The Scarlet Letter and Hawthorn’s Theory of Romance

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Recommended: Early literary review of the scarlet letter

The Scarlet Letter and Hawthorn’s Theory of Romance

Nathaniel Hawthorn started writing The Scarlet Letter in 1847

and it was published in 1850. The Scarlet Letter is recognize by many

"critics as being one of the greatest of American novels."1 Hawthorn

created his own individual style of "romance," a style of writing. His own

individual style of writing is now called "Hawthorn's Theory of Romance".

His "theory of Romance" is emphasized in The Scarlet Letter in many

different ways. The techniques Hawthorn used in The Scarlet Letter are

basically from his "theory of Romance." Hawthorn uses his "theory of

Romance" in many different ways in The Scarlet Letter.

Hawthorn being a Romantic writer incorporates many

characteristics of Romanticism and also includes his "theory of Romance" in

the novel. Some romanticism ideas he incorporates are those of heroic

characters which would include Hester Prynne "It had the effect of a spell,

taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her

in a sphere by herself."2 A heroic character is "bigger than those found in

ordinary life" and also is strong, brave, noble, risky and powerful.

Another characteristic he includes is the writing of mysterious events such

as the adultery of Hester, the birth of Pearl and the return of her husband

Roger Chllingworth.

The uses of the "theory of Romance" by Hawthorn follows an order.

The order is initiated by Hawthorn looking for to write on a serious topic.

The topic is the adultery of Hester, Pearls birth, the revenge by

Chillingworth and the hypocrisy of Dimmesdale. Then he chooses the setting

of his characters "On the outskirst of town, within the verge of the

peninsula, but not in close vicinity to any other habitation, there was a

small thatched cottage."3 The small cottage is Hester's home which is

isolated from society. This is a characteristic of a heroic character which

is Hester.

His next step is to choose characters who have lived in real

life and to associate them with fictitious characters. The fictitious

characters being Hester Prynne, Roger Chllingworth, Reverend Dimmesdale and

Pearl. The real life character being Governor Bellingham. "Here, to witness

the scene which we are describing, sat Governor Bellingham himself, with

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