Similarities Between Hawthorne And Edgar Allan Poe

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A Light in Darkness The Romantic/Gothic time period lasted from the late 18th century until the middle of the 19th century. During this time, Puritan thinking was abandoned and new ideas like individuality, freedom, closeness to nature, and the presence of the supernatural surfaced. These new concepts were illustrated through music, art, and literature. Among the greats of Romantic and Gothic literature are Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe. Hawthorne was a descendent of a Salem judge who sentenced many “witches” to death. He was extremely ashamed of his heritage; going as far to change his name from Hawthorne to Hawthorne in order to sever all ties to his family. As a result, he had very anti-Puritan views. Poe was a haunted …show more content…

In this way, he introduces hope, but then all but covers that hope with darkness. With Poe’s darkness comes fear. Poe’s imagery is used to invoke fear in the readers. The mood is tense and terrifying as he uses words like “demon,” “ghastly,” and “gleaming.” These words have negative connotations, which results in that fear that the reader experiences after the briefest flicker of hope. Hawthorne uses imagery in positive and negative ways that impact the story’s mood. He writes, “It straggled onward into the mystery of the primeval forest. This hemmed it in so narrowly, and stood so black and dense on either side, and disclosed such imperfect glimpses of the sky above...The day was chill and sombre. Overhead was a gray expanse of cloud.”(Page 165) At this point in the story, Hester and her daughter, Pearl, are walking into the forest, where Hester wants to meet Reverend Dimmesdale. It has been seven long years since Hester’s punishment began, and her feelings are sad and gloomy as she struggles with her fate. This imagery describes the forest that Hester is approaching, and perfectly mirroring her feelings. The forest is dark

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