1. Nathaniel Hawthorne A Balanced Approach to Transcendentalism
Introduction to The Scarlet Letter

2. The Life of Hawthorne
Hawthorne 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

3. The Life of Hawthorne Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College
After his graduation he turned to writing.
He wrote several successful short stories which were collected in Twice-Told Tales (1837).

4. The Life of Hawthorne
Hawthorne returned to Salem where he met Sophia Peabody.
After a five year engagement, they were married in 1842.

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

6. The Life of Hawthorne
This bureaucratic position stunted Hawthorne’s creativity.
A change in administration, however, led to his termination in 1849.
Hawthorne’s mother died that same year.

7. The Life of Hawthorne
Suffering 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.

8. The Life of Hawthorne
Some critics have suggested that the loss of both his position and mother provided the creative impetus to write The Scarlet Letter (1850).

9. The Life of Hawthorne Hawthorne’s connection to Salem haunted him.
His great-grandfather John Hathorne was the chief-interrogator of the “Salem Witches.”

10. The Life of Hawthorne
The story that Hawthorne added the "w" to his name to distance himself from his Hathorne ancestors has no clear evidence to support it.

11. The Life of Hawthorne
In 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.

12. 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.

13. The Life of Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne died on May 18, 1864 in Plymouth, New Hampshire.
He is credited with writing the first truly American novel: The Scarlet Letter.

14. Influences upon Hawthorne’s Work
Marriage
Sophia desired to paint, write, and pursue a profession
She was limited by social constraints and motherhood

15. Influences upon Hawthorne’s Work
Female characters are often portrayed as sympathetic
Idea of “Female Purity”
Influence of Puritan heritage

16. Influences upon Hawthorne’s Work
Puritan New England
Many works are set in New England
Puritan belief in an “active evil” (Devil)
Salem communities are often viewed as hypocritical – Salem Witch Trials

17. Literary Themes
Alienation – 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

18. Literary Themes Individual vs. Society Self-reliance vs. Accommodation
Hypocrisy vs. Integrity
Fate vs. Free Will
Unconventional Gender Roles
Impossibility of Human Perfection

19. Imagery Hawthorne makes use of the following patterns of images:
Light vs. Dark
Natural vs. Unnatural
Sunshine vs. Firelight or Moonlight and Reflections

20. Romantic/Gothic Motifs
Fantasies
Dreams
Reveries
Open-ended endings and unanswered questions – the open-ended possibilities of the idealistic Romantic

21. 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.”

22. Hawthorne’s Views of Transcendentalism
Hawthorne believed that human fulfillment was achieved through a balance between mind, reason, heart, spirit, will, and imagination.

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

24. Clash with Transcendentalism
Hawthorne saw potential problems with Emerson’s idea of self-reliance.
Self-reliance can lead to excessive pride.
Hawthorne believed in determinism, or natural order.

25. Clash with Transcendentalism
Transcendentalists were overwhelmingly abolitionists – Hawthorne wasn’t entirely sure of his position.
He questioned the motives and principles of the Northern authorities.

26. Clash with Transcendentalism
This point of contention was publicized in a series of articles by Hawthorne published in the journal The Atlantic, which was founded by Emerson and Longfellow.

27. Clash with Transcendentalism
The editorial staff of The Atlantic deleted large portions of Hawthorne’s articles which contained ideas that disagreed with the abolitionist beliefs of the founders of the journal.

28. Clash with Transcendentalism
Hawthorne also added sketches throughout his edited published articles, written from the perspective of a “dimwitted editor” to show the hypocritical nature of his transcendentalist editors.

29. 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!"

30. Clash with Transcendentalism
In place of an unflattering description of President Lincoln that the editors had deleted, he wrote:
“We are compelled to omit two or three pages, in which the author describes the interview, and gives his idea of the personal appearance and deportment of the President. The sketch appears to have been written in a benign spirit, and perhaps conveys a not inaccurate impression of its august subject; but it lacks reverence.”

