“The Custom House” from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
“The Custom House” from The Scarlet Letter
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Transcript of “The Custom House” from The Scarlet Letter
“The Custom House” from
The Scarlet Letterby
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Puritan Culture• Hawthorne is the first American novelist
to make an impact in Europe
• In 1630 hundreds of newly arrived Puritans established a number of settlements in Massachusetts.
• The Puritan movement began in the 1500s among people who believed that the Church of England was too influenced by the Crown and the Catholic Church.
Puritan Culture• Rejected belief that divine authority is
channeled through any one person
• Believed that the only way to salvation was through the Bible; Kings and Queens of England did not agree
• America equaled religious freedom
• Residents of Boston in the mid-1600s were much as Hawthorne depicts them— hardworking and devoted to their way of life.
Puritan Culture• Their society had been carved out for them
by John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts and a resident of Boston.
• As a leader of the first residents of the colony, he established a government based on a combination of religious and civil ideals.
• The colony was intended to be an ideal Christian community.
Puritanism, Defined Further
• Puritanism can be seen as a form of covenant theology, or a contract with God
• A covenant of works: Adam and Eve broke the contract (original sin)
• A covenant of grace: Abraham establishes religion, elects few to follow
• Deals in the idea of total depravity, where man cannot obtain salvation on his own
Puritanism, Defined Further
• God is omnipotent (all knowing); man is evil inherently and prone to evil
• Man is predestined, or has his destiny predetermined
• God saves who he wants with no regards to faith or works
• Belief in Divine Providence, where all things happen and will happen from God
Puritanism, Defined Further
• Belief in Sin of Presumption, where no one can know what God’s plan is; however, there are symbols and signs that can be read
• Bible is the literal word of God; governs all human behavior, functions as a typology, or guide to living
• Very anti-Catholic: goal is to purify the Church of England
Puritanism, Defined Further
• Puritans felt they were on a mission from God to show the world they were right
• The new world (America) was a place of trial, or grounds for them to prove themselves
• Nature served as the Devil’s playground with the Indians serving as his children
• America: a place of profit with the freedom to rule themselves without interference
Notes on the Introduction
• Though the piece is highly autobiographical, the narrator for The Scarlet Letter, “The Custom House” included, is not Hawthorne; the narrator writes in the third person omniscient point of view. He analyzes and depicts the characters in a way that shows he knows more about them they know about themselves; however, he is subjective, being that he offers his own opinions of these characters.
Ironic Point of ViewThe lines “But, as thoughts are frozen and
utterance benumbed, unless the speaker stand in
some true relation with his audience, it may
pardonable to imagine that a friend, a friend and
apprehensive, though not the closest friend, is
listening to our talk; and then a native reserve
being thawed by this genial consciousness, we
may prate of the circumstances that lie around
us, and even of ourself, but still keep the inmost
Ironic Point of View
me behind its veil. To this extent, and within
these limits, an author, methinks, may be
autobiographical, without violating either the
reader’s rights or his own” lends itself to irony:
Hawthorne is having a Surveyor (like Hawthorne
was) narrate the story, who speaks about an
author using a fictional narrator so that one could
be autobiographical.
The Custom-House, Modern Day
Annotations
• Customs are duties, or a type of tax due to the state and levied by law; a tax on certain items purchased abroad
• Custom house also controlled the flow of goods in and out of the country
Annotations
• Hawthorne was appointed surveyor in 1846 by president James K. Polk
• As surveyor, Hawthorne’s job was to inspect and report on all cargo and happenings on and at the port
• Hawthorne’s writing of The Scarlet Letter serves an ironic purpose: he acts as a surveyor of customs, which in this case, means the customs, or habitual practices, of his New England town
Annotations
The Old Manse: on their wedding day,
Sophia and Nate moved into the Old Manse
in Concord, Massachusetts. The house had
been built by the grandfather of Ralph
Waldo Emerson. The Hawthorne’s lived
there until the fall of 1845, when they
moved in with Hawthorne’s mother and
sisters in Salem.
Annotations
P. P. Clark of this Parish: a satire by
Alexander Pope about people who write
contemporary memoirs.
King Derby: Elias Haskett Derby, Salem
merchant and ship owner.
“...last war with England”: The War of 1812
Annotations
“...like Matthew...were Custom-House
officers.”: Reference to Matthew 9:9: “And
as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a
man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt
of the custom: and he saith unto him,
Follow me. And he arose, and followed
him.”
Annotations
“...other wharf-rats as haunt the Whapping
seaport.”: Whapping is a suburb of East
London on the river Thames, and provided
the main entrance to the London docks.
Slop-sellers could refer to several things,
including inexpensive clothes.
Annotations
“...Locofoco Surveyor.”: a reform minded
faction of the Democratic party in New
York, called the Equal rights party.
Locofoco refers to a type of friction match
that party members used for illumination
when conservative Democrats turn out the
lights on Tammany Hall before one of their
meetings.
