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Hawthorne’s Theme of Sin The goal of all religious people is to get to heaven. Heaven is the place of everlasting joy and happiness. The one drawback that can keep us from getting to that everlasting joy is sin. It is like the poem “The Sea Turtle”; the turtle is trying to get to the ocean, but the unclean birds are trying to divert him from his goal. The turtle represents human beings, the ocean is heaven, and the unclean birds are sin. The only thing keeping us from reaching our happiness is the unclean birds. Now Nathaniel Hawthorne didn’t talk about getting to heaven in the three stories we read, but one of main themes in his stories was sin. One of the stories we read by Hawthorne was “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment.” In this story Hawthorne …show more content…
Wycherly was all about vanity; she only cared about how she looked (Hawthorne, Dr 113). She was also known for getting around a lot. Now Dr. Heidegger knew about their past and he wanted to conduct an experiment to …show more content…
The main character in the story is Mr. Hooper. He is a minister trying to teach the people of his parish. He comes to mass on Sunday wearing a black veil over his face, and the parishioners begin to wonder. They begin to make conclusions as to why he is wearing the veil, but no one actually comes up to question him. He would give his sermons in the same style as usual, but with the veil on it seemed to have more of a powerful effect. “Such was the effect of this simple piece of crape that more than one woman of delicate nerves was forced to leave the meetinghouse” (Hawthorne, Minister’s 275). The subject of the sermon was about secret sin; how we hide from them from the ones we love most. We try to forget about them and move on with our lives, but we forget that God can see those sins (Hawthorne, Minister’s 275). That reason why Mr. Hooper wore the veil; so that people could realize that everyone wears a veil, and that we all are hiding behind it. But the people didn’t get it. They assumed that Hooper was trying to hide from his sins. Everyone in the village began to avoid him; children ran away from him if they saw him. All the resentment began to encumber Mr. Hooper; his fiancée even left him because he wouldn’t take the veil off. Mr. Hooper was on his deathbed when he finally revealed why he was wearing the veil, but even then he didn’t take the veil off. Mr. Hooper’s last words were, “Why
...t to acknowledge that fact than to live your life a lie. By keeping sin secret from the world like Dimmesdale, your conscience eats at your spirit until you are no longer able to live a healthy, normal life. Hooper's demeanor and sermons scared everyone into seeing their own sins and when looking at his black veil, they saw their own faults, which petrified them for they knew they were pretending to be one of the elect, and that none of them could be perfectly sinless. The horror and the hate people felt towards both the black veil and the scarlet letter was an outward manifestation of the horror and hate they all had for their own sins. Thus it brings us back to the theme that Hawthorne makes so clear in both the Scarlet Letter and "The Minister's Black Veil," that though manifested sin will ostracize a person from society, un-confessed sin will destroy the soul.
In “The Minister’s Black Veil” Mr. Hooper shocks his townspeople by putting a veil permanently on his face. The veil is a paradox of concealment and revelation (Carnochan 186). Although it is concealing Mr. Hooper’s face, it is made to reveal the sins in society. The townspeople first believed that the veil was being used to hide a sin that Mr. Hooper had committed. Mr. Hooper says that the veil is supposed to be a symbol of sins in general, however the townspeople ignore the message and still focus on his sinfulness. The townspeople know that they have sinned, but they use Mr. Hooper as their own “veil” to hide their sins. Because the townspeople are so caught up on his sins, they fail to figure on the message behind Mr. Hooper’s action and
... the townspeople. Thus if this occurrence did in fact happen then Hawthorne would be displaying Satan’s intention as trying to weaken his faith with the true hypocritical personage of the town, however even if the forest congregation never truly took place then this lends support to the idea of youthful stupidity and doubt. Which also takes place within his other work “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”, of which he displays the doubt and mystery of the magical effects of the Fountain of Youth’s water’s effect upon the four insipidly aged patients of the doctor. Thus his purpose of the whole experiment evolves around the impact and emphasis upon the ideal of age doesn’t entitle wisdom and those who have grown old without learning from their follies will remain foolish and childish.
