Saturday, March 24, 2012
Scarlet Letter- Last Chunk
Blog, using textual evidence, about an element that makes this a perfect example of Romanticism, a symbol that has been made clear to you, or perhaps changed its significance, or any other analytical insight you had while reading. After posting your thought, comment on at least one other person's ideas in a meaningful way. Remember, the purpose of the blog is to have discussions outside the classroom, so when we next come together we can get right to the heart of what we find most important about this American text. By 8pm Sunday, you should have blogged your own insight....Comments on others' posts can be made before or after 8.
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Nathaniel Hawthorne clearly depicts Romantic element of nature throughout his novel "The Scarlet Letter". In the last chunk of assigned reading Hawthorne uses elements of nature to illustrate the ambience of the scene as well as the mood of the characters. An example of Hawthorne's use of nature would be the scene where Hester and Arthur Dimmesdale meet in the forest and after Hester told Dimmesdale that Chillingworth was her husband. They are described as sitting "down again,side by side...on the mossy trunk of the fallen tree. Life had never brought them a gloomier hour;it was the point whither their pathway had so long been tending , and darkening ever, it stole along...The forest was obscure around them, and creaked with a blast that was passing through it. The boughs were tossing heavily above their heads;while one solemn old tree groaned dolefully to another, as if telling the sad story of the pair beneath, or constrained to forebode evil to come"(391). The forest is described as gloomy and dark in order to foreshadow the challenges to come, specifically their challenge to flee together from Boston. Also the dark description of the forest emphasizes the sadness and despair Dimmesdale feels after learning Chillingworth was Hester's husband. A symbol that was made clear to me was the knew meaning of the letter A. When Hester "undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter...and threw it to a distance among the withered leaves...Oh, exquisite relief! She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom! There played around her mouth, and beamed out of her eyes a radiant and tender smile, that seemed gushing from the very heart of womanhood"(405). Hester, through taking off her letter A , regained her passion for life and therefore the letter A symbolizes a weight which suffocated her passion. Finally the black man, a devil-like figure, changed through out the book is associated with Chillingsworth, Dimmesdale and Ms. Hibbins. The multiple associations with the devil suggest that Hawthorne believes evil resides in every human soul.
ReplyDeletePaige
Paige,
DeleteI like how you felt that the forest was described as gloomy and dark in order to foreshadow the challenges the characters would face like fleeing Boston. I also am fascinated with how you saw the forest as a "gloomy and dark place" depicting the characters moods, as I hadn't viewed it before. I personally saw it as lightening the mood and making the feel of the novel more 'uplifting'- while it made Pearl more beautiful as she danced wrapped in the flowers, and how it inspired Dimmesdale to at last reveal his sin. It also led him to become more energetic and less "sickly" looking. After reading this analysis of yours, my mind is open to a whole new perspective of the novel and leads me to question- does Hawthorne wish to portray nature as a good or a bad thing?
-Crystal M
I think that the passage you picked above also gets at the "unity of tone" both Poe and Hawthorne were striving for- everything "matches," from the mood to the setting to the characterization.
DeleteCrystal's question is an important one- we have talked about what Hawthorne might think of science in context with nature....asking about nature's quality is a good next step. Nice work!
I find that elements of romanticism have been made clear in the last chunk of the Scarlet Letter, most intensely in the chapter "The Child at the Brook-Side." Romanticism focuses on Nature; a place free from society's judgment and restrictions. Pearl is revealed to be most beautiful and most likely to love the Reverrend Dimmesdale while she dresses herself in nature's vines and flowers: "'Thou wilt love her dearly,' repeated Hester Prynne, as she and the minister sat watching little Pearl. 'Dost thou not think her beautiful? And see with what natural skill she has made those simple flowers adorn her! Had she gathered pearls, and diamonds, and rubies, in the wood, they could not have become her better. She is a splendid child! But I know whose brow she has!'" This quote expresses a romanting element by revealing that nature "brings out the best" in Pearl, allowing her beauty to intensify and her love to grow stronger with natures assistance. Hester goes on to say "But how strangely beautiful she looks, with those wild flowers in her hair! It is as if one of the fairies, whom we left in our dear old England, had decked her out to meet us." The earth's natural elements can provide assistance to humanity, such as the gift of Pearl and her presence in itself. Also, when Dimmesdale leaves the forest, his view on humanity has changed. In actuality, it is revealed that he himself is the one who has been changed. He is more vibrant and energetic than ever before. With this, Dimmesdale gives his speech on the scaffold, mainly acknowledging God and his presence/relation to the people of New England. This goes to show that Hawthorne is trying to support the idea that nature (a Romantic element) witholds beauty and is closely related to God. While Dimmesdale was in the forest he recognized this, therefore feeling it necessary to address it in his speech. It was made clear to me while reading that Nature has a large impact on a person's character and can greatly influence the significance of one's view on life and self-being.
