Nathaniel Hawthorne's References to Anne Hutchinson in His Work
Works Cited Missing
From the beginning of his writing career, Nathaniel Hawthorne has made several references to Anne Hutchinson. In fact, he even wrote a sketch called ?Mrs. Hutchinson';. Because of Hawthorne?s apparent interest in Mrs. Hutchinson, it is entirely possible that he would use her as a template for one of the characters in his many books.
Hawthorne?s character, Hester Prynne, is similar in many ways to Anne Hutchinson.
One likeness between the two women is they were both respected members of society. As Michael J. Colacurcio says, ?both these remarkable and troublesome women have careers as nurses and counselors to other women'; (213). Anne Hutchinson started career as a respected member of society. She came to America with her husband, and they instantly became prominent members of society. Anne Hutchinson?s place in society is stated in this quote, ?Hutchinson persuaded her husband to remove their family to Boston, Massachusetts, in September 1634, where their gentry status and piety assured them a prominent position in the Puritan colony';(?Anne Hutchinson.(religious leader)'; 2). On the other hand, Hester did not become a respectable member in society until she was charged with adultery. People?s thoughts of her are shown here, ?Such helpfulness was found in her,--so much power to sympathize,--that many people to interpret the Scarlet A by its original signification. They said it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman?s strength';(Hawthorne 111). Hester?s alienation from society made her sensitive to the problems of other people. This helped her to help them, because she understood their problems. Instead of letting circumstances tear her down, she used them to grow stronger and become one of the most respected members of society. Hawthorne is essentially trying to show that good people occasionally make mistakes.
Additionally, women were oppressed by a religious, male dominated law system. In the 17th century, men were the accepted leaders of society. If any one man tried to give women a voice in society, he was severely criticized, and all respect for him was lost. Dimmesdale, even though he loved Hester, was forced to persecute her for fear of being denounced by his colleagues. As shown in this quote by John Wilson, ?What say you to it on...
... middle of paper ...
...lvation';(2). Hutchinson?s teachings disturbed John Winthrop. He is quoted as, ?aiming to fulfill his dream of creating a ?city on a hill,'; or a city in which people of one belief lived without religious prejudice. Differences of opinion among the people of the city disturbed him';(?Anne Hutchinson'; 4). Anne?s beliefs about antinomianism ultimately led to her excommunication from the church. Hawthorne creates the character of Hester so that she does not preach on antinomianism, but, rather, she lives them out. Hester commits the moral crime of adultery and is legally sentenced to be moved away from society. Throughout the book, Hester shows signs of not conforming to society. For example, the gaudily stitched scarlet A, her refusal to answer the tribunal as to who had committed the acted of adultery with her, and her choice to raise Pearl by herself are all examples of how Hester defied society. Colacurcio even says that, ?Hawthorne says of Hester? ?the world?s law was no law to her mind';(215). Even though society could change her body, her mind would always be rebellious. While not exactly alike, Hawthorne has created a character that like Anne Hutchinson challenged society.
John Winthrop aimed to created Christian utopian society when he founded the puritan community, he failed in this goal. Even with his failure, people still thought of the society as pure and just. What he engendered instead was a community whose theology denied human being’s free will, filled with paranoia, racism, sexism and hatred of sexuality and youth. These themes are clearly represented in the Scarlet Letter. The hatred of youth is shown early on in the novel, when Hester Prynne first enters from the prison, “This woman [Hester Prynne] has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it? Truly, there is, both in the Scripture and the statue-book.”(199). The aged ugly woman who makes this statement is used by Hawthorne to serve as representative for the puritans, while Hester represents youth and sexuality. The undeserving punishment of death for the crime of adultery only further demonstrates the extremities of this so-called perfect society. While perhaps seen as God’s will that a person who commits adultery must die, it is instead the government’s way of controlling the people by fear and terror so that t...
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, contains many profound characters. The townspeople intrigue the reader because they gradually evolve throughout the book, as would any solitary character. In the beginning of the novel, they are generally rigid and judgmental towards Hester, because she has committed adultery. Throughout the novel, they slowly allow Hester and her daughter into their community, but still look at them with suspicion and doubt. Finally, in the end of The Scarlet Letter, the town forgives her of her sin, and she cautiously finds her place in society. Hawthorne uses the strict Puritan townspeople as a criterion by which all societies can be measured. The townspeople, as with any individual character, possess a certain depth that develops with knowledge.