Annotations
“...and a view of the alms-house at the
other...”: Gallows Hill, at the southern edge
of Salem, is the area where nineteen
witches were hanged in the summer of
1692.
“...which has since become a city.”:
Hawthorne’s great-great-great grandfather,
William Hathorne became a notable figure
in Salem and settled there in 1636.
Annotations
“He was likewise a bitter prosecuter...”:
William Hathorne ordered a Quaker
woman, Ann Coleman, to be whipped
through the streets of Salem. Hawthorne
added the “w” to the family name when he
was in his twenties.”
Annotations
“From father to son...”: Hawthorne’s father,
Nathaniel Hathorne, was a sea-captain who
died of yellow fever in Surnam when
Hawthorne was not quite four.
“On emerging from the Old Manse...have
gone somewhere else.”: Hawthorne was
appointed surveyor by president James K.
Polk. He was fired by president Zachary
Taylor under the spoils system.
Annotations“General Miller...”: fought in the War of
1812 and served as governor of Arkansas;
held the position of collector at the Port of
Salem while Hawthorne was there.
“...Whigs.”: The Democrats and Whigs
were the two major political parties in the
middle of the nineteenth century: The
abolitionist northern Democrats formed the
Republican party in the 1850’s. Lincoln
was their first president.
Annotations“...the new Surveyor was not a
politician...”: Hawthorne has very little
interest in politics; however, did lobby
when he lost his job that he was apolitical.
The Whig party felt, claimed with some
truth, that he was more politically active
than he said.
Annotations“...Boreas...”: god of the north wind in
Greek mythology.
“...was a certain permanent inspector.”:
William Lee served as Inspector. Lee’s
daughters never forgave Hawthorne for his
“trivializing” sketch. Hawthorne later
regretted writing disparagingly about him.
“...days of the elder Adams...”: John
Adams, second president.
Annotations“...like Ticonderoga...”: one of the first
major battles of the Revolutionary War; was
a successful attack on British troops in what
is now upstate New York.
“...on Chippewa or Fort Erie...”: important
victories for American in the War of 1812.
General Miller fought at the Battle of
Chippewa; Hawthorne was 10.
Annotations“...I’ll Try, Sir!...”: what General Miller said
when General Winfielf Scott commanded
General Miller to take the battery at
Lundy’s Lane.
“There was one man...gave me a new idea
of talent.”: Zachariah Burchmore, Secretary
of the Democratic Party in Salem; served as
Custom-House clerk and was an ally of
Hawthorne’s in his effort to retain his job.
Annotations“...bretheren of Brook Farm...”: George
Ripley founded the utopian community in
1841 in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.
Hawthorne lived at the farm for a few
months, but grew to dislike it.
“...who had known Alcott.”: Hawthorne
knew many intellectuals, including
Emerson, Thoreau, Longfellow, and the
prominent, eccentric, and intellectual
Bronson Alcott.
Annotations“...Burns or of Chaucer...”: poet Robert
Burns and Geoffrey Chaucer held similar
jobs. Hawthorne’s appointment was
definitely one of patronage.
“The Custom-House marker imprinted
it...through the office.”: refers to the seal
that labeled each box, “/Salem/ N
Hawthorne/ Sur /1847.” Anatto is a small
evergreen tree whose seeds are used to
produce and orange-red dye.
Annotations“...old Billy Gray---old Simon Forrester...”:
William Gray was a wealthy merchant
elected lieutenant governor of
Massachusetts; Simon Forrester was a
wealthy merchant and ship owner, and
brother-in-law to Hawthorne.
Annotations“...the Protectorate...”: name given to the
English government under Oliver
Cromwell. Monarchy was restored with its
end.
“...now on ‘Change...”: Merchants
Exchange in Boston.
“...seal of Governor Shirley...” William
Shirley was royal governor of
Massachusetts from 1741-1756; Surveyor
Jonathan Pue was appointed in 1752.
Annotations“She had flourished...close of the
seventeenth century.”: Hester Prynne must
have arrived in Boston in 1640 where she
has been in residence for two years when
the novel opens in 1642. Roughly
speaking, her life encompassed the period
between 1620, the year the Pilgrims
emigrated in Plymouth, and the Salem
Witch Trials in 1692.
AnnotationsThere is no evidence that the scarlet letter
or these papers ever existed outside of
Hawthorne’s imagination.
“...with a little pile of glittering coin...”:
Gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in
California in January, 1848; first wave of
gold seekers arrive in 1849.
“If the guillotine...”: Zachary Taylor’s
political appointments in 1849 were
reported as “beheadings” of Democrats.
Vocabulary Activity 10/20/10
Scan the chapter “The Custom House” from The Scarlet Letter for at least 10 words you donot know. Next, look those words up in thedictionary and define them. Then, write a storyusing at least 10 of those words correctly. Yourstory should be a minimum of 100 words in length.