The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne :: essays papers

The Scarlet earn, By Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthornes background fermentd him to write the bold novel The Scarlet Letter. One important influence on the allegory is money. Hawthorne had never made much money as an author and the birth of his first daughter added to the financial burden (Biographical bring up VII). He received a job at the Salem Custom firm only to lose it three years later and be squeeze to write again to support his family (IX). Consequently, The Scarlet Letter was published a year later (IX). It was only intended to be a long goldbrick story, but the extra money a novel would bring in was needed (Introduction XVI). Hawthorne then wrote an introduction section titled The Custom House to extend the length of the book and The Scarlet Letter became a full novel (XVI). In addition to financial worries, another influence on the story is Hawthornes rejection of his ancestors. His forefathers were strict Puritans, and John Hathorne, his great-great-grandfath er, was a judge presiding during the S alem witch trials (Biographical Note VII). Hawthorne did not condone their acts and actually spent a great pickle of his life renouncing the Puritans in general (VII). Similarly, The Scarlet Letter was a literal soapbox for Hawthorne to convey to the world that the majority of Puritans were strict and unfeeling. For example, before Hester emerges from the prison she is world scorned by a group of women who feel that she deserves a larger punishment than she actually receives. Instead of only being made to stand on the scaffold and wear the scarlet letter on her chest, they suggest that she have it branded on her forehead or even be put to oddment (Hawthorne 51). Perhaps the most important influence on the story is the authors interest in the dark side (Introduction VIII). Unlike the transcendentalists of the era, Hawthorne confronted reality, rather than evading it (VII). Likewise, The Scarlet Letter deals with adultery, a subject that cause d much scandal when it w as first published (XV). The book revolves around sin and punishment, a far outcry from writers of the time, such as Emerson and Thoreau, who dwelt on optimistic themes (VII). This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter to the develop the theme of the brass as a prison. The scaffold scenes are the most substantial situations in the story because they unify The Scarlet Letter in two influential ways.