In Chapter 13, “Another View of Hester,” Hawthorne opens a window through which we glimpse Hester’s internal conflict. She has long been contemplating the “dark question” (144.25) of whether or not “existence [is] worth accepting” (144.26), and she has concluded that it is not. The image of our heroine here is troubling as it seems she has lost all semblance of hope in the possibility of triumph over the scorn and humiliation the public has inflicted on her. Her depression is so strong that she wonders if would be better “to send Pearl at once to Heaven” (145.14). Furthermore, she has not only lost hope for her own life and optimism for her daughter’s future, but she has also lost faith in society in general, especially regarding the place of women. She feels the whole system is beyond repair and that the only way to mend the cracks in the foundation is to have the entire structure “torn down and built anew” (144.32-33). Only after such a drastic reordering takes place can women take a more fair position in the world. This middle portion of Hester’s story represents a definitive low-point; her misery here certainly rivals and likely surpasses that which she felt while standing in front her peers on the scaffold in the beginning
Anne Hutchinson challenged the traditional role of women in the Puritan society through her opposing religious beliefs. Anne Hutchinson was most likely not the first woman to have her own thoughts. She was simply the first to act on them. Anne Hutchinson was born on or about July17, 1591 in Alford, Licolnshire, England. She was the daughter of Reverend Francis Marbury. Rev. Marbury spoke out that many of the ordained ministers in the Church of England were unfit to guide people's souls. For this act of defiance, he was put in jail for one year. Anne read many of her father's books on theology and religion. Much of Anne's independence and willingness to speak out was due to her father's example. Anne admired her father for his defiance of traditional church principles. Then in 1612 she married William Hutchinson. Together they had 15 children. In 1634 she and her husband moved to Boston. Here Anne began holding informal church meetings in her home discussing the pastor's services and also preaching her beliefs to her followers. Threatened by meetings she held in her Boston home, the clergy charged Hutchinson with hersey. An outspoken female in a male hierarchy, Hutchinson had little hope that many would speak in her defense, and she was being tried by the General Court. In 1636 she was charged with hersey and banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony. Several years later when she moved to New York she was killed in an Indian attack. Anne challenged the Puritan clergy.
Hawthorne indicates how Hester’s solitude, caused by her adultery, lends her the freedom to raise precocious questions about her surroundings, through which she develops a more thorough awareness of society. Several years passed since Pearl’s birth, and Hester’s former passionate nature seems to be replaced with a more contemplative attitude. The narrator states that “In [Hester’s] lonesome cottage, by the sea-shore, thoughts visited her, such as dared to enter no other dwelling in New England” (107-108). Hawthorne mentions the “lonesome cottage, by the sea-shore” in order to emphasize that society has isolated Hester due to her sin of adultery. The thoughts that Hawthorne referenced are caused directly by Hester’s isolation, and therefore her sin. Hawthorne makes the point that these thoughts of Hester’s are so progressive that they would not have “dared to enter no other dwelling in New England”. Solidifying this claim, at one point in the story, Hester believes that her scarlet letter punishment for her sin permits her to speculate on subjects “where other women dared not tread” (129). In fact, Hawthorne has Hester ...
Despite Hester never fitting the description of what a Puritan actually stands for, she emerges and transforms into a respected young woman of society during her revolution. Even though Hester’s humanity degrades itself based on her imprudent actions that resisted Puritan society, the scarlet “A” transforms her rebellion. Hester creates her own symbol for herself rather than one that masks her all along. In writing the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne highlights the importance of being a nonconformist. Evidently, through the character of Hester Prynne, self-awareness is key in order to achieve happiness. To repress defining characteristics of a human being is to ultimately destroy their individuality.
The society in which she lives is legitimized such that people follow a certain moral code. Refraining or overlooking of such codes leads to punishment as revealed by the women “this woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die” (The Ugly Woman, 7). The narrator however, echoes concern against following strict codes of conduct. Hawthorne presents the idea that lack of compassion and forgiveness makes a society dictatorial, he believes the need to observe and practice grace is imperative. Ruling through grace was expressed by Hester when she is forgiven by a society that had once punished her for same mistakes as the young girl retorts “let her cover the mark she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart” (A Young Wife, 6). Reverend Dimmesdale finds adequate grace after seven years of not confessing his sins because of the repercussions that would come thereafter. He begs Hester to reveal his name so that he can as well reveal his sin “be not silent from any mistaken pity, and tenderness for him” (Reverend Dimmesdale, 26) YOur
At the beginning of the Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne is labeled as the “bad guy”. The townspeople demand the other adulterer’s name, but Hester denies this revelation. She does not reveal it because she knows that the information will crumble the foundation of the Puritan religion and the town itself. “‘But, Hester, the man lives who has wronged us both! Who is he?’ ‘Ask me not!’ replied Hester Prynne, looking firmly into his face. ‘That thou shalt never know!’(Hawthorne 52). Hester knows that finding out that the father of the child, the Minister that is leading the town, will diminish credibility for the church and for Dimmesdale, the Minister. During her punishment, Hester decides to move out near the woods and make a living as a seamstress. Hester is regarded as an outcast from Boston, but she still gives back to the society that shuns her. ‘“Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge?’ they would say to strangers. ‘It is our Hester, —the town's own Hester, —who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted!’”(Hawthorne 111). Her acts of kindness, helping the sick and comforting the afflicted, toward the society that makes her an outcast shows the inner goodness of a person. Throu...
