Dark Romanticism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter

When one hears the words ‘American Romanticism’, they should think of a genre that personified the American public after the Great Awakening. American Romanticism moved away from political matters and focused more on the idea of valuing feelings and intuition over reason and that nature is the path to morality and spiritual development. Dark Romanticism, a sub-genre of Romanticism, held most of these ideas true in their writing as well, but used them to emphasize human fallibility and proneness to sin. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a Dark Romantic author, uses elements of Dark Romanticism, such as reverence for nature, symbolism, and conflicts between good vs. evil to explore the psychological effects of sin and guilt.

In the novel, “The Scarlet Letter”, Hawthorne uses reverence for nature to portray that nature as a place where the burden of one's sin can be relieved and shared with others. He makes nature seem as though it is a safe haven where secrets can be revealed and all can be spoken. This is evident when Hester and Dimmesdale are in the forest and Hester tells Dimmesdale that, “You have deeply and sorely repented. Your sin is left behind you, in the days long past… And wherefore should it not bring you peace?” In the forest, Hester does not feel the pressure to keep a secret like she does when she is in civilization.

The private setting from them being in the forest makes it seem like they are far from the pressures of being perfect in society and thus they feel free to discuss a matter that has sat stale between the two for seven years. We also see evidence when Hester feels compelled to reveal the true identity of Chillingworth. The guilt that she feels for keeping the secret finally becomes unbearable and she says, “That old man!-the physician!...he was my husband!” Since she is finally alone with Dimmesdale, Hester feels the guilt swell up inside of her and can bear the weight of it no longer. In the seclusion provided by the forest, she knows that the time must be now. It was the perfect time to reveal the secret to a person directly affected by it without allowing any others to learn of the truth. Without this meeting between the two in the forest, the truth would have no doubt remained hidden for much longer, if not, forever.

Order custom essay Dark Romanticism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter with free plagiarism report

450+ experts on 30 subjects Starting from 3 hours delivery

Get Essay Help

Hawthorne also uses symbolism to give the character, Pearl, multiple meanings, one of which is majorly impactful on her mother Hester. Pearl possesses many unearthly qualities that make Hester question whether she is entirely human. We see Hester question Pearl’s earthly being when she, quite frequently, cried out, “O Father in Heaven,-if Thou art still my father,-what is this being which I have brought into the world!” Pearl’s entirely otherworldly nature, in both appearance and personality, leads Hester to question how such a child could have been brought forth from a woman that is nothing more than a simple follower of the Puritan faith. We see this when, “By its perfect shape,... to have been brought forth from Eden.” We see her severely contrasting behavior when, “Pearl would grow positively terrible… with shrill incoherent exclamations…” Hester questions if the sin that brought the child forth is the reason behind Pearl’s occasional demonic behavior and entirely inhuman appearance.  Pearl’s dual personality served as a constant reminder of the sin that brought her into the world and, because of it, Hester will never be able to forgive herself.

A character majorly affected by the guilt of the sin he committed is Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, who is constantly conflicted between good vs. evil throughout the novel. He feels that his soul is being ripped in two by his indecision of whether to do right by God and tell the truth to the town or to protect his public image and keep his sin a secret for the rest of his life. This is revealed when he says to Hester, “Canst thou deem it, Hester, a consolation, that I must stand up in my pulpit… and then look inward, and discern the black reality of what they idolize?” Through the years, Dimmesdale has felt the effect of his sin weighing down on his soul. His burden has been made worse by the fact that he must deliver sermons to hundreds of people that think only the best of him. He knows that if he were to stand up in front of everyone and admit that he was the one that committed adultery with Hester, he would be just as scorned and scoffed at as her, maybe even more so because he did not admit it when the act came to be known.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s use of Dark Romantic elements in his novel accurately portray the psychological effects of sin and guilt. While it is only a sub-genre of American Romanticism, it is certainly one of the most well known and recognized from its time period. While most of its elements have virtually disappeared from pop culture today, American Romanticism will certainly go down as one of the most influential time periods in history.

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Run a free check or have your essay done for you

Check my essay Hire Writer