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Post by vemurph35 on Nov 13, 2011 22:23:09 GMT -5
One thing I have noticed of Hawthorne's writing is that he relates everything back to nature, whether it's the wilderness, the wild rose before the prison door, the nature of women like Hester and her "budding youth" (72), or in the physician's medicine made from the herbes of the wilderness. Even in Hawthorne's physical descriptions of Dimmesdale, John Wilson and the child, he suggests that in youth and wild nature there is a sense of truth, beauty and life unlike the rigid and dark society of the Puritans. Anyone agree?
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Post by dacui38 on Nov 13, 2011 22:34:41 GMT -5
Definitely, Hawthorne as we have covered in class is a Romanticist. What is more important to a Romanticist than nature? Perhaps his criticism of Puritanism is that the religion is 'unnatural', too strict, too harsh, and is the epitome of how man's creation goes against nature. Color is one aspect of nature, as most readers consider the color of the sky and settings to be black, gray, or brown, similar to the clothing of the Puritans as is the prison, a creation of the Puritans. However, the rose bush is red and defies this color scheme, which leads me to believe that Hawthorne is contrasting nature with the Puritans themselves. But then again, there are some aspects of nature in the Puritans themselves, which is quite ironic.
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Post by dagalla35 on Dec 12, 2011 12:20:00 GMT -5
Also, Hawthorne's view on nature is shown in his very view of the scarlet letter itself. While the unnatural Puritan society interprets the letter as a sign of sin, Hawthorne sees it as a sign of beauty and nature that "illuminates" her surroundings. Sin is a part of human nature, so that sin just makes her more connected to that nature, and the more she attempts to conform to society and interpret the scarlet letter as the Puritans do, the worse Hawthorne's opinion of Hester becomes. Pearl is another representation of that concept of nature and sin. Pearl is directly connected to the letter, as she was made from the same "sin" and shows a great obsession with the letter. In addition, Pearl refuses to be bound by the rules of Puritan society, and, in their eyes, "sins" many times, like when she throws rocks at kids. However, Pearl is the great representation of nature, which is clearly seen in "A Forest Walk" with both her connection to the brook as well as the way she adorns herself in flowers to become a "dryad" of sorts. Both Pearl and the scarlet letter show the difference of interpretations on nature and goodness between Puritans and Romanticists.
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