Free Essay On Romanticism In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

Romanticism is an element that has played a crucial role in the development of literature from the 18th century. This philosophy has had a noticeable effect on many literature works including Nathaniel’s The Scarlet Letter. It is easy to identify its influence in the novel because it is very clear that Nathaniel Hawthorne was a supporter of romanticism and that is the reason he presents many issues with the philosophy of romanticism in the novel. The Scarlet Letter is a gothic romanticism novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne during the romanticism period. The book features the story of two characters who struggle as they try to make a life in a Puritan society.
Each character in the novel epitomizes one or more ideas of romanticism and Puritanism that are to be adhered to in life. The romanticism view allows the characters in the story to have an insight of what is hidden in the Puritan society. The characters have a deep romanticism intuition throughout the novel making it alluring and exciting for the readers to find out what exactly the characters have found out. Hawthorn theory of romanticism is emphasized in The Scarlet Letter in different ways through the characters. Therefore, the novel covers the main points of romanticism with the connection of the characters and symbolism throughout the story.
In The Scarlet Letter, the author uses romanticism in the development of his characters. Nathaniel Hawthorne presents characters with strong romantic attributes. The protagonist Pearl had a great contribution in making the novel romantic. The author uses romanticism ideas to develop the character of Pearl throughout the novel. As the novel begins, we are introduced to Pearl, who had natural instincts for a preacher who she felt was her father. The preacher was her father indeed, as her intuition told her and Hawthorne writes that she reached out to him “and held up his arms” (Hawthorne 69). Pearl is a character who displayed the precept of romanticism through her actions towards the people around her. Another instance we see her close to someone using her instincts was when she was at the Governor’s house. As they were discussing her, she also stood up and went over to Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale “taking his hand in a grasp of both her own” with a lot of affection for him (Hawthorne 118). She was so close to the people around her and she could use her instincts to tell things. Even though she was portrayed as a victim of Hester’s adultery and cursed by the people in the society, Pearl could blend with so many situations throughout the novel.
Another example of romanticism displayed by Pearl is when we see her walking through the town with her mother. The kids from the village shout and curse at her because of her mother’s sin of adultery. Pearl does not get angry with her mother; instead, she steps out to defend her mother from the evil children cursing her actions. In addition, the people of Boston also spent their time talking behind Hester’s back about Pearl being a child of a sinner, but she was always there to defend her mother, and this added to her amount of romanticism displayed in the novel. Therefore, of all the characters in the novel, Pearl as the protagonist makes The Scarlet Letter a romanticism novel.
In addition, the author uses Pearl as a romanticism character to act as a link between Hester and Dimmesdale. Pearl portrayed romantic qualities throughout the book with her actions and this made her different from all the other characters in the novel. For instance, there is an instance when Hester was giving up on life, and we see Pearl step in and encouraging her by cheering her up. Moreover, when she could meet the preacher who was his real father, she could show love and affection for him in public. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s development of Pearl’s character made the book a romanticism novel of all times.
Apart from Pearl, the author uses Hester Prynne, who is Pearl’s mother to express the philosophy of romanticism in his novel The Scarlet Letter. Hester is used to demonstrate individualism and how one can struggle to live with the stern Puritan society. At the beginning of the story, we had seen that Hester had been ashamed on the scaffold for her sins of committing adultery with Reverend Arthur while her husband was away. Hester lived in a society where people condemned her for her actions by talking behind her back anytime she walked with her daughter. Nathaniel presents Hester as a character who had to endure everything because of her determination to live in a society that spelled gloom and doom for her. Hester struggled to live in the Puritan society by building relations with others together with her child. She was blended as an adulterer in the Puritan society and so, Hester had to find out a way to survive with the people. Hester had a relationship with the preacher despite being married to Mr. Chillingworth and she never disclosed to him that Pearl was the preacher’s child. She had to struggle with hate and rejection from the people as she raised her child. Despite her struggles, Hester was able to find happiness something the other characters did not achieve. She blended the romanticism and puritanism philosophies and she lived a comfortable life.
Nathaniel incorporates the beliefs of romanticism in his book through the characterization of Hester and Pearl. The author presents a character who shows all the romanticism ideologies he believed in. Most romantics always stress the importance of a person and his/her negative influence in the society and how they overcome the negativity. Hester was the adulterer of the society who was never loved by the people. Besides, Pearl was a child born through a sin committed by a married woman and a preacher. They both faced negativity and rejection from the Puritan society. Nonetheless, in the end, they managed to break all the classic chains and thoughts of the people getting their freedom from the Puritan society (Chase 150). Hester and Pearl managed to survive in the Puritan society thus becoming champions of liberty that shape our society today.
In conclusion, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter may be considered to embody and explore the fundamental concepts of romanticism insofar as the novel displays these cardinal concepts. The author uses the philosophy of romanticism in the development of the main characters in the story. Through the lives of Hester and Pearl, Hawthorne can deliver the message of romanticism to the readers. As a romantic writer, Hawthorne uses The Scarlet Letter to enlighten his readers on romanticism and the truth. Nathaniel is an outstanding author who knew how to use the romanticism elements in his book during the romanticism period.
Works CitedHawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.
Chase, Richard. "The Lessons of the Scarlet Letter." Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne (pp. 145-152). San Diego: Greenhaven, 1996. Print.