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Bowdoin College 1828 began publishing novels and short stories 1838 became engaged to Sophia Peabody 1839 hired at the Boston Custom House to weigh and measure goods 1841 quit the Custom House for a more interesting experiment: Hawthorne agreed to purchase a $500 share in a new utopian community in West Roxbury, Massachusetts named Brook Farm, a transcendentalist community Married Peabody in The Scarlet Letter was published Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864 Much of Hawthorne's writing centers on New England, many works featuring moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered Dark Romanticism. His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and include a deep psychological complexity Hawthorne...
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Scarlet LetterBy Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel
Hawthorne
• American novelist and short story writer, most famous for his novel The Scarlet Letter• Wrote during the Romantic period of literary history (1830-1865) along with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Herman Melville, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Edgar Allen Poe• Born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning• His ancestors include John Hathorne, the only judge involved in the Salem witch trials who never repented of his actions• Nathaniel later added a "w" to make his name "Hawthorne" in order to hide this relation
• 1821-1825 Bowdoin College• 1828 began publishing novels and short stories• 1838 became engaged to Sophia Peabody • 1839 hired at the Boston Custom House to weigh and measure goods• 1841 quit the Custom House for a more interesting experiment: Hawthorne agreed to purchase a $500 share in a new utopian community in West Roxbury, Massachusetts named Brook Farm, a transcendentalist community• Married Peabody in 1842. • 1850 The Scarlet Letter was published • Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864• Much of Hawthorne's writing centers on New England, many works featuring moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. • His fiction works are considered Dark Romanticism. • His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and include a deep psychological complexity
Hawthorne . . .
The Custom House is largely an autobiographical sketch describing Hawthorne's life as an administrator of the Salem Custom House. It was written to enlarge the tale of The Scarlet Letter, since Hawthorne deemed the story too short to print by itself. It also serves as an excellent essay on society during Hawthorne's times, and it allows Hawthorne to add an imaginative literary device, the romantic pretense of having discovered the manuscript of The Scarlet Letter in the Custom House.
The Custom-House . . .
• Puritan is derived from pure/purity• A person with censorious moral beliefs, especially about pleasure and sex.• Puritan culture emphasized self-reliance, independence, individual achievement, individual responsibility, personal accountability, power through ability (education)• In 1620, the Puritans left Holland for the New World and establish Plymouth Plantation in the “savage wilderness” of New England.• Because scripture was central to religion and government, scholarship was a highly valued right (reserved, of course, to men only)• The role of religious leaders was to present Scripture and guide other church members in its understand and application• Because Puritan Boston was still a theocratic society, crime against church (or God) was the equivalent of a crime against another person or against “the State.”
Puritanism . . .
The following were “against God” and therefore illegal:
IdlenessLong HairDuck HuntingSwearingSleeping during sermonsSkipping churchGossip
Stocks and Pillory• The most common New England colonial punishment was use of the stocks and pillory.• Stocks were heavy wooden frames with holes for ankles and/or wrists• The pillory was similar, but allowed the accused to stand while his or hands were bound.
The Ducking Stool
• Usually used to punish women who gossiped or scolded their husbands
• The number of times a woman was to be dunked into a lake or river was determined by the judges.
Whipping
Most whipping sentences called for 20-40 lashes
One case on record recalls a
man being whipped 117
times
ExecutionThe threat of execution was omnipresent in the colonies. Hanging was the most common method of execution, although burning at the stake was also used.
Public Humiliation• Criminals were sometimes forced to wear a letter symbolizing the crime committed.•“T” stood for thief•“D” was worn by those accused of public drunkenness
• The Scarlet Letter is an American classic, full of themes, characters, and ideas that are universal and timeless. However, it is vital that we connect the novel with contemporary, relevant issues and make personal and global connections.•“Sin” has multiple meanings and treatments in different societies and different time periods.• Although Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter was written more than 150 years ago, it contains concepts and insights relevant to current societal and governmental norms.• Religion, social morals and codes of ethics play important roles in countries’ laws and treatment of individuals in those countries.
FYI . . .
• How do varying levels of religious influence on governments dictate moral and ethical law?• How does a society’s definition of “sin” influence/affect the individual?• How do hypocrisy, conformity, and vengeance affect the characters of The Scarlet Letter?• How do these same forces affect others?
Essential Questions . . .
• Interpret themes, taking into account the historical setting• Analyze, make connections to, and draw conclusions about major characters in The Scarlet Letter• Make connections between the Puritan “taboos” and current cultural taboos
You will be able to…
Culminating Assessments . . .• Quizzes• Final Test• Research-supported literary analysis