ReplyDelete- Crystal M :)
Yes, and the quest for beauty is also a Romantic element. That the search for beauty ends is nature is a bit more transcendental...
DeleteIn the last chunk of the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses many elements of romanticism to enhance and dramatize the story. In Chapter 17, titled "The Pastor and His Parishioner" the way he talks about Hester meeting Dimmesdale by the brook in the forest creates great transendental imagery for the reader. Hawthorne focuses on the imagery and importance of nature in this last chunk of the book. For example, in Chapter 17 titled "Flood of Sunshine" also uses transendental elements like individuality and freedom when Hester removes the scarlet letter A from her chest. Mainly, the message from this last chink of the book is to be true to yourself and trust your intuition, like Hester did. The close connection to nature in this chapter was when Hester took off the Scarlet Letter and all of a sudden the sun grew brighter, making the connection that all of nature is symbolic to the human spirit.
ReplyDelete-Kate Sears
HI KATE
DeleteI was thinking the exact same thing when Hester took off her letter and then all of a sudden the weather got brighter. I thought of how humanity and what we do is connected with spirits and nature. And nature is all about romanticism!
Marissa H
YO WUDDUP hi there
DeleteSO YEAH I was reading your post and i was thinking the same thing when I was reading, it seems like the imagery Hawthorne uses changes the entire mood of the story. When Hesty and Dimmy sneak away to the the forest it's like they are in a complete different story, and being away from society lets them be themselves, IN LOVEEEEEEE but yeah you rock
David A
One Romantic aspect that "The Scarlet Letter" focuses on is psychology--namely, Mr. Dimmesdale's internal struggle whether to confess or not. In the final chapters, Dimmesdale is able to juxtapose his sin in relation to that of Chillingworth's, and comes to a conclusion that Chillingworth's is worse. This and his and Prynne's plan to escape set Dimmesdale at ease (which gives him an urge to do blasphemous things). We see passionate outbursts of emotion from Dimmesdale, which result directly from having sinned himself, although Dimmesdale still eludes telling the truth.
ReplyDeleteDimmesdale's sudden decline in health after his final sermon changes this. Knowing that he doesn't have much longer to live, Dimmesdale confesses his sin shortly before dying. By doing this instead of dying and taking the secret to the grave with him, Dimmesdale morally saves himself, which demonstrates that he has come to a higher understanding of the true nature of sin, as well as publicly accepting that it is a part of himself, and that no one is free from sin, not even those who are supposed to be role models (like in "The Minister's Black Veil").
Hi Tommy!
DeleteI really like how you described Dimmesdale as having discovered "the true nature of sin" - very true! I also think that is a great connection to "The Minister's Black Veil." It seems like the idea of hiding one's sins is a consistent theme throughout Hawthorne's work. This connects to the idea of the dark side of the human soul, which is definitely a Romantic element!
~Katie C
The most prominent romantic quality I observed in this section of The Scarlet Letter was the characters strong connection to nature found in the earlier chapters of the section. Pearl almost became one with nature; she decked herself out in flowers and foliage, and is described as being in harmony with everything around her: “The truth seems to be, however, that the mother-forest, and these wild things which it nourished, all recognized a kindred wildness in the human child” (411). Hester and Dimmesdale’s attitudes are also closely tied to nature and are personified in the atmosphere of the forest itself. When Hester and Dimmesdale first enter the forest the imagery used to describe it create a dark and gloomy mood. This imagery is analogous to the feeling of Hester and Dimmesdale as demonstrated at the beginning of chapter 18: “She had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest, amid the gloom which they were now holding a colloquy that was to decide their fate” (399). This connection between nature and the human spirit is prominent throughout the early part of this section, and seems to be at its greatest point in Chapter 18 (aptly named A Flood of Sunshine) when Hester and Dimmesdale agree to flee together from Boston and are released from their internal conflicts just as the forest is released from its gloom by a sudden flood of sunshine.
