Nathaniel Hawthorne's Transcendentalism - Report Example

Transcendentalism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter number submission Transcendentalism in The Scarlet Letter Transcendentalism is an intellectual movement, which began in early nineteenth century America and can be said to have its origins in the works of writers such Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. The precepts of Transcendentalism seek to oppose the strict Calvinist doctrines which believe in the inevitable degeneracy of man. Furthermore, Transcendentalism also challenged the idea of the Christian Trinity and put forth the idea of unity of the erstwhile divided principles. Owing to the great emphasis that it lays on human spirituality and its ability to transcend empirical reality, the theories of Transcendentalism have been incorporated in many movements which sought to oppose orthodoxy of various forms, a theme that runs through The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American author who lived in the nineteenth century and wrote his novels and short stories at around the same time that a lot of other eminent writers were writing, in America, a fact that has led many to term this age the ‘American Renaissance’ (Meltzer, 9). He wrote during the same time as other writers such as Emerson and Thoreau. As a result, an analysis of his work needs to be conducted by placing him in his historical context, as writers like Larry John Reynolds have said (Reynolds). The influences of a Puritan lineage are marked in the writings of Hawthorne and there is also a heavy influence of his hometown, Salem. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, there is a conspicuous presence of the ideas of Transcendentalism. The novel can be well interpreted as a strong critique of the Puritanical society of seventeenth century Boston, Massachusetts where Hester Prynne, the protagonist was ostracized and persecuted for life owing to the adultery that she committed with the Puritan minister Arthur Dimmesdale. The theories of Transcendentalism have been employed for numerous reasons in Hawthorne’s novel. While at an ostensible level, there is an obvious critique of orthodox Puritanism, there is also a clear articulation of the need for change in the glaringly unequal power dynamics of gender. Transcendentalism in The Scarlet Letter also urges us question the very ideas of good and evil. While Hester is punished for having strayed from the path of virtue, the novel depicts her as a strong and morally upright person, Roger Chillingworth, who enjoys great social repute, is shown to be an utterly degenerate man. This paper shall seek to closely examine these nuanced facets of the novel. The concepts of free-enquiry and liberal questioning are central to the theory of Transcendentalism. Though, Hester is seen to quietly accept her persecution, she is also seen to question and rebel against the rules of the Puritanical society in which she lives. This can be seen in the uncharacteristic vehemence with which she opposes the decision of the clergy to take away her child from her. Hester’s rebellion is also seen in her desire to start her life afresh with Dimmesdale and their illegitimate daughter. It is however Hester’s daughter Pearl, who is an embodiment of this spirit of free-enquiry. Her seemingly naïve, childish questions about the workings of the Puritanical society of Boston are in fact quite radical. The concepts of self-reliance and compensation are central to the theories of Transcendentalism. The idea of compensation dictates that man’s actions shall result in inevitable, inescapable consequences. It thus rejects the notion of the society or the state penalizing an individual for his transgression. Hester Prynne is an intensely individualistic woman and the her ability to transform the harshly critical letter ‘A’ into a thing of beauty with her needlework is symbolic of her ability to transcend the cloistered moralities of her times (Bell). It is perhaps also significant that Hester, by the virtue of her pious living and virtuous conduct is able to transform the very meaning of the scarlet letter ‘A’. Throughout the novel, the scarlet letter assumes many meanings. The most significant instance wherein the meaning of this erstwhile ill-famed letter undergoes a change is when a meteor forms the letter ‘A’ in the night sky, and this is interpreted to represent ‘Angel’ owing to the death of an important member of the Boston society on that very day. The incident also highlights the transient and duplicitous values of the Puritanical society wherein symbols and their meanings changed according the stature and authority of the person in question. The author also refers to the contrary meanings that the color red represents in Christianity. Red has traditionally stood for both sin and guilt, as well as for atonement and resurrection (Barlowe). However, before one labels Hester Prynne a Transcendentalist character, it is perhaps pertinent to interrogate the extent to which she