The Scarlet Letter: What happens when a private sin becomes a public crime?

DO-NOW: Spend a moment looking at the painting above. Then record your observations. What is

happening and why?

Hester and Pearl, George Henry Boughton (1833-1905)

• Written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in 1850

• Considered the first psychological novel and first truly American novel

• Deals with treatment of human nature, sin, guilt, and pride from an American point of view

• Set in Boston, Massachusetts during the mid-seventeenth century

The Scarlet Letter

• Born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts

• Graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine in 1825, spending the next 12 years of his life writing

• Married Sophia Peabody in 1842 and took a job as an surveyor in the Salem Custom House to earn more money

• His great-great-grandfather was a judge during the Salem Witch Trials

• Died in 1864, aged 60

Nathaniel Hawthorne

• Hawthorne was allegedly haunted by his connection to his ancestor and it is speculated that he added the “W” to his last name to distance himself from his great-great grandfather.

• In 1830, Hawthorne published two stories under the name “Hathorne,” but started spelling his name with a W after this date.

• Hathorne is not only related to John Hathorne, but also to a number of the accused witches from the Salem Witch Trials including John Proctor.

Hawthorne or Hathorne?Statue in Salem, MA

Hawthorne Birthplace in Salem, MA

Nathaniel Hawthorne Birthplace

In this house, Hawthorne wrote hisnovel, The Scarlet Letter. Today, it is a private home in Salem, MA.

The Scarlet Letter

The Period of American Literature between 1830 and 1865 is known as the American Romantic Period. The young nation felt destined for greatness and wanted the current generation of young minds to establish an American cultural identity. Key writers: Poe, Whitman, Thoreau

American Romanticism

Transcendentalists believed that divinity manifests itself everywhere, especially in nature, and that people should foster individual relationships with the divine, rather than seek it through structured religion.

Transcendentalism also believes in people’s innate goodness and the importance of insight over logic in the quest for truth.

Key writers: Emerson, Thoreau

Transcendentalism

Novel vs. Romance

A novel deals with realistic representations of human experiences. The events that occur in a novel tend to be plausible.

A romance employs fantastic representations of their characters’ experiences to arrive at inner truths. A romance is less focused on realism than on symbols; less concerned with a story’s credibility than its resonance.

The Scarlet Letter is considered a romance.

Who Were the Puritans?The Puritans were a group of the Church of England who disagreed with certain religious

practices: worship of idols and ceremonial rituals

Theocracy – No separation of church and state. Religious rules would make up most of the laws that run society, and the church would be the head of

government.

Puritans – Wanted to �purify� the church

• They believed they were God’s chosen ones.

• They felt God justified all their actions, so they stood firm in their resolve.

• If someone were to criticize them or harm them, they would turn the other cheek, believing that God would take care of them in the end.

What did the Puritans believe?

1. First, they believed that humans were despicable beings – Original Sin

2. They subscribed to the belief of unconditional election. Before God created the world, he chose certain individuals to be saved.

Puritan Beliefs: We’re All Sinners

3. The Puritans believed in Limited Atonement. Basically, only the true were predestined.

4. Irresistible Grace: Once God chose someone for salvation, that person could not resist God’s grace.

JCore Puritan Beliefs

5. The Puritans believed in Perseverance of the Saints. A person elected by God's grace would never leave the path to salvation. The person would have complete power to understand the word of God, and would never turn towards evil.

JCore Puritan Beliefs

• Was against the law to not attend church.

• Men and women sat on different sides of church. Children didn’t sit with parents; were expected to be completely silent.

• Service began with a prayer, given by the minister, that lasted about an hour. Following prayer, the minister would give his sermon – which would last from two to four hours.

• No music. No bathroom breaks. No heat or air conditioning.

Church for Puritans

What does this suggest?

• The Puritans rejected most religious celebrations, as they found no scripture in the Bible justifying its celebration.

• Puritans celebrated only three holidays: Commencement Day, Training Day, and Election DayCommencement Day: "If the college die, the church cannot long live.” Celebrating graduation of students from colleges, especially Harvard CollegeTraining Day: Military reviews and exercises were made religious by an opening exercise of prayer and psalm-singingElection Day: A Spring event (usually a Wednesday in April) when the charter of Massachusetts required that members of the Bay Colony meet to elect their officers. This day became a holiday, celebrated with sermons and a special election cake and beer. Pay attention to this in CH 21 of the novel

Puritan Holidays

No privacy – moral police and finesNothing could be immodest. If anyone did dishonest or immoral things, such as use profanity or have an affair, he or she would be fined and punished by the court

Valued literacy and reading the Biblefor direct interaction with God

How does this illustration depict

Puritan life?

• Describe the painting. What are the mother and child doing? Describe their clothes.

