Background Notes-The Scarlet Letter

8/11/2019 Background Notes-The Scarlet Letter

1/8


2/8

Born in Salem, MA in 1804 Son of a sea captain and great-grandson of a judge who

had presided at the Salem Witch Trialsin the 1600s Impoverished childhood due to fathers death in 1808 No resentment toward poverty and poor health

He learned from them Vast understanding of human nature and the suffering

engendered by social, religious, and economic inequities Graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825 Devoted his life to reading, writing, and publishing, but

was forced to interrupt his craft to supplement his incomeby working odd jobs Private man who preferred to spend time in seclusion with

family and a few close friends Married Sophia Peabody in 1842

Died in 1864


3/8

Raised in a family and culture steeped in Puritanism, he witnessedthe decay of Puritanism with ambivalence (uncertainty)

Critical of Puritanism, he nonetheless felt a strong obligation toseek the highest truth and a strong moral sense which was deeplyembedded in all aspects of his life

Social reformist who participated directly as a member of theutopian socialist colony at Brook Farm

Appalled by moral decay and human suffering, Hawthorne usedhis writing to explore the inner workings of the human mind,spirit, and heart

Argued that the rigidity of Puritanism and its emphasis on originalsin undermined rather than strengthened morality, which wasfrequently noted in his writing

Friends with transcendentalists, but his writing lacked theoptimism and self-confidence of his peers; instead he preferredthemes of human depravity and guilt


4/8

A Romantic writer who wrote to enlightened andentertain

Allegorical style Sought to achieve a unified effect and to illustrate a

moral lesson Romance is concerned with truth rather than history

or reality; therefore, writers can manipulate his/hercharacters and atmospherical medium to elevate

good and to illuminate the horrors of evil Romance must be true to human sentiments andemotions

On a quest for truth Symbolism important to reveal truth


5/8

Defined: a narrative that serves as an extendedmetaphor. Allegories are written in the form of fables,parables, poems, stories, and almost any other style

or genre. The main purpose of an allegory is to tell astory that has characters, a setting, as well as othertypes of symbols, that have both literal andfigurative meanings. The difference between an

allegory and a symbol is that an allegory is a completenarrative that conveys abstract ideas to get a pointacross, while a symbol is a representation of an idea orconcept that can have a different meaningthroughout a literary work (A Handbook to Literature).


6/8

Goal: To achieve a single, concentratedeffect.

Color Light/dark contrast motif

A


7/8

Individual vs. Society Change and Transformation

Ambiguity Guilt/Innocence/Sin Identity


8/8

Gov. Bellingham Roger Chillingworth

Arthur Dimmesdale The Goodwives Mistress Hibbins Pearl Hester Prynne The Shipmaster John Wilson

Documents

Background Notes-The Scarlet Letter