The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne :: essays papers

The Scarlet letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthornes mount twistd him to write the bold novel The Scarlet Letter. One important influence on the story is money. Hawthorne had never made much money as an author and the birth of his first daughter added to the financial burden ( biographical Note VII). He received a job at the capital of Oregon Custom House only to lose it three years ulterior and be forced to write again to support his family (IX). Consequently, The Scarlet Letter was published a year later (IX). It was only intended to be a long short story, but the extra money a novel would bring in was needed (Introduction XVI). Hawthorne then wrote an inception section titled The Custom House to extend the length of the daybook and The Scarlet Letter became a full novel (XVI). In summation to financial worries, a nonher influence on the story is Hawthornes rejection of his ancestors. His forefathers were strict Puritans, and conjuring trick Hathorne, his great-gr eat-grandfather, was a judge presiding during the S alem witch trials (Biographical Note VII). Hawthorne did not condone their acts and actually spent a great deal of his flavor renouncing the Puritans in general (VII). Similarly, The Scarlet Letter was a literal dais for Hawthorne to convey to the world that the majority of Puritans were strict and unfeeling. For example, before Hester emerges from the prison she is beingness scorned by a group of women who feel that she deserves a large punishment than she actually receives. Instead of only being made to weather on the scaffold and wear the scarlet letter on her chest, they hint that she have it branded on her forehead or even be put to death (Hawthorne 51). Perhaps the most important influence on the story is the authors interest in the dark side (Introduction VIII). hostile the transcendentalists of the era, Hawthorne confronted reality, rather than evading it (VII). Likewise, The Scarlet Letter deals with adultery, a sub ject that caused much stain when it w as first published (XV). The book revolves around boob and punishment, a far outcry from writers of the time, such as Emerson and Thoreau, who dwelt on approving themes (VII). This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter to the develop the theme of the heart as a prison. The scaffold scenes are the most substantial situations in the story because they amalgamate The Scarlet Letter in two influential ways.