosom. Now see! There it is, playing, a good way
off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will
not flee from me, for I wear no- thing on my bosom yet (192)!
Hester tries to stretch her hand into the circle of light, but the sunshine
vanishes (192). She then suggests that they go into the forest and rest (193).
This short scene actually represents Hester's daily struggle in life. The
light represents what Hester wants to be, which is pure. The movement of the
light represents Hester's constant denial of acceptance. Hester's lack of
surprise and quick suggestion to go into the forest, where it is dark, shows
that she never expected to be admitted and is resigned to her station in life.
Another way light and darkness is used in symbolism is by the way Hester and
Dimmesdale's plan to escape is doomed. Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the
shadows of the forest with a gloomy sky and a threatening storm overhead when
they discuss their plans for the future (200). The gloomy weather and shadows
exemplify the fact that they can't get away from the repressive force of their
sins. It is later proven when Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold! instead of
leaving with Hester and going to England (269). A final example occurs by the
way Hester and Dimmesdale can not acknowledge their love in front of others.
When they meet in the woods, they feel that, "No golden light had ever been so
precious as the gloom of this dark forest (206). This emotion foretells that
they will never last together openly because their sin has separated them too
much from normal life. The scarlet letter also takes many different forms in
the novel. The first and clearest form that the letter A takes is
"Adulteress." It is apparent that Hester is guilty of cheating on her husband
when she surfaces from the prison with a three-month-old-child in her arms,
and her husband has been away for two years (53). Hence, the people look at
the letter elaborately embroidered with gold thread and see a "hussy" who is
proud of her sin (54). The second form that it takes is "Angel." When Governor
Winthrop passes away, a giant A appears in the sky. ! People from the church
feel that, "For as our good Governor Wint hrop was made an angel this past
night, it was doubtless held fit that there should be some notice thereof!"
(16). The final form that the scarlet letter take is "Able." Hester helped the
people of the town so unselfishly that Hawthorne wrote:
Such helpfulness was found in her,--so much power to do, and power to
sympathize,--that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by it s
original significance. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester
Prynne, with a woman's strength (167). In closing, one of the most important
reasons that The Scarlet Letter is so well known is the way Hawthorne leaves
the novel open to be interpreted several different ways by his abundant use of
symbolism.
This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization,
and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet
Letter to the develop the theme of the heart as a prison. Hawthorne describes
the purpose of the novel when he says, "Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely
to the world, if not your worse, yet some trait whereby the worst may be
inferred!" (272). The theme is beneficial because it can be put into terms in
today's world. The Scarlet Letter is one of the few books that will be
timeless, because it deals with alienation, sin, punishment, and guilt,
emotions that will continue to be felt by every generation to come.
English Essays
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