ReplyDelete-Mitchell Klokman
Mitchell, I completely agree with you in that Nature gives the novel its' elements of Romanticism :) Aside from spiritual nature, there's also elements of nature in general - the question of the rosebush from the beginning of the novel, and how it was outside a prison - it was doubtful whether it had any importance to the novel or not. Also, in the part where there's a sudden sunshine that shines on Hester's face that isn't usually present, the elements of darkness and gloom reappear when the A is re-pinned onto her dress. So maybe Hawthorne's using nature more symbolically than emotionally?
Delete-Gayatri
The Scartlet Letter is a perfect example of Romanticism because of the themes it presents. "Thou little knowest what a relief it is, after the torment of a seven year's cheat, to look into an eye that recognizes me for what I am!" (385). Dimmesdale puts a stress on the need for truth and for others to know who he really is. As a Romantic would, he desires to be known for what he is. At this point in the story he is out walking in the woods where he crosses paths with Hester. Even though the woods are commonly associated with the place where you write your name in the devil's book, at least by the rest of the town, the woods are also where Hester and Dimmesdale can be completely open. This reflects the Romantic pull towards returning to nature. While Hester and Dimmesdale are talking, deciding to leave together, Pearl is spending time with nature. "The great black forest- stern as it showed itself to those who brought the guilt and troubles of the world into its bosom- became the playmate of the lonely infant, as well as it knew how. Sombre as it was, it put on the kindest of its moods to welcome her" (409). Through the personification of nature, Hawthorne makes the dynamic changes in nature's character more understandable. Nature recognizes innocence, and although it does not seek to destroy the sinful duo, it works to please the innocent Pearl. The Scarlet Letter shows Romantic qualities by telling Hester Pyrnne's story, so that readers may learn from her experience.
ReplyDeletei like how you mention that the forest is where hester and dimmesdale can be open with eachother as well as it be associated with evil. does this make their relationship evil?
DeleteHawthorne shows great romantic qualities in the last section of The Scarlet Letter. For example, in chapter 19 Hawthorne shows emotional aspects involving Pearl. Pearl was suspicious of her mom and Dimmesdale, knowing that they agreed on some sort of arrangement. Pearl wouldn't go over to her mom until Hester replaced the letter on her chest. When Pearl finally did go to her mom and Dimmesdale, and kissed Hester as well as the letter. Dimmesdale kissed Pearl's forehead and she did not like that. "Pearl broke away from her mother, and, running to the brook, stooped over it, and bathed her forehead, until the unwelcome kiss was quite washed off, and diffused through a long lapse of the gliding water." You can sense Pearl's emotions through her actions- confused, angry, sad. Hawthorne reveals emotions through the actions of each character.
ReplyDeleteMarissa H
I think that Pearl's actions also show the importance placed on innocence. The fact that Pearl did not approve of Hester removing the scarlet letter demonstrate the idea that you shouldn't hide what you are (whether Hester is known as an adulterer or as an angel or as someone that is able). The focus on Pearl's emotions stress the importance of her innocence, but also on the contrasting experience of her mother.
DeleteI was going to write about this but you took it before I could. I agree with all of your ideas and Pearl's sense of confusion.
DeleteTroy
Going along with what Chloe said, I think this applies for Dimmesdale as well, Pearl was repelled by him during the scene in the forest because at that time, he wasn't willing to publicly acknowledge his sin (hence hiding part of who he was).
DeleteAs The Scarlet Letter progresses more and more romantic elements surface. The one that stood out most to me was the slowly decreasing health of Reverend Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale is the man that Hester had had an affair with. He is also the man that condemned Hester to live a life of exile fully knowing what part he had played in this fiasco. This is seen as a romantic element, because as the book moves on his health decreases more and more he starts to realize how much he has sinned. Part of romantic values are living by God, and being punished for the sins you have committed. This ties in well with the other book we read with romantic qualities, The Crucible. Both books have similar characteristics as adultery, sinning, and in the end paying for the sins the character has committed. In the end Dimmesdale confesses to his sins, so he can live happily in his afterlife.
ReplyDeleteTroy
“'I see what ails the child,” whispered Hester to the clergyman, and turning pale in spite of a strong effort to conceal her trouble and annoyance. “Children will not abide any, the slightest, change in the accustomed aspect of things that are daily before their eyes. Pearl misses something which she has always seen me wear'” (421)!