31. Clash with Transcendentalism
In place of another deleted section he wrote:
“We do not thoroughly comprehend the author's drift in the foregoing paragraph, but are inclined to think its tone reprehensible, and its tendency impolitic in the present stage of our national difficulties.”

32. 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.

33. The European Romance
The European Romance romanticized a rich past and historic culture.
It involved archetypal adventures.
It was escapist: a means of escaping the here and now.

34. The European Romance Classical Romance Characteristics:
Lovers who remain true to each other, while the woman's chastity is preserved
An intricate plot, including stories within stories
Exciting and unexpected chance events

35. The European Romance Classical Romance Characteristics:
Travel to faraway settings
Hidden and mistaken identity
Written in an elaborate and elegant style

36. European Romance vs. The American Novel
America, however, had no rich culture or ancient history to draw from.
It was primarily concerned with the here and now, and how to perfect it.

37. European Romance vs. The American Novel
While maintaining the elements of the European Romance, Hawthorne shifted the American Novel’s focus to the present.

38. The American Novel
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.

39. The American Novel
Where 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.

40. Hawthorne’s Novel
"When a writer calls his work a romance, he wishes to claim a certain latitude, both as to its fashion and material, which he would not have felt himself entitled to assume had he professed to be writing a novel."

41. Hawthorne’s Novel
Hawthorne’s novel found relevance as more than mere entertainment, but as something more prophetic and integral to the American Identity.

42. The Scarlet Letter novel (notice title is italicized)
written by Nathaniel Hawthorne (b. 1804)
written about 1850
set in Boston, Mass. about 1690

43. (setting of The Scarlet Letter)
Boston
(setting of The Scarlet Letter)
Plymouth
(where Mayflower landed in 1620/setting for Bradford’s memoir Of Plymouth Plantation)

44. Setting: The Scarlet Letter
The setting of Hawthorne’s novel is critical to the plot of the novel.
1690’s Boston was a Puritan village
Like other Puritan settlements in New England, the local and colonial governments were theocracies.

45. theocracy word comes from Greek theo = God cratos = rule
a theocracy is a government where the civil laws are based (in whole or in part) on religious laws; civil leaders in theocracies are probably also important religious leaders

46. theocracy, cont.
In Afghanistan before 2001, the Taliban controlled religious and civil laws. Besides having to wear burqas in public, women in Afghanistan were not allowed to attend school or drive cars.
In Saudi Arabia, women cannot drive or vote. Because Islam forbids it, no place in Saudi Arabia sells alcohol or pork.

47. Theocracy as Extremism
Ironically, it is largely because of the Puritans – who themselves established a theocratic government in the New World – that we in America tend to view most theocratic governments as extremist.

48. Puritanism Began in England in the mid-1500’s A sect of Calvinists
Calvinism named after Swiss theologian John Calvin
Calvinism =
predetermination
no religious authority BUT Scripture

49. The Puritan Role in Development of “American” Character
In 1600, the Puritans left England for Holland, which even in the 17th century was a very liberal society.
It was too liberal for the Puritans, though, who disliked the government’s permissiveness and tolerance of behaviors/attitudes they found unacceptable.

50. The Puritan Role in Development of “American” Character, cont.
In 1620, the Puritans left Holland for the New World.
Established Plymouth Plantation in the “savage wilderness” of New England.
Retained those aspects of European society they liked; created new laws, policies, etc. to replace the elements of society they did not like.

51. The Puritan Role in Development of “American” Character, cont.
Because Scripture was central to religion and government, scholarship was a highly valued right (reserved, of course, to men only).
The role of religious leaders was to present Scripture and guide other church members in its understanding and application.
Puritan religious leaders were NEVER seen as intermediaries or intercessors.