conforms to the tenets of Puritanical Christianity and believes in the accusation which the society levels against her. It is significant to note that the Hester’s stance as a Transcendentalist character follows an uneven trajectory. Soon after committing the act of adultery, she follows a life of strict Puritan devoutness. Conversely, one she has been banished from society, she experiences a hitherto absent freedom in her life. Her banishment thus offers her a chance to challenge the logic of Puritanism. The adherents of Transcendentalism would not believe Hester to be a sinner. Her apparent disloyalty to Chillingworth was a result of the complete incompatibility in their marriage. Hester is quite forthright in accepting this in the following conversation with her husband- “Thou knowest I was frank with thee. I felt no love, nor feigned any” (Hawthorne, 100). Her love for Dimmesdale is however an extremely enduring passion, and unlike Dimmesdale she does not face a moral dilemma in accepting this passion. The authorial intent in depicting Hester as a sinner remains somewhat ambiguous. While on the one hand Hester’s act of sin is shown to be enabling, rather than debilitating for her, on the other hand, the imprint of the scarlet letter is shown to have become an intrinsic part of Hester’s being. In many ways, Hester’s moral transgression can be likened to the notion of ‘felix culpa’ which deems Man’s original sin to be both necessary and inevitable. In the same way, Hester Prynne’s apparent ‘sin’ broadens her horizons as an individual. This idea of ‘ennobling sin’ is in keeping to the great importance that Transcendentalism gives to spontaneity and the naturalness of human thoughts and action. The Oxford handbook of Transcendentalism describes this feature of the theory by alluding to Emerson’s views on it- ““The Transcendentalist…believes in miracle, in the perpetual openness of the human mind to new influx of light and power, he believes in inspiration and in ecstasy”. (Emerson) But philosophy, religion, and spirituality are not enough: The Transcendentalist cannot take refuge in such pursuits but must derive from them the knowledge and inspiration needed to interact with and, importantly, to reform the day-to-day world.” (Myerson) It is nonetheless made amply clear that the authorial intention is not to condemn the relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale. In fact, the novel portrays their as pristine and pure. However, it is Dimmesdale’s cowardice in being unable to confess before the society which is persistently criticized in the narrative. It can perhaps also be said that as per the notions of Transcendentalism, Hester’s sin lay not in committing the act of adultery but her attempt to save her lover from disgrace by indulging in dishonesty. At this level, one can observe an obvious intertwining of the ideals of Transcendentalism and Feminism (Doubleday). Though through the course of the novel Hester is shown to encompass the tenets of both these intellectual perspectives, at the beginning of the story, her desperate attempts to protect the interests of Arthur Dimmesdale make her violate the tenets of both. Transcendentalism in Hawthorne’s novel can be seen not merely in the characters, but also in the form and the structure of the novel. The beginning of the novel attempts to mould it in the mode of a historical account, while the concluding chapter offers the reader multifarious versions of the events which befell Hester and Pearl. By doing this, Hawthorne places great emphasis on objective reality and freedom of thought, which is in direct opposition to the pedantic, prescriptive manner in which orthodox Christian precepts were written. Hawthorne’s work remains a classic that invites attention from critics and general readers alike, even today. His brand of transcendentalism, displayed in the characters of his novel, The Scarlet Letter, is one that calls attention to the unique conditions of living that existed in his times in America and one that he captures faithfully. Works Cited Barlowe, Jamie. The scarlet mob of scribblers: rereading Hester Prynne. New York: SIU Press, 2000. Print. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter: a Romance. New Delhi: Wordworth Classics Edition, 2009. Print. 100. Myerson, Joel; Petrulionis, Sandra Harbert; Walls, Laura Dassow. The Oxford handbook of Transcendentalism. New York: Oxford U.P., 2010. Print. Doubleday, Neal Frank. “Hawthornes Hester and Feminism”. Modern Language Association. Accessed on 13th July, 2011. Transcendentalism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Accessed on 13th July, 2011. Bell, Millicent. The Obliquity of Signs: "The Scarlet Letter". The Massachusetts Review. < http://www.jstor.org/stable/25089237> Meltzer, Milton. Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Biography. Minnesota: Twenty-First Century Books, 2007. Print. 9 Reynolds, Larry John. A historical guide to Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Oxford U.P. 2001. Print. Read More