Heidegger’s Experiment,” Hawthorne regards scientists as individuals who show a remarkable interest in human behavioral patterns. For example, Dr. Heidegger proclaims, “I am desirous of your assistance in one of those little experiments with which I amuse myself here in my study” (160). Since this experiment is being conducted for his amusement, Heidegger is clearly interested in its results. Generally, the doctor wishes to know whether individuals change when given a second chance. He gives the four subjects water from the fountain of youth to see if their behavior changes given a second chance at juvenescence. However, they commit the same imprudent mistakes that they had in their youth. This confirms Heidegger’s notion that people do not change, and Hawthorne is able to depict scientists’ interest in the human mind. The mysterious doctor also states, “Think what a sin and shame it would be, if, with your peculiar advantages, you should not become patterns of virtue and wisdom to all the young people of the age” (“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” 162). Heidegger’s statements to the four subjects reveal his intentions and the overall nature of the experiment. The doctor is concerned with the behavior and recklessness of youth rather than the medicinal properties found in the water of youth. Essentially, the four subjects are being given an opportunity to return to their youth. They must not make the foolish mistakes that they each made earlier in their lives. Instead, the individuals should become sources of wisdom for younger generations. Hawthorne’s portrayal of Heidegger and his interest in the behaviors of his subjects demonstrates scientists’ love for experimentation. Hawthorne regards scientists as individuals who will carry out experiments to better understand human behavior. He clearly portrays this through Heidegger’s experiment in which the subjects’ behavior is analyzed to determine whether humans will change given a second
Nathaniel Hawthorne's knowledge of Puritanism and his close relationship with the religion has impacted his views on those in the society. Hawthorne is critical of the Puritans and he thinks that they are hypocrites for having rules and morals that they do not follow. He sees the underlying sin that others may not. Through his many writings he makes known to his readers that everyone is guilty of sin. The Puritan's main goal was to save themselves from the sin in the world, but Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays their morals and society as troublesome through his works, "Young Goodman Brown," "The Minister's Black Veil," and The Scarlet Letter.
Edgar Allen Poe wrote that he could see that imagination is a part of many of Hawthorne’s works (Poe). It is as if imagination is built in to Hawthorne’s work as almost an ingredient to a cake. When describing Hawthorne’s work in the Encyclopedia of World Biography, they state that Hawthorne’s work is “broadly allegorical but infused with imaginative passion.” Hawthorne’s imagination was infused in his work. Such things as the experimentation in “The Birthmark”, the journey and hidden themes in “Young Goodman Brown” or the fictional youth in “Dr.Heidegger’s Experiment.” Poe wrote that Hawthorne’s stories “are the product of a truly imaginative intellect ” and that “ “Dr. Heidegger’s experiment” is exceedingly
Due to yellow fever, Hawthorne’s father passed away at an early age. Because of this incident, his mother went into a deep depression and rarely showed Hawthorne the love and affection a young boy hungers for, thus affecting him in his adulthood and career. As Hawthorne aged, he learned that he was related to a Puritan judge of the Salem Witch Trials by the name of John Hathorne. In these trials, many innocent women were executed because of the decisions Judge Hathorne made. Self-consciously, John Hathorne did not feel any guilt, but because Hawthorne felt the guilt Hathorne should have felt, he legally added a w to his last name so readers would not know of his past when he began publishing (Clendenning). Because many of Hawthorne’s writings were influenced by this family history, adding the w did not help his situation.
The Scarlet Letter is a novel that deals with the theme of sin. Throughout history, people have committed all types of sins, and whether they are major or minor, people have been punished. However, the severity of a punishment is very difficult to agree on. Some people feel that sinners should be deeply punished no matter how little the wrongdoing was. Others feel that a person's punishment should be based upon the severity of their crime. However, what many people overlook is the fact that in time, we all have committed sins.
The story “The Minister’s Black Veil” is symbolic of the hidden sins that we hide and separate ourselves from the ones we love most. In wearing the veil Hooper presents the isolation that everybody experiences when they are chained down by their own sins. He has realized that everybody symbolically can be found in the shadow of their own veil. By Hooper wearing this shroud across his face is only showing the dark side of people and the truth of human existence and nature.