ReplyDeleteAn element that made this novel Romantic was the use of the letter A. This symbol of the A changes completely in the novel. In the beginning, its’ main purpose was to portray Hester as a backwards symbol to society, and she was rather secluded. As time went on, the A just became a part of her, and society valued it indifferently, it was just essentially a name tag. For example, the quote above is taken from a passage where Pearl refuses to recognize Hester as her mother, because she was not wearing the A that was usually pinned to her chest. Only after Hester picked up the letter A from the ground from the floor, and re-pinned it to her dress, did Pearl come back running back to her in delight. Essentially, the scarlet letter branded on Hester did not punish her forever. It may have done so initially, but it became Hester's place marker as time went on. It can even be assumed that after the years passed, the A might have stood for something else, such as Angel, or Able rather than Adulteress.
-Gayatri Kasi (:
When reading the last chunk of the book, it became apparent of the romantic theme in the scene when Hester took off her letter and the sun brightened and Hawthorne really emphasized the nature aspect of the scene. On page 403 he says, "The decision once made, a glow of strange enjoyment threw its flickering brightness over the trouble of his breast. It was the exhilarating effect-upon a prisoner just escaped from the dungeon of his own heart-of breathing the wild, free atmosphere of an unredeemed, unchristianized, lawless region. His spirit rose, as it were, with a bound, and attained a nearer prospect of the sky, than throughout all the misery which had kept him grovelling on the earth." Hawthorne says that he was "breathing the wild" and there was a "free atmosphere" which are very romantic qualities. He also mentions "flickering brightness" which adds to the nature and romantic qualities of this section.
ReplyDelete-Ian Stetkiewicz
Hey Ian!
DeleteI agree with the idea that nature and how is it described is a romantic quality and i also like the quote you picked because it describes the nature so well and shows how as a romantic author Hawthorne used nature a lot in this book to describe themes and events.
Amy B
I totally agree with the nature theme as well as the romantic qualities you noticed! The quote helped effectively describe both of those points!
Delete- Adam
Hawthorne uses the forest as a romantic theme to illustrate the difference between how Hester feels in nature rather than society. Hester is ostracized in society while she feels acceptance in nature. People in society keep their distance from her because of her sin. This makes her feel alone with no one to turn too. Yet when she goes into nature, she is alone; no faithful Puritan would ever dare enter the demonic forest. Hester can go here and feel no judgment and this gives her the power to remove the scarlet letter that for so long had been a burden, “The stigma gone, Hester heaved a long, deep sigh, in which the burden of shame and anguish departed from her spirit. Oh, exquisite relief! She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom! By another impulse, she took off the formal cap that confined her hair; and down it fell upon her shoulders, dark and rich, with at once a shadow and light in its abundance, and the imparting the charm of softness to her features” (405) In the absence of the letter Hester is able to feel like her old self again and nature embraces her by shedding a ray of light upon her being. Hester would never have been able to commit such a self righteous deed in town because she would have been judged or executed. The safety of the forest provides the optimal opportunity to experience this acceptance she had longed for.
ReplyDeletesam needels
While reading the last part of the book i noticed the romantic element of symbolism. The symbol of the scarlet letter and how throughout the novel it changed. " It bore a device, a herald’s wording of which might serve for a motto and brief description of our now concluded legend; so sombre is it, and relieved only by one ever-glowing point of light gloomier than the shadow:On a field, sable, the letter A, gules.” In the beginning of the novel the letter A was described as a symbol of Adulterer but throughout the novel that changes. From the way that Pearl loved the A to the way that people looked at Hester after knowing what it stood for. Hawthorne made the symbol of the A very straight forward in the beginning but in the end the symbol changes. By the end of the novel i saw the A as a symbol of love. The A is places on the tombstone between Hester and Dimmesdale marking that they were in love and the A symbolized how what they did was wrong and against religion but it was true love between the two. Romanticism to me is a type of writing that uses symbols to describe dramatic and emotional themes. In this novel the theme to me was love and sin and how in this story they are connected and shown through just one letter "A".
ReplyDeleteAmy B
AMY! I like how you discussed the symbolism behind the letter A and how the meaning of it evolved throughout the story. I also like how you connected the symbolic meaning of the letter A to love, showing the romantic quality of Hawthorne's story.
