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Transcendentalism In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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Hester Prynne, the heroine of The Scarlet Letter is forced to wear a red "A" on her chest as punishment for committing adultery. This penance was decided by the all male leaders of her strict Puritan society. They aim to make an example of her by ostracizing her for "sin". As a transcendentalist Hawthorne is highly critical of Puritan society and their values. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter simultaneously rejects the rigidity and patriarchal values of Puritan society, while praising the enlightening power of transcendentalism. Symbolism is Hawthorne's weapon of choice for The Scarlet Letter. Through its use Hawthorne is able to juxtapose his beliefs about Puritanism to his beliefs about transcendentalism. Dark and light imagery …show more content…

At first glance it seems that her entire life is dictated by patriarchal Puritan values. However, Hester lives in complete contrast to what is expected of her. Rather than accept her punishment Hester makes a mockery of what the male leaders have deemed her "sin". She richly embroiders the "A" with "fantastic flourishes of gold thread"(40, Hawthorne) and wears it without shame, which "serves to nullify the effects of such persecution"(505, DeSalvo). The "A" is so beautiful that Pearl recognizes it, not as scandalous, but as a comforting symbol of her mother. In having Hester reject her punishment, Hawthorne also makes a statement about his rejection of Puritan society as a whole. Despite many attempts to force her to disclose the identity of her partner, Hester never reveals Dimmesdale's name. She shoulders the burden of her public shaming entirely alone even after Dimmesdale exposes himself. When he dies Hester is left to pick up the pieces and she does so with strength and grace. "What Hester achieves through Dimmesdale's death,.. Is unique in that it is a loving... life without a man"(554, Baym). Throughout the entirety of the book Hester and Dimmesdale never truly revisit their past relationship. Instead Hester manages to succeed "as a single mother supporting herself and her child"(553, Baym), with Pearl as the center of her world. Even after Pearl has grown Hester thrives as a "valuable member of the community"(553, Baym). Rather than crumble under the weight of her punishment Hester rises to the occasion and establishes herself as a fixture of the very Puritan society that has made her a pariah. The final, and perhaps most obvious way Hester undermines the patriarchy is through her embroidery work. Hawthorne reveals that Hester is the only person in town who embroiders the special gloves for the important men of the town. This is Hawthorne's clearest rejection of the Puritan patriarchy. Despite the fact that they

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Despite her success she continues to feel lonely and is well aware of her alienation. Hester’s alienation is similar to that of Pearls because they are both described as outcasts and treated as such. Pearl is naturally at odds with the strict rules of their society, mainly because of all the time she spends with Hester, she has inherited all of

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(Hawthorne, 76). The sin Hester commits is so destructive to her mind, that she thinks the only way she will every be able to live a proper life is if she stays. Hester’s daily abuse from the community will allow her to cleanse her guilty conscience, and redeem herself in the society. Pearl is a continuous reminder of Hester’s guilt, she is the result of her sin. While Pearl grows up Hester is fearful of the child and the darkness she carried with her.

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Hester is penalized for her sin by being imprisoned and being forced to walk in the town carrying her baby, Pearl, while having to stand up on a scaffold to be heavily scorned by all the townspeople. Another part of Hester’s punishment was having to be required to wear a large scarlet red “A” to show everyone her sin. While Hester is up on the scaffold the crowd demands to know who the biological father of the child is, but Hester refuses to give any information to the townspeople about the father. Eventually, the father is revealed, the biological father of Pearl is revealed to be the high priest of the village, Revered Dimmesdale. Hester was through tolerating the cruel treatment towards herself and her child, Hester and Dimmesdale then make a plan of action to run away from the village so they would have the ability to start over and no longer keep their secret love in the shadows.

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Hester and Dimmesdale have a very unique love for eachother. Their love is reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet in the way that they are not able to pursue it. They are people who have been hardened and hurt by their past mistakes. They share that connection with each other unlike anyone else. Hester and Pearl go to meet up with Dimmesdale in the forest in complete effort to keep their relationship a complete secret.

