The novel The Scarlet Letter begins with a windy introduction from the point of view of the author, describing a mix of fictitious and historical facts leading up to the fabricated event of the author finding a note from Surveyor Pue which chronicled the life and times of one Hester Prynne. The next chapter begins with Hester emerging from her prison cell after being locked up for adultery calm and composed, with a striking scarlet letter on her chest. She is forced to remain on a wooden platform for three hours and face the disapproving crowds, the long looks from a man who is quite possibly her baby's father, and her inexperienced minister's feeble attempts to help. An elderly doctor who proved to be Hester's husband resolved to discover who the baby's father was.
Who do you think is the intended audience? Why?
Nathaniel Hawthorne appears to be directing his novel at two specific audiences: the Hester Prynnes of the world and the disapproving crowds of the world. By representing his two audiences in the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne successfully teaches each of his audiences a lesson. To the disapproving crowds of the world, he sends a message to understand that judgement of a sin can sometimes be worse than the sin itself. He does this by incorporating sentences such as "She had borne, that morning, all that nature could endure" (59). He portrays the churchgoing busybodys of the novel as ruthless women who feed off of Hester's misfortune to convince themselves that they are close to god. Hawthorne seems to be appealing to town gossips everywhere to understand the full power of their words, and the lengths that they can push others to. Hawthorne appears to send an entirely different message to the Hesters reading his books. He encourages them to have strength when he describes Hester's composure and "How her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped" (46). Hawthorne seems to understand deeply the pain that comes with being shunned, perhaps because his grandfather was one of the judges to sentence innocent men and women to death as witches. In a sense, this novel is written for all of those who are blamed for wrongdoings to find the inner strength to ignore their humiliation, and for the accusers to find it in their hearts to forgive and forget.
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ReplyDeleteVery nice insight to Hawthorne's need for redemption--he does seem to side with Hester Prynne as he makes us hope for her happiness and well-being. He gives important details, such as her husband had been missing for two years, and heroic qualities, like she refused to help herself by naming her lover. Are there any moments where any of the other Puritans seem reasonable to you?