Failure to respect God's standards often roots obscurity in recognizing one's own sins. For this reason, Nathaniel Hawthorne attempts to maintain a dark and truthful view of mankind, his romantic historical fiction novel; The Scarlet Letter reveals both the author and man's common struggle to discern the difference between Civil and Natural Law, the means by which they deceive themselves, justify their actions, and seek redemption. Not to mention, the setting impacts the evolution of the plot dramatically as certain bold individuals take on the role of romantic heroes, fighting the Puritan Utopia in both a proper and improper manner. Consequently, a recurring theme is continually developed as transcendentalists view man as inherently good and Hawthorne exposes the reality of man’s wickedness. However, Hawthorne's conflicting views of human nature are clearly evident as he both sympathizes and rebukes the transgressions of the Puritan society though each of four main characters.
Hawthorne suggests the idea that sin gives a person a more progressive understanding of human society, and because of this, society as a whole is able to move forward. Hester’s isolation caused her to ponder upon critical questions that were far advanced for her time, while Dimmesdale’s journey with sin draws resemblance to that of Adam and Eve, and he subsequently has an enlightened insight on society. The product of these two’s sin, Pearl, also has a keen perception of her surroundings and society, due to being an extension of her parent’s sin. The broader picture that Hawthorne attempts to convey to his audience is that the acceptance of sin within a community ensures that each member has a much more intimate understanding of humanity as a whole, helping society progress forward.
Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne 's literary work, The Minister 's Black Veil, the sensation of the veil, the separation it creates from good things in life, and the persistence of the black veil on earth symbolize sin in mankind. During the whole parable, Mr. Hooper is restrained by the black veil and cannot live a free, enjoyable life. Also, people around him cannot tolerate the overwhelming, dark feeling that the black veil generates. Similarly, sin can take over people’s lives and create a feeling of hopelessness and gloom. Hawthorne’s parable overall demonstrates power and impact of sin on
A sin was committed by three of the main characters in the novel and throughout the novel Hawthorne tries to point out that sin, no matter how trivial or how substantial, is still sin. There have been debates on exactly who is the biggest sinner, but in Hawthorne's case, I think he believes that the sins were equal and throughout the novel he develops each of them, trying to get the reader to understand is reasoning.
From the beginning of the story, Mr. Hooper comes out wearing a black veil, which represents sins that he cannot tell to anyone. Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, Mr. Hooper has on a black veil. Elizabeth urged, “Beloved and respected as you are, there may be whispers that you hid your face under the consciousness of secret sin” (Hawthorne 269). His fiancé says that in the black veil there may be has a consciousness of secret sin. Also, he is a parson in Milford meeting-house and a gentlemanly person, so without the veil, Hooper would be a just typical minister, “guilty of the typical sins of every human, but holier than most” (Boone par.7). He would be a typical minister who is guilty of the typical sins of every human without the black veil. Also, Boone said, “If he confesses his sin, the community can occur” (Boone par.16). If he confesses his sin about the black veil, all of the neighbors will hate him. Last, he said, “so, the veil is a saying: it is constantly signifying, constantly speaking to the people of the possibility of Hooper’s sin” (Boone par.11). Mr. Hooper’s veil says that he is trying to not tell the sins about the black veil. In conclusion, every people have sins that cannot tell to anyone like Mr. Hooper.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's works are notable for their treatment of guilt and the complexities of moral choices. "Moral and religious concerns, in short, are almost always present in Hawthorne's work"(Foster, 56). Given Hawthorne's background, it is not a stretch of the imagination to say that his novels are critiques of Puritanism. Hawthorne lived in the deeply scarred New England area, separated from Puritanism by only one generation. His grandfather had been one of the judges in the Salem Witch Trials. Personal issues include the various ways Hawthorne's family and specific events in his life influenced his writing. Readers can easily recognize how "Young Goodman Brown" incorporates facts about his Puritan ancestors. Father Hooper in "The Minister's Black Veil" may be symbolically paralleled to Hawthorne's ancestors, trying to hide a sin they have committed. His descendants' remarks on him in The Custom House introduction to The Scarlet Letter mix pride in Hawthorne's prominence and a sense of inherited guilt for his deeds as judge. Hawthorne's guilt of wrongs committed by his ancestors was paramount in the development of his literary career. He investigates human weaknesses through the time period of his ancestors. Generally Hawthorne's writings contained powerful symbolic and psychological effects of pride, guilt, sin and punishment.