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In a scene where Dimmesdale and Hester meet in the forest for the first time in seven years, Dimmesdale confides in her. He tells Hester about the past seven years being an emotional journey in which he feels, “‘None! None other than despair… what else could I look for being what I am, and leading such a life...’” (123). Hawthorne simply tells the reader to never isolate themselves like Dimmesdale.

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“In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another…” (p 45). One of the most significant scenes is in Chapter nineteen, when Hester lets down her hair and removes the scarlet letter, causing Pearl to “burst into a fit of passion” (p 180) Pearl was so upset that Hester removed her scarlet letter, because she felt as if she removed a part of herself. Pearl knows what the scarlet letter means, and that it is somehow associated with her. No matter how much Hester wants to cover up her sin, Pearl prevents her

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She vows to never reveal the name of Pearl’s father, however it is later revealed that he is the ever-so-respected town Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester is more than aware of her exclusion from the groups of the colony, even though she was working to rebuild her name by working and keeping busy, “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished, and as much alone as if she had inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs than the rest of human kind” (page 108). The judgmental community that Hester is a part of, ceases to affect her actions. She refuses to leave, and raises her daughter the best that she can- with love, respect, without revealing to Pearl what makes her different.

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Hester dislikes the fact that the “scarlet letter” may be perceived as a sign of weakness, and instead learns to be empowered by the “A”. Ultimately, Hester actively made a positive impact on the community and proceeds to raise pearl, her child, without any assistance from Roger or Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester exemplifies her independence through her ability to maintain financial stability while raising her daughter and working. Hester eventually morphs the public's view of the scarlet letter into something positive. The narrator says, “many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification.

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This shows that Hester does not necessarily need to worry about what the people of Boston think of her or how she needs to redeem herself in order to fit back into the society. When Hawthorne says “The angel and apostle of the coming revelation must be a woman, indeed, but lofty, pure, and beautiful; and wise, moreover, not through dusky grief, but the ethereal medium of joy; and showing how sacred love should make us happy, by the truest test of a life successful to such an end!” he is showing how there is no way for Hester to change her society. She should have love and joy, but instead she is faced with guilt, which leads to her downfall. Along with this, Hawthorne demonstrates how the people of Boston are actually the sinners while Hester and Dimmesdale represent the Angel and the Saint of the city.

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Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne exposes the blindness of the Puritan people through the treatment of Hester, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale’s external characters. Hester Prynne is labeled as an adulteress and mistreated by society because of their unwillingness to see her true character. Chillingworth, the husband of Hester, leads the town to believe he is an honorable man and skillful doctor, when his true intents root from his vindictive nature Finally, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester’s lover and the father of her baby, acts as the perfect man therefore the town views him as an exemplar model, while he is truly a sinner. In the novel, Hawthorne portrays Hester as a strong, resilient woman, though the members of her community

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Dimmesdale and Hester have a conversation but he confronts her saying that the child is her responsibility and not his. In the text is says, “for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hid a guilty heart through life. ”(Hawthorne, 63) Dimmesdale refuses to be responsible for his actions. As a pastor, he is not allowed to sin. Admitting to Pearl being his daughter would be a sin.

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Many authors use symbolism in literature, but Nathaniel Hawthorne seems to outdo the rest because he is tremendous at inserting symbolism throughout his novels. Hawthorne uses symbolism to allow the reader to interpret the story in many ways, as well as to show meaning towards the words in the book. Symbolism is a device in literature where an object represents an idea. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, he masters the use of symbolism through nature, the scaffold, and Hester’s stigma.

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The hardships and punishments of both Hester and Dimmesdale, while difficult to endure at the time, were eventually beneficial and allowed them to free themselves from the Puritan community and escape their pain. Hester, throughout the beginning and middle of the book, is forced to face alienation and humiliation from her town, though by the end of the book, she is able to use her punishment to set her free from her society. First, Hester reflects on the effect of her sin, and realizes, “ . . . the torture of her daily shame would at length purge her soul . . .” (72).

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