Delete-Kate Sears
The Romantic element In "The Scarlet Letter" that stands out the most to me is the idea of exploring the dark side of the soul. The presence of this element can be observed throughout the book, but become especially apparent in the last section through the symbol of the mark on Dimmesdale's chest. This symbol on his chest, which is never described, is like his own scarlet letter, a physical representation of his sin. On page 513, Hawthorne describes how Dimmesdale reveals his sin to the townspeople by showing them the mark. As he does this Chillingworth tells Dimmesdale, "You have escaped me." This is symbolic of how Chillingworth was a representation of the devil and once Dimmesdale has revealed his secret to the world, the devil no longer has any power over him. This relates back to the theme of the dark side of the soul because, well, the devil IS the dark side of the human soul. The message that Hawthorne is trying to send about this is clear: everyone can choose whether or not to hide the dark side of their soul, but if they do choose to hide it, the knowledge of this secret will ultimately lead to their downfall anyway. In other words, Hawthorne seems to be saying that it is better to acknowledge one's sins rather than try to hide them.
ReplyDelete~Katie C
It's interesting that you mention how Hawthorne seems to be saying it's better to acknowledge one's sins rather than try to hide them. This idea is reflected in the conclusion of the novel with the quote: "Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the works may be inferred!" (521). Being true to oneself, or acknowledging one's sins rather than try to hide them as you say, does seem to be an important moral in the story. If Dimmesdale had acknowledged his sins earlier on, I wonder how the story would have changed?
Delete~Mitchell Klokman
"The glow, which they had just before beheld burning on his cheek, was extinguished, like a flame that sinks down hopelessly among the late-decaying embers"(228).
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this passage in the novel, it screamed romanticism and gave me some pleasant flashbacks to the Romanticism days down the hall in Ms. Coppens room. Not only does Hawthorne represent romanticism and nature combined with a somber description but also uses his writing skills to bring the page to life. This not only enhances the plot and the story but also makes it more interesting to read. When he describes the body in the first part of the sentence as "a glow," its symbolic for something greater than the human spirit, something beyond mortality, being a glow that can be delved into to discover why it's glowing. Utilizing the power of similes, Hawthorne compares the burning on the cheek to a "flame that sinks down hopelessly among the late-decaying embers" which is a line I love because it paints such a picture for the audience. Imagining the embers on the tip of a torch fighting for survival and for air in hopes to light again, just like Hawthorne describing the body, fighting for one last breath.
lovin' me some scarlet letter, clearly
Hawthorne sums up the Romantic elements portrayed in the novel by revealing at the end what is most likely the ultimate symbol of the scarlet letter. He reveals that the scarlet letter is symbolic of the relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale. Hawthorn uses the scarlet letter as a romantic element because it represents Dimmesdale's longing to be free of sin. This portrays the Romantic idea of wanting things as they are not and seeing things the way reality rivals them to be. Dimmesdale desired to free himself of his sin but instead punished himself for it until the day he died. The dramatics of the scene in which Dimmesdale reveals his own scarlet letter also add to the Romantic styles of Hawthorne's writing.
ReplyDeleteJack McD.
Throughout the story there are many Romantic elements, such as nature and symbolism. Nature is prevalent throughout the story. The forest is often related to sin in this story, yet Hester is most comfortable in the forest. This could be a subliminal way to emphasize that maybe nature is both good and evil. A very important symbol in this story is the scarlet letter itself. It is a symbol of both Hester and Dimmesdale's sin. Dimmesdale is constantly reminded of the sin, and suffers throughout the whole story of guilt for not confessing. At the end of the book, we see that Dimmesdale in fact has his own scarlet letter. We can see by Dimmesdales illness, that he is clearly dying, and by the confession of his sin at the end, he is ready to move on to the afterlife.
ReplyDelete-anonymous
Nathaniel Hawthorne, while primarily using Romantic themes shows themes of transcendentalism in the last few chapters of "The Scarlet Letter". When Hester and Dimmesdale meet to discuss what to do from that point forward they meet in the woods. This was one of the only times in the novel when Dimmesdale and Hester talk truthfully about the event that caused all the trouble. The woods symbolise a place where you can go and find peace, while the town is a place that causes trouble and pain. In the woods Hester and DImmesdale figure out their problems and are happy, it is not until they go back to town that they meet tragedy. This idea that the woods are a place to find truth and freedom is a major transcendentalist ideal. Dimmesdale says "Were I an atheist-a man devoid of conscience- a wretch with coarse and brutal instincts- I might have found peace, long ere now". This quote shows Dimmesdale is pressured by the people in the town and by God. The pressures of society soon melt away when in the forest though. This shows his tendency toward transcendentalism as well as romanticism.
ReplyDelete-Tom G