The Scarlet Letter
Introduction:
The Custom House
Chapter Summary
Four significant goals of the preface
Outlines autobiographical information about the author
Conflict of writing fiction
Defines the Romance novel
Authenticates the novel
HERE IS WHERE THE CHAPTER QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED
Theme: Connection between
past and present
When a piece of literature is published but is a reflection of not
only the past but the present.
Hawthorne says, “There are few uglier traits of human nature
than this tenancy- which I now witnessed in men no worse than
their neighbors- to grow cruel, merely because they possessed
the power of inflicting harm” (Hawthorne 79).
Major Character
The narrator- No characters are introduced.
What if?
* What if Nathaniel Hawthorne would have left “The Custom
House” out?
Critique Summary
Preface connects the present with the past
1600 settlers mission was eventually swallowed up by
commercialism and financial interests
Clashing of present and past further explored through the narrator
and those he works with
Further connection with explanation of his ancestors
Response to Critique