Romanticism In The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter
Human Nature falls into two categories: logic and feelings. Humans can split half and half or fall on the extreme end of the spectrum as Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays. The Romantics value impulse and natural intuition. They do not hold any value to reasoning through thinking or through study of literature. The Scarlet Letter, shows that Roger Chillingworth, Pearl and Hester Prynne characterize the perfect personalities to show a Romantic and Realist point of view.
Presented as a realistic character, Roger Chillingworth gains his knowledge through books and suppresses his desires. In fact, when first introduced to the townspeople the narrator portrays him Roger as “a person who had so cultivated his mental part that it could
Thus she lives freely as a Romantic. She “could not be made amenable to rules”(62) because she only acts on her childlike inclinations. Even if her mother tries to negative and positive reinforcement Pearl could not care less. She delightedly makes all her decisions based on her intuition. A habit formed and cherished by the Romantics. She shows great promise in how she observes the environment around her at all times. For instance, when she mimicked her mother’s punishment she “imitated…on her own bosom, the decoration with which she was so familiar on her mother’s. A letter…but freshly green, instead of scarlet!” (122). Despite the fact that she does not understand what the letter exactly means she has some insight into how it’s a punishment by how others treat her and regard the letter. Recognizing the connection between the scarlet letter and how “‘It is for the same reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart!’” (122) Pearl’s perception impresses Hester. In the same way, Pearl impresses all when she decides to forgive Dimmesdale once he confesses his sin publicly as a Romantic would do. Although just a child, Pearl recognizes that Dimmesdale needed a lot of courage for what he did thus she feels she should forgive
Believing in natural enlightenment as well as self-discoveries Hester’s native personality, like her daughter Pearl’s, derives from Romanticism. In fact, acting on her feelings causes her to commit adultery. But as Hester progresses, so do her feelings, when “her life had turned, in a great measure, from passion and feeling, to thought.” (112) she became distant and unhappy because she starts to shrink back from her natural values, her original personality drives from Romantic feelings. Hester “whose heart had lost its regular and healthy throb, wandered without a clew in the dark labyrinth of mind”(114), she suffers when she forces herself to become a Realist, she even takes it upon herself to provide for the poor and the townspeople. She does this out of guilt and it compels her to believe the services will provide relief. Sewing does not give her pleasure because she denies herself of any luxury, whereas a Romantic would act upon self-enjoyment her Realist-self decides to give back to others. One day, deciding Dimmesdale has suffered enough, she suddenly switches back and acts on her most meaningful impulse, which is telling Dimmesdale that she married Roger and that he knows Pearl’s father is Dimmesdale. After Dimmesdale forgives her for this, she wants him to “Leave this wreck and…Begin all anew!” (136). Regardless of how Dimmesdale wants to leave, he argues that he can’t all alone, so together they agree to