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What Is Transcendentalism In The Scarlet Letter

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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter developed messages about the effects of sin and guilt on the human mind. His message intensified through its combination with transcendental ideals and symbols, which evolved into Hawthorne’s own perspective on transcendental principles when he addressed them in relation to his characters. Hawthorne included Transcendentalism in The Scarlet Letter in order to teach readers individual responsibility and to desire to seek the truth. An early instance of the use of transcendental ideals appears in the novel as the rosebush, a symbol of individualism. Hawthorne describes it as “kept alive in history… it had sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Ann Hutchinson” (Hawthorne 42). The allusion to Ann …show more content…

For a large part of the plot, Chillingworth pursues the father of Pearl, in order to cause the man pain and suffering for his sin. As the antagonist of the novel and the representation of the Devil, Chillingworth’s motives and methods seem more Gothic than Transcendental, but one must keep in mind that the American Gothic tradition and Transcendentalism both represent different paths to discover truth. Continually tortured by Chillingworth as well as his own lies (until the resolution of The Scarlet Letter), Dimmesdale cannot decide whether to continue to lie about his relationship with Hester Prynne and Pearl, or to tell the truth. This internal turmoil manifests itself in Dimmesdale’s sickly countenance. In contrast, Pearl remains completely satisfied and full of vitality because she represents the truth. The characters of Dimmesdale and Pearl are juxtaposed through the differences in their reflections. Dimmesdale sees his reflection during his sessions of self-inflicted torture, “viewing his own face in a looking glass, by the most powerful light which he could shine upon it” (Hawthorne 124), but no amount of light could drive the darkness out of his visage, unless he told the truth and finally released himself from the burden of his guilt. However, Pearl produces her own light while Dimmesdale and her mother watch from the figurative (and sometimes literal) shadows. Pearls seems “glorified with a ray of sunshine…attracted…by a certain sympathy. In the brook beneath stood another child…with likewise its ray of golden light” (Hawthorne 178). Especially significant is the location of this event, the forest, which Hawthorne utilizes as a place of truth because its wildness contrasts with the Puritan settlement’s seemingly strict adherence to the Puritan doctrine. Additionally, the Transcendentalists celebrate nature as a way to reconnect with God, to discover the higher truth.

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361 Words | 2 Pages

Dimmesdale and Chillingworth both have secrets that make them look and act differently, their secrets affect their character and how they do their job. Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl but he doesn 't want to face the same humiliation as Hester did for his sins. Because of his secret he self punishes and fasts, he also preaches better than he did before although his health is failing. Chillingworth’s secret is that he was the husband of Hester while he was away, before she cheated on him. Chillingworth gets uglier and uglier driven by the need to get revenge on Pearl’s father.

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In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses rhetorical devices such as imagery, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Foreshadowing, is used to reveal Pearl’s father to the reader. Hawthorne reveals that Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father, through Dimmesdale’s relationships with the other characters as well as his words and deeds. Throughout the novel, it is clear to the reader that Pearl and Dimmesdale have a unique relationship. As Dimmesdale, on behalf of the other ministers, attempts to convince Hester to reveal who Pearl’s father is, he gives a moving speech that impacts all his listeners: “even the poor baby, at Hester’s bosom, was affected by the same influence; for it directed its hitherto vacant gaze towards Mr. Dimmesdale,

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551 Words | 3 Pages

Consequently, Arthur Dimmesdale is the cause of Hester Prynne's shame for he is the man whom Hester loves. No one knows he is the father of Pearl, Hester won't say and he isn't strong enough to speak up. He struggles with this knowledge that Hester is being punished and not him. The only truth that continued to give Mr. Dimmesdale a real existence on this earth was the anguish in his inmost soul, and the undissembled expression of it in his aspect, (Hawthorne 142). Being a minister of God the citizens look up to him, and he feels guilty about his hidden sin.

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Many people are said to be weak individuals, because of how they choose to live their lives. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Arthur Dimmesdale is being characterized as a very weak individual who can only make bad decisions that cause him guilt and stress. Dimmesdale denies being the father of Pearl, and having an affair with Hester. Guilt begins to take over his life, and to make himself feel better about hester taking all the punishment, he harms himself.

