Hawthorne's Romantic Social Critique

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Romanticism subverted many of the formalities of literary expression, and sparked a form of writing about man's struggle with morality and his capacity for heroism. This new approach can be seen in the depiction of the heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, "The Scarlet Letter." The writer analyzes the novel, showing its core romantic values and perspectives, such as the undermining of social moralism. The writer explains that Hawthorne's theme of man's unrealistic expectation that woman should conform to his image of perfection is an indictment of the patriarchal order in America. The paper concludes that romanticism dethroned intellectualism and replaced it with the untainted exhibition of the senses and a subjective view of the universe.

From the Paper:

"As with his philosophically-minded romantic contemporaries, Nathaniel Hawthorne has authored many works which explore the themes of female gender roles and which render very serious positions on the deeply flawed nature of human society. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses the relationship that persists between men and women to offer a common moral concerning the futility, and even the callous cruelty of the pursuit of moral authority. Here, we find Hawthorne in a pointedly critical state, imposing with great empathy the notion that the men in this story are in fact weak, self-indulgent and ultimately fully incapable of achieving moral turpitude themselves."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Arac, J. (1986). The politics of The Scarlet Letter. Ideology and Classic American Literature: Cambridge University Press.
• Hawthorne, N. (1850). The Scarlet Letter. Simon and Schuster.
• Stewart, R. (1942). The English Notebooks by Nathaniel Hawthorne. American Literature, 14(1), 84-87.

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• Analytical Essay # 107991 : "Romantic Poetry: Working Class Poets"

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