• Describe the faces of the mother and child. How would you describe their emotions?

• What new information does this portrait give you about life for seventeenth-century Puritans?

Elizabeth Clarke Freake (Mrs. John Freake) and Baby Mary, about 1671 and 1674

Examining Puritan Life

• Women: subservient to men and naturally evil, following the teachings of the Bible. Stems from Adam and Eve

• Social order: Men, married women, single women, children

The Role of Puritan Women

The Role of Puritan Women

Tombstones in Salem, MA: Look closely at both of these tombstones. What do they tell you about the role of women in Puritan society?

Instructions on Good Manners for Colonial Children (1773)�Make a bow always when you come

home, and be immediately uncovered.

Never sit in the presence of thy parents without bidding, tho’ no stranger be present.

If thou passest by thy parents, and any place where thou seest them, when either by themselves or with company, bow towards them.

Dispute not, nor delay to obey thy parents commands.

Quarrel not nor contend with thy brethren or sisters, but live in love, peace, and unity.�

What does this suggest about the role of Puritan children?

• Puritans thought it was their destiny to expand their domain, taking Native land

• Constant Native American fights on fringes of frontier

• Associated with the Devil• Harsh living conditions and

death. Widespread diseases (smallpox) killed many

Life With Native Americans

Life With Native

Americans

The Puritans tried, unsuccessfully, to convert Indians to Christianity. They thought they were doing the Indians a favor by saving them from damnation.

Adultery• Made capital crime by

Massachusetts Bay General Court in 1631

• Usually punished by fine and public whipping

• Man was required to pay child support if child was born

• In Plymouth, MA: whipping and wearing of AD letters on clothing

Puritan Crime & Punishment

• The Puritans emphasized women’s sexual offenses more than men’s

• A man’s offense was just considered a violation of his marriage, while a woman’s offense was considered a violation of her marriage and an offense against the community.

• Women were blamed more for illegal sexual activity because they were considered to be ruled by their emotions, while men were considered to be governed by reason.

Puritan Crime & Punishment

• The Puritans believed that one unpunished sinner can infect the whole congregation.

• This comes from the Bible, Leviticus 20:10, which reads:

“And the man that commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he that commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”

Consider how this belief is shown as you read Chapter 2 of the novel.

Puritan Crime & Punishment

• Supernatural world coexists with real world

• Devils and angels compete for a person’s soul

• Must be on guard at all times – little things could be the work of the Devil

• Most at risk were young, single women as they might become �married� to the Devil

Belief in the Supernatural

• The Puritans believed people were not born witches

• At some point, they were approached by the Devil (the Black Man) to come and be with him

• Those who followed signed his book, meaning they made a compact with him, and then were given the power of witchcraft

Belief in the Supernatural

“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”

Exodus 22:18

• A custom house is the building where taxes are paid on good coming into a port.

• This custom house in Salem, MA was where Nathaniel Hawthorne worked as a surveyor, overseeing the house’s inspectors from 1846-1849.

The Custom House

Hawthorne’s things while working at the Custom House in Salem, MA

The Custom House

A puritan woman who preached her own interpretation of the Bible, rather than those of the governing ministers.

Anne Hutchinson

Her actions were considered an attack on the church and society.

Anne Hutchinson• A Puritan woman who developed religious ideas at odds with the

accepted Puritan doctrines of the day• Hutchinson hosted women in her home to discuss religious

matters and beliefs. She often used these meetings to criticize church leaders and doctrine.

• Developed her own interpretation of important Puritan beliefs and was known for using her religious belief to argue for better treatment of women

• Because of her outspoken preaching, Puritan leaders tried Hutchinson for heresy in 1638.

• She was found guilty because during the trial she claimed to have received a revelation from God. This mention of divine revelation caused Puritan leaders to excommunicate her from the church.

“I have been guilty of wrong thinking.”

Allusion: The Pearl of Great Price“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Matthew 13:45-46

Asyouread,considerhow

Hester’sdaughterislikenedtothis

parable

According to the Bible (2 Samuel 11 and 12) Bathsheba was a beautiful, clever and unscrupulous woman. She was seen by King David as she bathed, desired by him, and subsequently became pregnant to him even though married to the soldier Uriah. Uriah was murdered by David, and she then married the King. Her baby soon died.

Allusion: Bathsheba and David

Pay attention to this allusion in CH 9

1. Have you ever been excluded? Describe the circumstances of your exclusion and how it made you feel.

2. What are some factors that might lead to a person’s being excluded from social circles in our school? Is this exclusion reasonable? Explain.

3. In the larger American society of the early 21st century, what type of people are shunned? Do they deserved to be shunned? Explain.

Thinking Thematically: Alienation