Survey of American Literature The Scarlet Letter Survey of American Literature We have spent a lot of time with early American literature this year. We started with Native American origin myths, then moved into the Colonial Period With the Colonial Period, we read two pieces – “To My Dear and Loving Husband” and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” While the two pieces were different in tone and structure, they shared the qualities of lyric poetry – they both appealed to reader emotions We learned to identify elements of literature through independent reading and paraphrasing From there, we moved onto The Crucible, a longer piece. It was a drama written in the 1950s about the 1690s – we learned about characterization, irony, and tragedy, and how to identify those elements through critical literary analysis Now, we are moving on again, this time to The Scarlet Letter. It was written IN puritan times ABOUT puritans While this work was written in 1855, the issues it raises still speak to us today We will be building on everything we’ve done so far, and will be pushing ourselves to complete much of the reading independently We will focus on making meaning of what we read, regarding both author intent and personal response That being said, let’s first talk about the novel’s author

Nathaniel Hawthorne About the Man 1804-1864 Salem, Massachusetts Puritan Solid accomplishment Great guilt Ancestor: William Hathorne Married Sophia Peabody Strength and nobility Reflected in Hester Prynne About the Man N.H. lived from 1804 to 1864 He was born in Salem, Mass to a prominent Puritan family He associated Puritanism with solid accomplishment and great guilt His early ancestor, William Hathorne, arrived in the colonies in 1630; he is remembered for having condemned a Quaker woman (by whipping) Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody in 1842 In her, he found strength and nobility. These are two qualities we will see later in Hester Prynne, the heroine of The Scarlet Letter, which reflect the qualities he admired in his wife.

Nathaniel Hawthorne About the Author Great American Author Romanticism First psychological novel Redemption, sin Romanticism Intellectual curiosity Optimism Dark Romanticism Works Novels Short Stories About the Author Hawthorne is considered one of American’s greatest writers because he is known to have written the first truly psychological novel The Scarlet Letter is a parable – a story – of redemption and sin He belongs to the era of Romanticism Movement reflects intellectual curiosity and optimism Although Hawthorn later rejected the optimism of the Transcendentalists His work can be considered, more specifically, dark romanticism Hawthorne wrote four major romances: The Scarlet Letter, The House of Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and The Marble Faun He also wrote one anonymously called Fanshawe He wrote many more short stories Along with Edgar Allan Poe, he helped to create the template for short stories Most well-known collection is called Twice-Told Tales

The Scarlet Letter Written in 1855 Setting Framework Boston Mid-1600s Seven-year period Framework Rigid social mores Traditional customs Moral attitudes Religious beliefs Written in 1855 Set in Boston in the mid 1600s Takes place over a seven year period Provides a framework of rigid social mores and religious beliefs Social mores include the accepted traditional customs and behaviors of a specific social group. In this case, we mean the Puritans. It also means their moral attitudes. Remember, the Puritans are a people amongst whom religion and law were almost identical

The Scarlet Letter Plot Love triangle: wife-lover-husband Suspense Struggle: good versus evil Characters’ souls at stake Suspense Will identities of lover and husband be revealed? How will identities be revealed? Psychological movement: husband’s quest for revenge The plot involves the familiar triangle of a wife, lover, and husband. It is a struggle between good and evil, with the eternal souls of the characters at stake. Suspense is built around two primary questions: will the identities of the lover and husband be revealed? And, if so, HOW will their identities be revealed? The main psychological movement in the novel derives from the husband’s insatiable quest for revenge. This desire is all-consuming, and it drives much of the novel’s action.

