INTRODUCTION TO NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE

and THE SCARLET LETTER

Hawthorne: 1804-1864The Scarlet Letter: 1850

PURITAN ERA: Mid-late 1600s Salem Witch Trials: 1692 (Judge Hathorne) Puritan “Religious Enlightenment”: Mid 1700s,

Jonathan Edwards Forming of our Nation: 1776 Industrialization and Railroads: About 1760-

1840 Transcendentalism (American Romanticism)

1830s- 1850s True Birth or American Fiction: Hawthorne,

Melville, Poe The Scarlet Letter 1850

Quick Timetable

Works are often allegorical in nature Work is considered a “Dark Romanticism Writes about Evil, Sin, and Psychological

complexities Writing style contains many sentences

clearly not composed with celerity

Hawthorne in a nutshell

Protagonist: Hester Prynne Setting: Boston, late 1600s Published: 1850 Central characters

◦ Hester Prynne◦ Roger Chillingworth◦ Pearl◦ Dimmesdale

Themes: ◦ Individual vs Society◦ The Nature of Evil◦ Nature and Romanticism◦ Sin, Guilt, and Atonement

THE SCARLET LETTER

1. Should adultery be a crime punishable under law? ◦ Make a case for and against

2. How much should our laws govern our own morals?

3. Where do we draw the line between morality and law? Can the two be linked? Are morals to closely connected to religion?

ARTICLE 1: A few discussion points to consider

1. Discuss the perception most people have of the Puritans vs what the author clearly points out.

Talk about the Puritans’ views of the Individual vs their views of the Society.

ARTICLE 2: A few questions to consider

Puritan Life and

Punishment

Living within a Theocracy

Puritans sought to create the ideal Christian society

Everyday life was seen as a struggle between God and the devil

Predecessors-Calvanists

Living in a Theocracy: Religion governs

Puritan Ideals

Common Punishments

Stocks and Pillory

The most common New England colonial punishment was use of the stocks.

Stocks were heavy wooden frames with holes for ankles and/or wrists

The pillory was similar, but allowed the accused to stand while his or hands were bound.

Whipping

Most whipping sentences called for 20-40 lashes

One case on record recalls a man being whipped 117 times

More Severe Punishments

A hot iron was sometimes used to pierce the tongues of those who spoke against the Puritan

faith.

Execution• The threat of execution was omnipresent in the colonies.

• Hanging was the most common method of execution, although burning at the stake was also used.

Public Ignominy Criminals were

sometimes forced to wear a letter symbolizing the crime committed.

“T” stood for thief “D” was worn by

those accused of public drunkenness

What do you think the letter “A” stood for?