Scarlet Letters Puritans

A detailed Summary of Scarlet Letters Puritans

Discuss Hawthorne's presentation of the Puritan's throughout the novel ¥The Scarlet Letter.'

„P Hawthorne's links with the Puritans

„P The presentation of Puritanism in the novel

The narrative methods through which Hawthorne presents Puritanism.

The Puritans are complex characters and throughout the course of the novel the reader is exposed to many sides of their character.

Mark Van Doren once wrote, ¥The conflict in Hawthorne of two world's between which he hung, exposing the fanaticism of one, despising the blandness of the other, is not the least source of The Scarlet Letter's power.' I agree, I think the power of The Scarlet Letter is so effective because Hawthorne is caught in-between his lineage and his own opinions.

Hawthorne came from a long line of powerful Puritans. His ancestry included William and John Hathorne who were notorious in their time.

¥He was a soldier, legislator, judge; he was a ruler in the Church; he had all the puritanic traits both good and evil.'

William Hathorne was infamous for his cruelty to the Quaker Ann Coleman, his son John for his part in the Salem Witch-Hunts. Hawthorne uses his own family history to show the conflict in the Puritan ideals.

The Puritans had many hopes for their new settlement. They had left their homes in England in pursuit of their religious ideas. King James I of England wanted to rid England of all Puritans. When they asked him to "purify" the state Church of England of certain ceremonies and usages derived from the Roman Catholic Church his reply was severe.

¥Thus it was with men of rank, on whom their eminent position imposed the guardianship, of the public morals.'

The Puritan leaders took this stance which is harshly criticised by Hawthorne but yet he explains their reluctance.

This is the way I felt about the Puritans by the end of the novel. That there is more to the Puritans than meets the eye. They appear harsh but really the only are trying to do what they think God wants. They have interpreted the Bible in a different way than most and it was this interpretation that leads them into a strict way of life.

¥The Scarlet Letter' was written in 1848, but was based some two hundred years earlier; it gave a more in-depth look at the Puritan culture than most history books ever could. Henry James best described ¥The Scarlet Letter'

This is used to represent the rigorous enforcement of the laws and the inability to break free of them. The prison door itself also serves as a metaphor for the authority of the regime, which will not tolerate deviance. Hawthorne then deliberately challenges this notion by placing Ann Hutchinson's name in the opening page. Ann Hutchinson was a religious woman who challenged Puritanical teachings and was the imprisoned in Boston. Hawthorne then uses the symbolism of the rose bush to embody his feelings about Puritanism.

"I will make them conform or I will harry them out of the land."

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Approximate Word count = 1978
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English