The Scarlet Letter
Structure:
begins with scaffold scene, ends with scaffold scene, turning point on the scaffold towards the end: Chillingworth, Hester, Dimmesdale (and Pearl) are at all three scenes
Story focuses on the three characters, and on Pearl as an auxiliary
Story within the story: story of a hundred years ago, told a hundred years after=two hundred year old story
Foils and opposition:
Dimmesdale Hester
Dimmesdale Chillingworth
Good/God evil/Black Man
Civilization wilderness
Town forest
Puritans Indians
Chillingworth Pearl
Light dark
Hidden A scarlet A
Governor Mistress Hibbins
Symbolism of A
scarlet letter: adultery, able, angel, “awe & reverence”
meteor
Dimmesdale’s mark
Pearl
grave stone
Transcendental commentary on Puritanical beliefs
Hawthorne as a transcendentalist
Transcendentalism was a religious and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century that was dedicated to the belief that divinity manifests itself everywhere, particularly in the natural world. It also advocated a personalized, direct relationship with the divine in place of formalized, structured religion.
“Civilized” Puritanism vs. God’s presence in the natural world, in the forest, in the wildernes
Other social commentary: conception of sin--Puritan view that should be avoided at all costs because once you've sinned, you cannot be fully redeemed or Hawthorne's view that to sin is inherent in being human so the most important aspect is to learn from mistakes and to seek redemption and forgiveness. "Be true, be true, be true" over the hypocrisy of the Puritans
Pearl’s role:
devilish or God's blessing?
paradox
Guardian angel steering her parents towards the right decision, "God's blessing"
The personified scarlet A. -- becomes a real person at the very end of the novel
A living symbol
Civilization vs. wilderness
Rosebush and Prison door,
forest and light vs. town & dark
Pearl vs. Chillingworth?
Sin, knowledge and the human condition
Adam and Eve: expulsion from Eden and suffering—like Hester and Dimmesdale
Made aware of their humanness, forced to toil and to procreate—two labors
Sinning is part of being human
(from SparkNotes) But in this novel, this expulsion also results in knowledge that is not evil—knowledge of what it means to be human . For Hester, the scarlet letter functions as "her passport into regions where other women dared not tread," leading her to "speculate" about her society and herself more "boldly" than anyone else in New England. As for Dimmesdale, the "burden" of his sin gives him "sympathies so intimate with the sinful brotherhood of mankind, so that his heart vibrate[s] in unison with theirs." His eloquent and powerful sermons derive from this sense of empathy. Hester and Dimmesdale contemplate their own sinfulness on a daily basis and try to reconcile it with their lived experiences.
The Puritan elders, on the other hand, insist on seeing earthly experience as merely an obstacle on the path to heaven. Thus, they view sin as a threat to the community that should be punished and suppressed. Their answer to Hester's sin is to ostracize her. Yet, Puritan society is stagnant, while Hester and Dimmesdale's experience shows that a state of sinfulness can lead to personal growth, sympathy, and understanding of others. Are there any 100% pure characters in the novel? In the world?
Ending of the novel: Hawthorne’s interp of Dimmesdale’s death as criticizing Puritanical beliefs that are too harsh and are hypocritical. That evil is a part of all of us and must learn to cope. That no one is pure. But some in the novel interpret it as an allegorical performance—he meant to deliver a lesson on sin and was not actually confessing to any real sin. That all men have a potential for evil and so therefore must be punished severely in order to repress it. The good can be wholly pure.
Light and darkness
Light in the forest, darkness in town. Holy light, dark, dreary clothing
Light chases Pearl , runs from Hester, light shines on Hester & Dimmesdale when they reveal their love for each other and plan to escape the Puritans
"celestial radiance" vs. "dusky and lurid glow", love vs. hate p. 178 -- Puritans corrupted by too much hate and punishment and not enough love and forgiveness