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is virtually banished from the Puritan society because of her crime. She was guilty for adultery with the town’s minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. However, the reader is kept in the dark that Dimmesdale is the child’s father until latter part of the novel. Although Hawthorne’s novel accurately depicts the consequences that Hester and Dimmesdale suffer from their sin, the novel does not accomplish the task of reflecting upon the 17th century Puritan gender roles in Hester and Dimmesdale. For one, the mental and physical states of Hester and Dimmesdale are switched. Hester takes on the more courageous role throughout the novel whereas Dimmesdale takes on the more sensitive role. In addition, Hester is examined in accordance to the gender roles set for today’s American women. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is written in a manner that accurately depicts 17th century Puritan society, but does not accurately show gender roles.
In a normal Puritan society, a woman’s most important role was that of being a mother and housewife, and women were always seen as being less than a man. The rights of women during Puritan times were very limited and they had many restrictions on what they could and could not do. For example, they could not vote in the town council, own or buy land, or command any servants that their husband or father owned (study.com). Hawthorne represented this through the societies thoughts about Hester, and through how most other women in the society act. The societies thoughts about Hester show that any women who does not follow the normal way of doing things is to be punished and looked down on, even if their actions are completely relevant and harmless. It also represents how harshly women were judged for simply just being a
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses his novel, The Scarlet Letter to critique the Puritan faith. In developing his story of the adulteress Hester Prynne, he uses both religious and natural imagery to show his disdain for the Puritan religion. The Scarlet Letter is a vivid portrayal of his utter dislike for the Puritans and everything that they stand for. Hawthorne is in complete disagreement with them and makes it clear throughout the book.
In the beginning of the book, Hawthorne paints the picture of a female named Hester who has sinned. Not only is she publicly ostracized for having an affair while unmarried, but her major repercussion, her daughter, receives her punishment as well because she derives directly from sin. It is through these tribulations that Hawthorne exemplifies Hester and Pearl, no matter how young, as strong, independent females. These characteristics were not easily applied to females during this time. Hawthorne’s ability to show Hester collected and under control to the crowd, although she may have felt otherwise inside, while she exits the prison and while she is on the scaffold, exhibits her as a strong woman. The fact that Hester exits the prison “by an action marked with natural dignity and force of character, and stepped into the open air, as if by her own free will”, and the fact that while on the scaffold, under pressure, Hester refuses to give the name of the father of her child, also proves her strength and compassion. She states, “Never!....It is too deeply branded. Ye cannot take it off. And would that I might endure his agony, as well
The historical setting is highly significant in the novel since it is intertwined with the public’s belief and values, which shape overall themes of the novel and the main characters’ traits. The main setting of the novel takes place in New England during the middle of the seventeenth century, and the setting is the essential factor that develops the core conflicts among Hester, Dimmesdale, and the Puritan society; in fact, the historical setting itself and the society within it is what Hawthorne intends to reveal to the reader. New England in the seventeenth century was predominately organized around religious authorities, and indeed, a large portion of the population had migrated to the colony of New England with religious purposes. Therefore, the strict and religiously centered historical setting is well demonstrated through Hester’s townspeople when Hester commits adultery. The church authority and the townspeople require Hester to wear the large “A” embroidered scarlet letter, which symbolizes adultery. This act is aligned with the historica...
Throughout the novel, Hawthorne discusses the themes of sin, guilt, and how society affects the shaping of an individual's character. He addresses the issue of hypocrisy and how hidden guilt can affect someone. He also portrays the nature of evil in human form. Purity, honesty, and joyfulness are symbolized by little Pearl. He wrote this romance to express himself and show the oppression of the society and the community in which he lived in. Hester's struggle against society is similar to his own. Both, he and Hester, resist Puritan values and beliefs. The society Hawthorne lived in discouraged him and stopped him from pursuing his passion in writing, but he still continues to write. His novel shows the inner conflicts of individuals, the conflicts between them and society, and discloses the truth of the human heart.
The author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, expressed ideas of love, passion, shame, and punishment throughout his 1800s based novel. Due to the fact that this novel was based in a Puritan time period, it brought many mental and sometimes physical difficulties for the main character, Hester Prynne. The Puritans solely believed in God and all of his rules. With that said, the author decided to illustrate the drama of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale’s adultery in order to describe the change in Hester’s attitude. Because of the many events, adversities and struggles, Hester had a complete change in attitude from shame and embarrassment to love, proudness and satisfaction.