Nathaniel Hawthorne:
American Romanticism and
Transcendentalism
An Introduction to
The Scarlet Letter
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Hawthorne was born on
July 4th, 1804 in Salem,
Massachusetts
Father: Nathaniel
Hathorne Sr. was a sea
captain.
Mother: Elizabeth Clarke
Manning was a
descendent of blacksmiths
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Hawthorne attended
Bowdoin College
After his graduation
he turned to writing.
He wrote several
successful short
stories which were
collected in TwiceTold Tales (1837).
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Following university,
Hawthorne returned
to Salem where he
met Sophia Peabody.
After a five year
engagement*, they
were married in 1842.
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Unable to support
his new family by
writing, in 1846
Hawthorne
accepted a political
appointment to the
Salem Custom
House as Surveyor
of the Port.
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
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This bureaucratic
position stunted
Hawthorne's creativity.
A change in
administration,
however, led to his
termination in 1849.
Hawthorne's mother
died at the same time.
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Suffering these
losses,
Hawthorne left
Salem, which he
called "that
abominable city,"
saying that he
now had no
reason to remain.
He would never
again return.
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Some critics have
suggested that the
loss of both his
position and mother
provided the
creative impetus to
write The Scarlet
Letter (1850).
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Hawthorne's
connection to
Salem haunted
him.
His greatgrandfather John
Hathorne was the
chief-interrogator
of the "Salem
Witches."
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
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The story that
Hawthorne added
the "w" to his name
to distance himself
from his Hathorne
ancestors has no
clear evidence to
support it.
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
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In 1830, however, he
published "The
Hollow of the Three
Hills," under the
name of Nathaniel
Hathorne.
After this date his
name appears as
Nathaniel
Hawthorne.
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
Other Published works:
 Twice-Told Tales, The
House of the Seven
Gables, The Mable
Faun, Our Old Home,
and children's books
A Wonder Book, and
Tanglewood Tales.
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Nathaniel Hawthorne
died on May 18, 1864
in Plymouth, New
Hampshire.
He is credited with
writing the first truly
American novel: The
Scarlet Letter.
Influences upon Hawthorne's Work
Marriage
 Sophia desired to paint,
write, and pursue a
profession
 She was limited by social
constraints and
motherhood
Influences upon Hawthorne's Work
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Female characters
are often portrayed
as sympathetic
Idea of "Female
Purity"
 Influence of
Puritan heritage
Influences upon Hawthorne's Work
Puritan New England
 Many works are set
in New England
 Puritan belief in an
"active evil" (Devil)
 Salem communities
are often viewed as
hypocritical –
Salem Witch Trials
Literary Themes
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Alienation – a
character is isolated
due to self-cause or
societal-cause
Guilt vs. Innocence
– a character's
sense of guilt caused
by Puritanical
values/heritage
Literary Themes
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Individual vs. Society
Self-reliance vs.
Accommodation
Hypocrisy vs. Integrity
Fate vs. Free Will
Unconventional
Gender Roles
Impossibility of
Human Perfection
Imagery
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Hawthorne makes use
of the following
patterns of images:
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Light vs. Dark
Natural vs. Unnatural
Sunshine vs. Firelight
or Moonlight and
Reflections
Romantic/Gothic Motifs
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Fantasies
Dreams
Reveries
Open-ended endings
and unanswered
questions – the openended possibilities of
idealistic romance
Hawthorne's Views of Romanticism
and Transcendentalism
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Hawthorne did not
conform to the
Romantic focus on
the emotions and
abandonment of
reason.
Hawthorne strove to
create a balance
between "head and
heart."
Hawthorne's Views of Romanticism
and Transcendentalism
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Hawthorne believed
that human fulfillment
was achieved through
a balance between
mind, reason, heart,
spirit, will, and
imagination.
Hawthorne's Views of Romanticism
and Transcendentalism
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Hawthorne's
balanced approach
placed him in
opposition to
Transcendentalists
like Emerson,
Thoreau, and
Longfellow.
Clash with Transcendentalism
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Hawthorne saw
potential problems
with Emerson's idea
of self-reliance.
Self-reliance can lead
to excessive pride.
Hawthorne believed
in determinism, or
natural order.
Clash with Transcendentalism
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Transcendentalists
were overwhelmingly
abolitionists –
Hawthorne wasn't
entirely sure of his
position.
He questioned the
motives and principles
of the Northern
authorities.
Clash with Transcendentalism
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This point of
contention was
publicized in a series
of articles by
Hawthorne
published in the
journal The Atlantic,
which was founded
by Emerson and
Longfellow.
Clash with Transcendentalism
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The editorial staff of
The Atlantic deleted
large portions of
Hawthorne's articles
which contained
ideas that disagreed
with the abolitionist
beliefs of the
founders of the
journal.
Clash with Transcendentalism
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Hawthorne also added
sketches throughout his
edited published
articles, written from
the perspective of a
"dimwitted editor" to
show the hypocritical
nature of his
transcendentalist
editors.
Clash with Transcendentalism
Hawthorne’s Response:
"What a terrible thing
it is to try to let off a
little bit of truth into
this miserable
humbug of a world!"
Clash with Transcendentalism
In place of an unflattering description of
President Lincoln that the editors deleted, he
wrote:
"We are compelled to omit two or three
pages, in which the author describes the
interview, and gives his idea of the personal
appearance and deportment of the President.
The sketch appears to have been written in a
benign spirit, and perhaps conveys a not
inaccurate impression of its august subject;
but it lacks reverence."
Clash with Transcendentalism
In place of another deleted section he wrote:
"We do not thoroughly comprehend the
author's drift in the foregoing paragraph, but
are inclined to think its tone reprehensible,
and its tendency impolitic in the present stage
of our national difficulties."
European Romance vs.
The American Novel
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Hawthorne struggled
against the European
model of the
Romance.
Through The Scarlet
Letter, Hawthorne
developed the first
truly American
Novel.
The European Romance
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The European
Romance
romanticized a rich
past and historic
culture.
It involved archetypal
adventures.
It was escapist: a
means of escaping the
here and now.
The European Romance
Classical Romance Characteristics:
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Lovers who remain true to each other, while
the woman's chastity is preserved
An intricate plot, including stories within
stories
Exciting and unexpected chance events
The European Romance
Classical Romance Characteristics:
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Travel to faraway settings
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Hidden and mistaken identity
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Written in an elaborate and elegant style
European Romance vs.
The American Novel
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America, however,
had no rich culture
or ancient history to
draw from.
It was primarily
concerned with the
here and now, and
how to perfect it.
European Romance vs.
The American Novel
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While maintaining
the elements of the
European
Romance,
Hawthorne shifted
the American
novel's focus to the
present.
The American Novel
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Hawthorne's novel
was not a means of
escape, but rather a
means to examine
society and life.
His novel invited
criticism of the
worlds he reflected
– Puritanism.
The American Novel
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Where Romance
incorporated the
Gothic elements of
crime, religion,
ghosts, etc. as the
focus of the story,
Hawthorne used
these elements as a
means to support his
story.
Hawthorne's Novel
"When a writer calls his work a
romance, he wishes to claim a certain
latitude, both as to its fashion and
material, which he would not have felt
himself entitled to assume had he
professed to be writing a novel."
Hawthorne's Novel
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Hawthorne's novel
found relevance as
more than mere
entertainment, but
as something more
prophetic and
integral to the
American identity.