52. So…
All of which were discouraged in the Old World become the basis of “American Rugged Individualism”
This is probably why most Americans disagree so strongly with theocracies
The Puritan emphasis on:
self-reliance
independence
individual achievement
individual responsibility
personal accountability
power through ability (education)

53. “Puritans” “Puritans” intended as a derogatory term
“Puritans” usually referred to themselves as “the Godly” (
Puritans fell quickly out of favor in England, where the king was the head of the Church of England.
They recognized neither the king’s secular or religious authority, and so quickly became enemies of civil and religious leaders.

54. Predestination – a Puritan Doctrine
Puritans believed that all things are controlled beforehand by the Hand of God.
All humans deserved damnation because of original sin however God elected to save some anyway.
One could not influence that destiny by good works or alter the divine plan.
Nonetheless, Puritans fought to remain righteous, suppressing the desires of the flesh (which is why what Dimsdale and Hester do is sooooo bad).
Puritans believed they could recognize internal corruption in others.
Harsh discipline wasn’t necessary to punish, since God would do that. It was to show others what would happen if they did the same thing. This is why Hester is pointed out all of the time.

55. There were some paradoxes…
Although Puritans embraced a strict life, it wasn’t always somber and simple.
They encouraged tradesmen and craftsmen to live among them
They prized simplicity yet loved fine clothing.
Their furniture makers developed great artistry and their leaders (like the governor Hester goes to visit) lived in fine houses.

56. Puritan “Crime and Punishment”
Because Puritan Boston c was still a theocratic society, crime against church (or God) was the equivalent of a crime against another person or against “the State.”
Yes… it was illegal to miss church on Sabbath days. It was also illegal to sleep during sermons that could run 3 or more hours long – during each session (morning and afternoon) on a Sabbath.

57. Puritan “Crime and Punishment”, cont.
Virtually any offense could land you in the pillory, or stocks. The Puritans imported this punishment to New England from England.
Entire purpose was public display and public humiliation.
Stocks were built on a scaffold in the center of the village, where townspeople could mock the offender, and throw rotten vegetables or stones. Aside from the offender’s hands being immobilized, his ears would frequently be nailed to the board behind his head.
The Stocks

58. Puritan “Crime and Punishment”, cont.
After serving time in a jail and then on the pillory, a convicted criminal would often be required to wear some outward sign of his or her offense.
In 1637, as punishment for writing an essay that criticized the archbishop, William Prynne (no relation to the central character in The Scarlet Letter) – after being put in the stocks – had the letters “SL” (for “seditious libeler”) branded onto his cheeks.

59. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne~
Introduction to The Scarlet Letter (The Custom-House)

60. Basic Background Information
The novel was written after he was fired from the Salem Custom House in 1849.
It is considered as an autobiographical sketch of Hawthorne.
“Custom House” serves the role of a frame for the main narrative

61. Summary
A nameless narrator as the chief executive officer,” or surveyor, of the Salem Custom House
The geography and environment of Custom-House
The fellow workers
Found an unusual package in the large upstairs hall

62. The package consisted :
a rag of scarlet cloth
the shape of a letter
the capital letter A
The story is a fictional account of Hester Prynne’s experiences
After sacked because of the political changes, Hawthorne starts to write the narrative.

63. The relation between the Introduction, Custom-House, and the Scarlet Letter
“A writer of story-books! What kind of a business in life,—what mode of glorifying God, or being serviceable to mankind in his day and generation,—may that be? Why, the degenerate fellow might as well have been a fiddler!” Such are the compliments bandied between my great-grandsires and myself, across the gulf of time! And yet, let them scorn me as they will, strong traits of their nature have intertwined themselves with mine. (P 1337)
Isolation and alienation (Hester vs. narrator)

64. Techniques Point of View:
First-person narrative point of view through a nameless narrator who has the same traits as Hawthorne himself
Setting:
Salem’s Custom House, which is near a rotting port

65. Subject:
Mainly talks about the narrator’s life experiences in Salem Custom-House as an chief executive officer
Hawthorne’s initial motive of why he writes the later narrative, the Scarlet Letter
Symbolism in the Novel:
“A” represents adultery
“Eagle” represents shelter and attack