The Puritans arrived in America in the 16th and 17th centuries hoping create a purified version of the church as they believed the Church of England had still had too many components of catholicism. Humans are also invertly evil and this wickedness is displayed throughout many stories. Finally, moral values are also a central conflict to many stories. Puritanism, the evils of all humans, and moral conflict are a central themes to all three of The Crucible, “Young Goodman Brown”, and “The Minister’s Black Veil”. Although these stories are seemingly unrelated stories on the surface however when considering the under-the-surface meanings of these stories many similarities appear including the impact of Puritanism, the wickedness of all humans, and moral conflict.
Puritan literature largely consists of poems, sermons, and personal journals and served a purpose such as to teach or inform instead of entertaining. The Puritans generally valued religion and simplicity in their society and thusly much of their lives focused on just that. I felt that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s account of puritan society through his story The Minister’s Black Veil differed from that of original puritan literature. While puritan literature was nonfictional and centers on enlightenment and religion in their daily life, Hawthorne wrote a fictional account to describe the puritan values. Because of this difference I feel that original puritan literature is far more accurate portrayal of puritan culture.
During the late eighteenth century, a new literary movement was born which focused on embracing individuality and emphasized imagination and emotions. Numerous literary pieces have visible Romantic qualities throughout the eighteenth century. Two prominent literary pieces with Romantic qualities present in their text are The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving and The Minister 's Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Through their respective texts the author 's portray the Romantic qualities of human nature, the supernatural, and individual freedom in unique ways, but use them to contribute to the intended meaning of the stories.
Sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. Despite the moral principles recognized in everyone, it is so often that individuals succumb to the instant gratification of sin. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the plot is centered around a group of Puritans living in Boston Massachusetts, where the avoidance of sin is one of their most absolute doctrines. He truly captures how sin affects individuals in a strict civilization through the use of various rhetorical devices, focusing on the symbolism of the characters, the distinct tone employed to convey specific messages, and the analogies further that emphasize and develop the effects of sin on individuals.
Puritan’s harsh beliefs represented the beginning of the Nineteenth Century in the newly colonized America. Their community ruled with an iron fist: unforgiving, pitiless, stern. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne expresses his disagreement with puritan priorities by revealing the hypocrisy widely practiced throughout their community. Hawthorne’s utilization of dim diction aids in the establishment of his scornful tone, while inclusion of symbols and intricate juxtaposition all serve to accentuate the Puritan’s duplicity. All these factors combine to develop a critical tone which rebukes puritan society.
Niccolo Machiavelli once said, “If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.” The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, are set in the seventeenth century puritan New England. Adherence to puritan values is paramount, yet both protagonists commit grievous sins around which the plot revolves. The fall from grace, the subsequent consequences and the transformation of all the characters is uniform across both books. The metamorphosis of the protagonists is similar yet so distinct that it seems that Hawthorne and Miller are trying to convey the same message in different dialects of the same language.
Imagine darkness, sin, and the desire to keep it all hidden from yourself and the outside world. Together Poe and Hawthorne paint this picture of traits which consist of suspense and darkness. Within the stories “Tell Tale Heart” and “Ministers Black Veil”, the two authors writing styles are vividly comparable. With the comparison of these short stories, it becomes more than feasible to feel the true emotion and movement that Poe and Hawthorne wished to give to their readers.
Witchcraft and Satanic activity are prevalent in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works, including “The Scarlet Letter” and “Young Goodman Brown”. From Mistress Hibbins in “The Scarlet Letter” and the walk Goodman Brown takes with the devil through the forest in “Young Goodman Brown”, the satanic influence and witchcraft are shown. Some questions arise when delving deeper into the meaning of these influences. What did the Puritans believe about the evil capabilities of Satan and witchcraft? How willing would they have been to believe Hawthorne’s accounts?
Inside the World of Hawthorne During the time period of the 1800’s, Puritans obeyed their censorious moral beliefs, focusing on worship of one’s God. Honor, honesty, and virtue were heavy traits that Puritans could be defined as. Within the seventeenth century, it was unlikely for Puritans to break the laws, and commit severe crimes; one of the most disapproving being adultery. Nathaniel Hawthorne, an American author during the 1800’s published one of the most impactful novels describing Puritan society and the downfall of characters who have committed the sin, adultery. His work takes readers on a journey through a different time period, style of living, and laws that people in today’s society do not have a connection with.
Throughout time, the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and the book, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, have been regarded as two of the most reputable works of literature in their eloquent uses of similar themes that describe the human tendencies that can be found in historical events and characteristics of Puritan society. The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller, makes a connection to the times “Red Scare” to the parallel of the Salem witch hunts of the 1680s. In the book, the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tell the tragic story of sin of Heater Prime and the Puritan society in which she lived view of her crime. Similar themes, such as sin, repentance, and forgiveness, and different things that these themes affect or are affected
Regarding Elie’s experiences, his powerlessness is what I’ll most remember in this book. What I believe I’ll remember most about this novel is Elie's powerlessness. It’s inevitable, yes, but putting myself in his shoes, I wouldn’t have managed it as well as Elie had. An image that will stick with me is of Jews having to live in unfair living conditions based on their culture or religion. The wars that have happened—genocide, torture, and murder—I believe will never end.
It is ironic how the Puritans were called to lived a life exactly as the bible says, yet many of them sinned and lived quite oppositely. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, touches on the misery during the Salem Witch Trials, and also how the Puritan community fell apart. The dark themes are common in most tragedies. Many of the main characters committed sins such as lust and greed, but the most detrimental sin committed was pride. Pride is prevalent in the actions of the tragic hero, John Proctor.
Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the first American authors to engender the idea of regenerate his ancestral culture through his stories (Clendenning). Most of Hawthorne's short stories and novels originate from his representation and belief of the harshness and unreasonable Puritan community. For example, in The Scarlet Letter , a character who embodies the opposite of an epitome of a proper Puritan woman. Hawthorne illustrates this character by contrasting the bold attitude of Hester Prynne to the extremely conservative society: But Hester Prynne, with a mind of native courage and activity, and for so long a period not merely estranged, but outlawed, from society, had habituated herself to such latitude of speculation as was altogether
The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, functions as an evaluation of Puritan ideas, customs, and culture during the 17th century. Through this evaluation, we can get a good idea of what core values and beliefs the Puritans possessed, as well as the actions they take in cases of adversity brought about by “sinners”. Some Puritan virtues created stark divisions between groups of people, some of which led to discrimination under certain circumstances. One of the most prominent of these is the treatment and standards of men and women, a concept that surfaced during some of the major points in The Scarlet Letter. The divisions that were created by Puritan standards of men and women played a great role in shaping the plot of The Scarlet Letter, determining the fate of many of the characters.
Point #1: Hawthorne effectively establishes a dark and gloomy atmosphere that adopts the conventions pertaining to the gothic genre by highlighting the oppressive nature of the Puritan society. • Use of dark imagery, and prison as a symbol of sin. • Juxtaposition
