Stark Romanticism

A detailed Summary of Stark Romanticism

"Change," declared political science writer Saul Alinsky, "means movement. Movement means friction." Indeed, society transformed and clashed between 1649 and 1850 as the austere Puritan lifestyle gave way to Romanticism. Because of their distinct contrasts, The Scarlet Letter, a nineteenth-century tale of punishment against sin in seventeenth-century Boston, misrepresents Puritan life. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter applies a Romantic technique of literature to illustrate Puritanism by tinting situations in the story to a nineteenth century approach.

By describing Hester's punishment as romantic fantasy rather than Puritan custom, Hawthorne imposes Romanticism into The Scarlet Letter. The plot initiates as Hester Prynne receives punishment for committing adultery with the clandestine Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the zenith of divinity within the Boston community. As a punishment for her crime, Boston magistrates require Hester to wear a letter 'A' on her clothing to remind her, and others, of her sinful deeds. Upon receiving her punishment, one town's woman cries out, "This woman has brought shame upon us all and ought to die" (Hawthorne 49). The exclamation of the anonymous voice points out the brutality associated with

Truly, Puritan and Romantic outlooks contrast greatly. Romantics view the world as a source for good, while Puritans consider it a struggle against evil. The collision of viewpoints provides an interesting twist as Hawthorne reinvents Puritan life within the realm of the nineteenth-century. Defiantly, The Scarlet Letter would have been told in a different manner two-hundred years before its publishing.

Romanticism is evident in the gothic details of Dimmesdale's character. Naturally, two culpable parties arise from adulterous actions, yet unlike Hester; Dimmesdale eludes public punishment for his misdeeds in exchange for private torment. Dimmesdale's internal pain becomes eminently visible, as he appears "Haggard and feeble and betrayed. A nevertheless despondency in his air" (184). Hawthorne depicts the personal agony of Dimmesdale by using gruesomely gothic detail, a technique unique to Romantic literature. For example, in a climactic pathos, Dimmesdale tears his clothes, publicly revealing his sin before his sudden tragic death. Many spectators claimed "the very semblance of that worn by Hester Prynne - imprinted in the flesh. In regard to the origin...Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale...in so many futile methods, followed out - by inflicting a hide

Some common words found in the essay are:
Hester Prynne, Conversely Hester, Hester Dimmesdale, Scarlet Letter, Flesh Spirit, Arthur Dimmesdale, Puritan Romantic, Saul Alinsky, Bostonians Hester, Notably Hawthorne, scarlet letter, hester prynne, hester's punishment, letter 'a', puritan literature, puritan outlooks, nineteenth century, exemplifies puritan, puritan life, gothic detail,

Approximate Word count = 843
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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Stark Romanticism

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