Essay On Transcendentalism In The Scarlet Letter
Although The Scarlet Letter is commonly associated with Romanticism, Hawthorne allows Transcendentalism’s traits to pervade his themes, symbols, and motifs within the novel. The heart of Transcendentalism is the belief that divinity is in every part of nature and humanity. An obvious example of this idea occurs in Chapter 12, when Dimmesdale sees a red “A” in the sky:
Nothing was more common, in those days, than to interpret all meteoric appearances, and other natural phenomena, that occurred with less regularity than the rise and set of sun and moon, as so many revelations from a supernatural source . . . . The belief was a favorite one with our forefathers, as betokening that their infant commonwealth was under a celestial guardianship of peculiar intimacy and strictness.” (134-135)
To Dimmesdale, the meteor is a message from God, a reminder that he is equally as guilty as Hester but not punished for his sins. Therefore, this passage provides an explanation of the Transcendentalist belief of divinity within nature. Since Dimmesdale is a minister, he feels as though he has a steadfast bond with God; he does not hesitate to assume that the message is addressed to himself personally, rather than to the community as a whole. However, the community finds a completely different meaning behind the symbol. …show more content…
Pearl is certainly a blessing and curse from God. She saves Hester from herself in odd ways, such as preventing her from becoming a witch, but Pearl is undoubtedly a living scarlet letter. Her existence is the result of her mother’s sin, so people see her as a punishment created by God’s wrath. Pearl is also a symbol of salvation, her name itself says so: the “pearl of great price.” Pearl ultimately brings Dimmesdale and Hester together, perhaps as God intended. As Emerson simply states in his essay, “Nature”, “Every natural action is
Nothing was more common, in those days, than to interpret all meteoric appearances, and other natural phenomena, that occurred with less regularity than the rise and set of sun and moon, as so many revelations from a supernatural source . . . . The belief was a favorite one with our forefathers, as betokening that their infant commonwealth was under a celestial guardianship of peculiar intimacy and strictness.” (134-135)
To Dimmesdale, the meteor is a message from God, a reminder that he is equally as guilty as Hester but not punished for his sins. Therefore, this passage provides an explanation of the Transcendentalist belief of divinity within nature. Since Dimmesdale is a minister, he feels as though he has a steadfast bond with God; he does not hesitate to assume that the message is addressed to himself personally, rather than to the community as a whole. However, the community finds a completely different meaning behind the symbol. …show more content…
Pearl is certainly a blessing and curse from God. She saves Hester from herself in odd ways, such as preventing her from becoming a witch, but Pearl is undoubtedly a living scarlet letter. Her existence is the result of her mother’s sin, so people see her as a punishment created by God’s wrath. Pearl is also a symbol of salvation, her name itself says so: the “pearl of great price.” Pearl ultimately brings Dimmesdale and Hester together, perhaps as God intended. As Emerson simply states in his essay, “Nature”, “Every natural action is