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229 Words | 1 Pages

By analyzing Hawthorne’s use of the juxtaposition of Pearl’s mannerisms and the symbolism of the weeds, it is evident that he conveys a disapproval of the rigidity of the Puritans, which establishes his blatant romanticism as an author. Preceding the following passage, Hester Prynne, an adulteress, is given a punishment by the inflexible Puritans of public shame in the form of a red A, which is then represented in the product of that sin, her daughter, Pearl. Hawthorne, after using the symbolism of the rigid, solemn trees and Pearl’s disdain for them, goes on to compare the weeds to Pearl; “...the ugliest weeds of the garden were [the Puritan] children, whom Pearl smote down and uprooted unmercifully” (Hawthorne 98). Pearl exemplifies wildness

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The reader is especially made aware of Dimmesdale's mental state in the eleventh chapter, “His inward trouble drove him to practices more in accordance with the old, corrupted faith of Rome, than with the better light of the church in which he had been born and bred” [150]. This suggests that he is racked with immense guilt and shame at the falsehood he is living and suggests that he is physically abusing himself as a result of this guilt. This directly contradicts Chillingworth's mental state of fury and vengeance that he falls deeper into as the story progresses. These two characters also hold striking incongruities as to what drives them onward as the account

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Nathaniel Hawthorne was a transcendentalist. He judged his Puritan ancestors in their deeds, especially the witch persecutions. Transcendentalism, Puritanism and the idea of witchcraft were reflected in his novel The Scarlet Letter. Although The Scarlet Letter doesn‘t address witchcraft directly, witchcraft saturates the background of the novel. Many factors factors had their influence on the Puritan society, be it positive or negative.

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346 Words | 2 Pages

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s mother’s death provided a kind of creative release and it gave him the idea to write The Scarlet Letter. Furthermore, with his wife’s help

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84 Words | 1 Pages

In other words, ideas of the inherently flawed human can be compared to the importance of the human heart, and why it cannot be underestimated in The Scarlet Letter. Its function is to connect the individual to the world of nature and to common humanity. Hawthorne suggests that by fully accepting and honoring the human heart, man can find a balance between nature and society. “When man can live an existence which will allow nature and society to be in concord rather than conflict”.

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In the article “Three Orders: Natural, Moral and Symbolic” by Hyatt Howe Waggoner analyzes how three of the main importances of “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne are natural, moral, and symbolic components of the story. “The Scarlet Letter” is a figurative novel that has a lot of comparisons to the natural, moral, and symbolic pieces of the Puritan community. Hawthorne uses several different items to represent natural, moral and symbolic pieces in his novel. Waggoner’s article shows that Chillingworth is closely in relation to the weeds and black flowers in the cemetery, the letter Hester wears around her chest is close in relation to the red rose, and Pearl is exceedingly close in relation to the wild rose bush next to the prison.

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1458 Words | 6 Pages

However, he also uses these allusions to create a new side to his narrative as evident when he describes Hester’s resilience, and to create a new element in the plot as evident in his description of Dimmesdale’s penance and need for redemption. Therefore, Hawthorne demonstrates an effective use of allusions to craft a religious and detailed narrative for The Scarlet Letter by reviewing on parallels between the Bible and the novel’s main characters. There’s more to The Scarlet Letter than these allusions though, and there are many questions to answer about this book. These questions may never be answered fully, but by reading the novel itself, we might find the right places to start searching for answers and formulate our own opinions on the matter. What’s important from this novel is the realistic warning about what might happens when an individual place themselves too highly among others, a message Hawthorne writes to warn against the fervor of transcendentalism of his time.

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The Hidden Sin and The Revealed Sin As humans, we live in the that are brimming with sins and evil desire. As the creator of all the creatures, God, sent his only son to save the people from the control of devil. The only thing we have to do is to acknowledge our mistake. Bible teach us that we should tell the truth to God and your neighbors, and God will forgive you. But people are worse, they not only hide the sin and their evil behaviors but also try to deny it.

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580 Words | 3 Pages

Therefore, the forest symbolizes freedom from the Puritan laws. By contrasting nature with Puritan society, Hawthorne successfully criticizes the

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1303 Words | 6 Pages

Specifically, the mentions of the changing of the garden from flourished with shrubs and tress to overturned with abandonment. These images of decay perfectly represent the attempt to replicate an English garden on the soil of New England. Readers see Hawthorne’s use of personification throughout his descriptions of nature by bringing lifelike qualities and appearances to their

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1284 Words | 6 Pages

In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne effectively conforms to the conventions of the gothic genre for the purpose of characterizing the Puritan society as oppressive, portraying the hypocrisy found within the society and highlighting the consequences for not confessing

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