1. Choose one critical article in the back of the Norton Critical Edition and summarize the article, closing your blog with a paragraph or two on whether you agree or disagree with the author’s contentions and why or why not.
After completing Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, I perused the collection of critical articles in the back of my book. There, my curiosity was aroused by an article written by Evert A. Duyckinck in 1850 for Literary World. Duyckinck claims that there are two Hawthornes in existence- the romantic Hawthorne that emanates throughout the Mosses from an Old Manse, and the Hawthorne “of a sterner Puritan aspect” who composed The scarlet Letter (Duyckinck 237). Readers are familiar with happy, loving images conjured by Hawthorne’s writing, and therefore, may seem surprised when they begin to read The Scarlet Letter, a proclaimed romance novel. Duyckinck explains that The Scarlet Letter is a “psychological romance” (Duyckinck 237). The story teaches us a lesson about regret, judgment, and wrong doing. Hawthorne skillfully dissects the human heart and analyzes the emotions and fears that course through all of our veins alike. Duyckinck describes the power that Hawthorne injects into his poetic style of writing, and praises his acutely precise character developments and poignant imagery. The demonic progression of Chillingworth is crafted perfectly, and we, as readers, feel his grotesque metamorphosis within the novel. The creation of the impish child is clever and unique, and strays from the common notion of innate grace and innocence.
The climax of the story may be labeled as Dimmesdale’s confession of adultery and resulting death, but Duyckinck insists that the true action of the novel takes place within our own minds and the fictional minds of the characters. It is a story of destructive thoughts and torturous secrets. Thoughts themselves are likened to actions. Hawthorne does not include any element that does not play a vital role in the text. Every detail adds to the mounting psychological strain. Each scene in the book is “simply arranged, but with artistic power” (Duyckinck 238). Hawthorne knows how to make his writing quintessentially effective. He does not waste any creative energy on anything that does not contribute to his complex goal.
The entire story has a supernatural aura that soaks into our reading, combined with the rigid Puritan ethics that drive the plot forward. According to Duyckinck, the Hester Prynne’s punishment, and the resounding moral, are harsh, and yet wholesome. It represents the Puritan society more accurately than other attempts. Hawthorne’s Puritan ancestry is evident in his writing.
There are parts of Duyckinck’s reaction that I agree with, and others that I do not. I also think that Hawthorne’s insight into the complicated vortex of good and evil in our minds is keen. With razor sharp detail, he penetrates the very core of human nature. Further more, I agree that the novel is mainly psychological. Dimmesdale’s suffering is completely internalized, as well as Hester’s original defiance. Even Chillingworth swallows his vile, vengeful feelings until it rots his insides to the point of satanic influence. However, I do not agree with Duyckinck’s opinion of the moral. I do not even believe that there is a moral to this story. To me, it is more like a literary X-ray of the internal decay of the Puritan society and all of its members. No character is faultless, and therefore, I can not truly sympathize with any one of them. I can not agree with Hester’s punishment and her rapid decline into solitude and depression because I barely believe she is guilty of her accused crime.
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