The Puritan And Romanticist Ideas Of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

The Puritan and Romanticist Ideas of The Scarlet Letter
The standards that the Puritan ideal set are virtually impossible for any human to attain. Part of the ideal was that they believed that man only existed for the Glory of God and to do only His will in effort to obtain future happiness. Religion governed the community and all aspects of life in these communities. Since the ideal was almost impossible to attain, society was fraught with sin. Hawthorne addresses sin and transformation through his characters Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the Puritan setting to discuss the human toll of such lofty and intolerant ideals.
The concept of Individual freedom plays a large role in the development
Pearl is a symbol Hester’s sin. Everyday, in the earlier parts of the book, Hester glances at Pearl and sees the mistakes that she made, “Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world. An imp of evil emblem and product of sin . . .”(Hawthorne 64). Pearl’s symbolism transforms during the course of the novel and changes into a symbol of existence. Gradually, Hester accepts her fate and gains strength because of the fact that she must live for Pearl. Although Pearl represents sin, she is without sin and is innocent. Hawthorne used Pearl to convey the Puritan ideal that youthful innocence is much more valuable than educated sophistication. Many times Hester worries about Pearl because she is not the most obedient child and has a strong streak of independence. Cotton Mather was a minister in Boston, the setting of The Scarlet Letter. He was also a pamphleteer and one of his pieces was “The Duties of Children to Their Parents”. This piece is interpreted with an over arching theme of obedience, a major Puritan ideal, which clashes with Pearl’s character. Pearl does not obey Hester at times and throws many temper tantrums. Pearl clashes with the Puritan ideals of the time during the novel, The Scarlet Letter. However, in the end of the novel, in spite of her disobedient childhood, Pearl becomes a wealthy woman and supports her mother who has returned to
In The Scarlet Letter, Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale was one of the most respected men. In the novel, Dimmesdale had relations with Hester, but never confessed to his sin. Dimmesdale gave Hester the opportunity to name him as Pearl’s father, yet Hester continued to refuse to speak and kept his identity a secret. “’I will not speak!’ answered Hester, turning pale as death, but responding to this voice, which she too surely recognized.” (Hawthorne 47). The Reverend could not live with his guilt and he rotted away figuratively and literally. Eventually, he dies from the stress of the guilt that he has to endure. Dimmesdale is a character that also does not follow the Puritan ideals of his time. Pastors were supposed to seek cleanliness of the heart and be free of sin. But by having sexual relations with Hester, he became tainted with sin and guilt, which ate away at his soul. Arthur Dimmesdale is an example of a man in need of God’s love in the face of unbearable sin. Poet Edward Taylor’s Puritan ideal, set forth in “Meditation 1”, speaks to the conflict of God’s love and man’s sin. Like Arthur, Taylor was born in England, gained respect for his theology, and migrated to the colonies. In “Meditation 1”, Taylor wrote of God’s infinite love for man even though man was born into sin. “What Love is this of thine, that Cannot bee/In thine Infinity”. (Taylor