THE SCARLET LETTER

THE AMERICAN RENAISSANCE Nathaniel Hawthorne the Pilgrims the Puritans Predestination Literary Factors –psychological –thematic –symbolic

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE: personal history Born July 4, 1804 only son of Captain Nathaniel Hathorne Educated at home Exposed to Shakespeare, Spenser, Bunyan at an early age Not an outstanding student

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE: personal history Descended from a Puritan judge who presided over the witch trials In order to distance himself from his ancestors he added the W to his name

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE: personal history Married Sophia Peabody1842 MOBY DICK was dedicated to him by Herman Melville Died 1864 Pallbearers were Longfellow, Emerson, Holmes and Lowell

MOBY DICK by Herman Melville

THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES

THE PILGRIMS Arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 a Protestant group They were separatists from the Anglican Church working class not well educated

THE PILGRIMS

THE PURITANS Massachusetts Bay Colony 1629 They wanted to “purify” the Anglican Church also a Protestant group but more extreme in their beliefs and less tolerant

THE PURITANS Wealthy thinkers, writers and readers highly educated and socially superior influential in American politics, literature popular reading centered on the workings of God

PREDESTINATION Key religious concept to the Puritan faith Calvinism: –John Calvin, originator

PREDESTINATION God has decided, from birth, whether you are going to heaven or hell. Nothing can change this. It is God’s grace that saves you not your effort.

PREDESTINATION All men and women are born in sin and deserve damnation. Man is basically EVIL –original sinfulness –original depravity

PREDESTINATION Theocratic society Religious leaders are political leaders Absolute belief in the Bible, literal (not figurative) interpretation

PREDESTINATION Preoccupation with GRACE Grace comes only from God

LITERARY FACTORS PSYCHOLOGICAL –Sigmund Freud’s theories regarding consciousness –Conscious vs. unconscious mind

Freud – The Conscious Mind Includes everything we are aware of. We can think and talk about this rationally. Includes memory –Not always part of consciousness but can be easily retrieved at will. –Ordinary memory = preconscious

Freud – The Unconscious Mind Reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that outside of our conscious awareness Most are unpleasant or unacceptable –Pain, anxiety, conflict Continues to influence our behavior, thoughts, decisions even though we are unaware

LITERARY FACTORS PSYCHOLOGICAL –repression a defense mechanism forgetting protects the individual from consciously dealing with painful circumstances the memory has the potential to resurface at any time

REPRESSION!

PSYCHIATRIC ANALYSIS: literary and emotional

LITERARY FACTORS PSYCHOLOGICAL –EGO distinguishes between the internal mind and external reality functions in preconscious, conscious, and unconscious mind

LITERARY FACTORS PSYCHOLOGICAL –ID mental representation of biological drives and instincts characterized as the “dark” part of the human mind or consciousness in THE SCARLET LETTER the Id is symbolized by the forest

the ID

LITERARY FACTORS PSYCHOLOGICAL –SUPER EGO governs moral behavior it is the mental representation of society’s moral code seeks to limit behavior based on the DRIVES of the Id characterized by “light”

LITERARY FACTORS PSYCHOLOGICAL –DENIAL refusing to accept the realities of a situation works alongside repression a defense mechanism

LITERARY FACTORS THEMATIC –CRITICISM OF PURITANISM preoccupation with sin and guilt forgiveness is needed, if the confession is sincere the individual must be taken back into society excessive punishment –leads to a stain on the soul and excessive suffering

LITERARY FACTORS THEMATIC –“pride goeth before the fall” –namely the pride of intellect and achievement –CHILLINGWORTH –DIMMESDALE –BELLINGHAM

LITERARY FACTORS THEMATIC –THE EVIL OF ISOLATION the consequences for Hester’s sin were excessive humans are social beings to be isolated is against the love of God

LITERARY FACTORS THEMATIC –GUILT if hidden, leads to destruction –remorse, bad conscience, hypocrisy it must be admitted openly for it to be a useful psychological tool –Hester’s admission leads to her freedom