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Was Hawthorne criticizing or embracing the Puritan world? Cite an example from the text to support your opinion.
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Nathaniel Hawthorne criticizes Puritan lifestyles continuously throughout the book The Scarlet Letter. The image he portrays of the Puritan lifestyle of the time is ridged, judgmental, mean, and bland. An example of this is found on page 82 “The frown, the harsh rebuke, the frequent application of the rod, enjoined by Scriptural authority, were used, not merely in the way of punishment for actual offences but as a wholesome regimen for the growth and promotion of all childish virtues.” which shows how parents of this time were extremely strict and ridged in raising their children. Puritans also seemed pessimistic in Hawthorne’s depiction of them, making his first point about these people “among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison.” (45) This shows that to Puritans, crime and death needed a way to be dealt with, and often times intertwined with each other. He also portrays Puritans as extremists, and act too harshly towards a minor offence, “a penalty which, in our days, would infer a degree of mocking infamy and ridicule, might then be invested with almost as stern a dignity as the punishment of death itself.” (47) This shows the extreme to which Puritans go to punish their sinners and lawbreakers. Whenever Hawthorn describes the strictness of Puritan lifestyles, it is often met with a mocking tone, or a comparison to his modern day.
ReplyDeleteIn the Scarlet Letter I think that Nathaniel Hawthorne was criticizing the Puritan lifestyle. When Hester became pregnant and especially after Pearl was born, the towns people really began to judge her. They would call her and Pearl names, and throw things at them which obviously wasn't putting the towns people in a positive light. Also, the fact that Hester chose to stay in the town rather than go back to Europe shows that she was devoted to her religion. If the Puritan religion keeps people from being happy than Hawthorne obviously wasn't looking at them with a positive light. Another example that shows Hawthorne as criticizing the Puritans was through Reverend Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale, consumed by his own guilt for being the one to commit adultery with Hester eventually died because he was too scared of the judgements that people would make of him.
ReplyDeleteIt can be implied Nathaniel Hawthorne was criticizing the Puritan Era because of the dark often times negative connotation he associated with the practices and events within the book, along with the description of others irrelevant to the main characters. These people were described as old,rugged, callous, unsympathetic, and judgmental. Another contributing reason as to why Hawthorne may have cast this theme was the time, and audience in which he was writing to. The Scarlet Letter was written in 1850, and as history shows in countless instances, what was once considered fact or truth becomes altered as time prevails. Differences in culture and philosophy develop over time, the people of 1850 were not nearly as strict in their religious practices, in fact,Puritanism would start its decline in America around the 1650's, so this philosophy was history to this particular audience as well.
ReplyDeleteHawthorne was criticizing the views of the puritan world. The puritans all believe that god is vengeful and that he punishes whatever mistakes you make. An example from the book that defeats the puritan's view is when the narrator talks about the "sinners are closer to god then anyone else". Another example would be in the last chapter where Dimmesdale(Not-so-brightsdale) repents his sin for he believes that god will forgive him.
ReplyDeleteHa, I beat you all. I have the smallest paragraph. And to Japan, that would efficient.
ReplyDeleteMarisa: Nice use of the text to support your points.
ReplyDeleteTom: Putting it in context with the times gives support too.
Connor: Where did you find the "Sinners are closer to God.." quote. (It certainly works as an example to support your point).