Nathaniel Hawthorne an American romantic author. whose literature is known for its Anti-Transcendentalism. wrote Young Goodman Brown and The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne is a author during the American Romantics. where the bulk of authorship is focused on nature. supernatural elements ; one’s psychological science and the unfavorable judgment of society’s “norm” . Nathaniel is Hawthorne known for his ill-famed Anti-Transcendentalist literature. Anti-Transcendentalism ideals are about one’s immorality and inner and iniquitous nature. where everyone is born evil and no affair what. and that humanity is evil and destructive. Hawthorne is non able to accept the optimism of the Transcendentalists and through his authorship he tries to look for truths in one’s bosom and head. Hawthorne’s usage of symbols. characters. and subjects in his literature sort his Hagiographas as Anti-Transcendentalist. Through the usage of character development Hawthorne’s literature can be classified as Anti-Transcendentalist.
In both pieces of literature Hawthorne uses characters who act as the prototype of Anti-Transcendentalism. The Scarlet Letter has two imperative characters that exemplify Anti-Transcendentalist. First we have Dimmesdale ; he is a curate in the town and is one of the most extremely respected work forces in Boston. In world Dimmesdale is a evildoer and an fornicator as he slept with Hester. another man’s married woman and got her pregnant. Hester’s penalty for her actions are ; public humiliation. and the Scarlet Letter. Though Dimmesdale is non revealed as her confederate over clip he himself grows a Scarlet Letter of his ain. “Most of the witnesss testified to holding seen. on the chest of the unhappy curate. a Scarlet Letter…Mr. Dimmesdale. on the really twenty-four hours when Hester Prynne foremost wore her black badge. had begun a class of penance” ( SL 211 ) . When Hawthorne reveals Dimmesdale holding a Scarlet Letter it expresses the ideals of Anti-Transcendentalism where his ain Scarlet Letter is the illustration of one’s interior darkness and immorality that is inside of him.
In Young Goodman Brown after Goodman Brown witnesses all of the townsfolk take parting in a witchery ceremonial and comes back to his place he sees the universe in a new position. “The following forenoon Goodman Brown came easy into the streets of Salem gazing about him like a baffled man” ( YGB 7 ) . He is ne’er the same and trusts no 1. including his married woman. It says that he snatched off the kids that Goody Cloyse was speaking to and when his married woman embraced him he merely walked off. ( YGB 7 ) Hawthorne uses Goodman Brown to demo that everyone is evil indoors and that he human spirit is destructive. Character development acknowledges a function in how Hawthorne’s literature should be classified as Anti-Transcendentalist. Character Development is non the lone factor that classifies Hawthorne’s literature as Anti-Transcendentalist ; symbols take on an tremendous function every bit good. In the Scarlet Letter two symbols are Pearl. and the existent Scarlet Letter.
Pearl is non merely a curious kid for her age she has a much deeper significance. Pearl is Hester’s populating illustration of her wickedness. Pearl’s intent in the Scarlet Letter is to stand for wickedness. but non merely to Hester but in the universe every bit good. The Actual Scarlet Letter is besides a symbol which represents non merely wickedness. but the Anti-Transcendentalist thought that your wickednesss will ne’er travel off. wickedness will stay apparent inside you and around you. These two illustrations could non represent Anti-Transcendentalist beliefs any more as its primary focal point is about wickedness and how people view wickedness. In Young Goodman Brown a few symbols that embody Anti-Transcendentalism are the wood and the old adult male who is meant to be the Satan.
The wood in both of Hawthorne’s literature has a dark significance towards it and besides is a topographic point where no good can go on Goodman Brown believes that the Satan could be present in the wood. and when he sees a adult female from his town he hides as he is ashamed to be walking in the wood. The wood is characterized as diabolic. terrorization. and dark. The old adult male is besides a symbol which is portrayed as the Satan. He is used to stand for the destructiveness of the human spirit and to demo the immorality within humanity. All of these features contribute to sort Hawthorne’s composing as Anti-Transcendentalist.
Aside from characters and symbols Hawthorne uses subjects in his literature which contribute to sorting his Hagiographas as Anti-Transcendentalist. The most outstanding subject in both pieces of his literature is the. nature of immorality in humanity. The Scarlet Letter uses the “Black Man” as an alter self-importance to Chillingworth who is a representation for the Devil. On the outside Chillingworth is a physician who is supposed to assist people when they are ill but inside he is evil. Alternatively of giving Dimmesdale life he is doing him ill. as he is taking life and doing it suffering. “‘Come off. or yonder old black adult male will catch you! He hath got clasp of the curate already. Come off. female parent or he will catch you! ’” ( SL 61 ) The quotation mark is from Pearl who understands Chillingworth is the Satan and has already captured and made Dimmesdale’s life horrible. Another case of the immorality in humanity partakes in the Story of Young Goodman Brown where it contains a greater deepness of immorality in humanity.
The Scarlet Letter is merely one adult male consumed by the Satan but in Young Goodman Brown the whole town appears to be taking portion in a witchery ceremonial. When he is taken into the wood he sees the curate. a deacon and many more well-thought-of work forces of his town are evil. “He recognized a mark of church members of Salem…Good old Deacon Gookin had arrived. his reserved pastor” ( YGB 6 ) These work forces and adult females who are extremely respected are taking portion in English witchery. Hawthorne is showing that worlds are capable of interior darkness and immorality. which enable his literature to be classified as Anti-Transcendentalist. Symbols. characters. and subjects are the elements that Hawthorne uses to demo how his literature can be classified as Anti-Transcendentalist.
The symbols in both pieces of Hawthorne’s literature represent wickedness. and evil. both which are qualities of Anti-Transcendentalism. All the characters in Hawthorne’s literature contain grounds of iniquitous nature. interior darkness and the destructiveness of the human spirit. These qualities are most outstanding in Chillingworth and Dimmesdale and particularly with Goodman Brown. Last Hawthorne’s primary subject in all his literature is the nature of immorality in humanity. Chillingworth exemplifies this subject greatly every bit good as the towns’ people in Young Goodman Brown. The manner Hawthorne writes and his usage of symbols. subjects. and characters sort his composing as Anti-Transcendentalist.