The Scarlet Letter Structure Novel begins in media res Innovative form Instead of ongoing chronicle of events Series of separate, fully-realized chapters Interspersed with expository chapters Novel begins in media res Action already occurred Characters facing consequences Hawthorne’s form of writing for this novel was innovative, especially for the 1850s Instead of an ongoing chronicle of events, as most novels are written, the scarlet letter is a series of separate, fully-realized chapters, interspersed with expository chapters Much like Arthur Miller gave us dramatic expositions in the crucible, Nathaniel Hawthorne gives us expository chapters with information necessary for understanding the story The novel begins in media res, which means the motivating action has already occurred – the affair and the baby’s birth have already happened So as the novel begins, the characters are already facing the consequences of this action

The Scarlet Letter Point of View (POV) Omniscient Author reveals inner and outer characters Asides Social criticism History Psychology All characters in constant state of change Theocracy Act of adultery not important Consequences of adultery more important The novel’s point of view is omniscient, which means that the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters in the story The word omniscient means having infinite knowledge or understanding As we read, the author reveals the inner and outer lives of his characters, with asides on social criticism, history, and psychology All characters in the scarlet letter are in a constant state of change. This is important to remember because different symbols will change with the characters. It is important to remember the puritans live in a theocracy. Their religious government suggests that the act of adultery – the sin itself – is not as important as the consequences of the sin

Major Characters Hester Prynne Novel’s heroine Adulterer Name: prim and proper First strong female character in American literature Hester Prynne Young Englishwoman Has been living alone in Boston Her husband has been missing for several years Has given birth to a child But refuses to name the father She pays for her sin in many ways

Major Characters Pearl Hester’s daughter Precious to her mother Illegitimate child Product of adultery Precious to her mother Intelligent, imaginative Pearl Hester’s daughter Illegitimate child Product of adultery Great value to her mother, very precious Looked down upon by other Puritans Keep an eye on this character Happy and joyful Highly intuitive – capable of knowing without reasoning Intelligent and imaginative

Major Characters Arthur Dimmesdale Reverend Guilt-ridden Tortured Popular and admired young clergyman Guilt-ridden Experiences intense internal conflict

Major Characters Roger Chillingworth Scholar Vengeful Hides true identity Roger Chillingworth A scholar, much older than Hester and Dimmesdale Arrives in Boston after years of captivity Major antagonist Novel chronicles his deterioration

Themes Effects of Sin and Possibility of Redemption Psychological and social consequences of sin Characters’ processes of redemption Does every attain redemption? Applies to: Hester Dimmesdale Chillingworth Secondary Effect: Insight into the Hearts of Others

Themes Hypocrisy Other Noticeable Themes Conflict between outer appearance and inner reality Depicted in Hester’s relationship with community Illustrated in portrayals of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth Other Noticeable Themes Guilt Revenge Human frailty and Sin Hypocrisy Conflict between outer appearance and inner reality Depicted in Hester’s relationship with community Illustrated in portrayals of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth

Conflicts Man versus Society Man versus Man Man versus Self

Symbols The Scarlet Letter The Scaffold Elements of Nature Central symbol of novel Meaning changes as characters change The Scaffold Public exposure of private since Redemption through confession Elements of Nature Good and evil Forest is changeable symbol for both The Scarlet Letter Central symbol Meaning changes as characters change The Scaffold A scaffold is a raised platform used for criminals Public exposure of private sins Three main scaffold scenes – beginning, middle, end For each of these scenes, focus on who controls that particular scene Who’s there Where they are How they’re acting Elements of Nature Elements of nature are used to symbolize good and evil Good: flowers, sun, light Evil: weeds, unsightly vegetation, darkness, shade Forest is a changeable symbol representing both good and evil

Irony Dramatic Irony Situational Irony Verbal Irony Controls novel Readers know something about a character the other characters do not If characters knew what readers know, plot would be ruined Situational Irony Central to novel’s action Contrast between intention of an action and its result Expectations aroused by situation are reversed Verbal Irony Throughout novel Dramatic irony controls the novel Readers know something about a character that the other characters don’t know If the characters knew what the readers know, the plot would be ruined Situational irony is central to the action of the novel Situational irony is a contrast between the intention of a specific action and its result Expectations aroused by a situation are reversed

What happens when a private sin becomes a public crime?