Fanatical Religious Literature

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, when fanatical and out-dated views of religion and life, emphasizing the fear of eternal punishment, are pushed obsessively on children, this far too strict child-rearing results in tormented children who become adults such as Ninah in Sheri Reynolds' "The Rapture of Canaan" and Hester in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter". The author points out that Ninah is confused and tormented sexually and socially by her guilt juxtaposed with her human desire for sensual attention. The paper relates that Hester fights back against the curse of the community, which gave her the letter "A" on her chest, by keeping her child and her sanity, while the community and law enforcement seems bizarre and lacking any kind of stable grip on their professed values.

Table of Contents
Introduction to "The Rapture of Canaan"
Thesis
"The Rapture of Canaan"
"The Scarlet Letter"

From the Paper:

"Mr. Dimmesdale's guilt had seemed to have been well established through the lines of narrative, as to his role in Hester's "guilt" as to having a child out of wedlock; and she nonetheless is a strong person. She feels compelled to help Dimmesdale, which clearly shows that she has overcome the emotional demise she was thrust into at the outset of the novel. "With her knowledge of a train of circumstances hidden from all others, she could readily infer that, besides the legitimate action of his own conscience, a terrible machinery had been brought to bear, and was still operating, on Mr. Dimmesdale's well-being and repose.""

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