Davis suggests that the veil is an emblem that signifies Hawthorne's authorial ethics, keeping a necessary distance between himself and others (Boone pp). One of the most famous theories is Edgar Allan Poe's assertion of "a crime of dark dye" in this story, leading critics to consider the veil as a symbol of ambiguity, a symbol of symbolism and signification (Emmett pp)
Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter and the Minister's Black Veil Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1804-1864, is considered one of the great masters of American fiction, with tales and novels that reflect deep explorations of moral and spiritual conflicts (Hawthorne pp)
In Hawthorne's short story, "The Birthmark," Georgiana's crimson cheek mark is also her identity, and like the scarlet letter that Hester wore, its removal was the basis of "male domination verse female subordination" (Meyers pp). When Aylmer asked if she had thought of having the mark removed, Georgiana answers, "To tell you the truth it has been so often called a charm that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so," but for Aylmer, it was "the visible mark of earthly imperfection" (Hawthorne1 pp)
Paul Emmett notes that the narrator is very much like the "highly respectable witnesses' to the revelation of Dimmesdale's scarlet letter, whose suppressive denial of the entire incident is exposed by the narrator of 'The Scarlet Letter' in language which should make us suspicious" (Emmett pp). "The Scarlet Letter," Hawthorne's most famous literary work, begins with the discovery of a "mysterious package was a certain affair of fine red cloth, much worn and faded, There were traces about it of gold embroidery, which, however, was greatly frayed and defaced, so that none, or very little, of the glitter was left" (Hawthorne2 pp)
At first, this behavior creates quite a stir in the village, and speculations abounded, but as time passed, his odd behavior became fairly accepted, although there was always the curious about hoping to gain a glimpse under the veil. Hawthorne writes that for all its bad influences, "the black veil had the one desirable effect, of making its wearer a very efficient clergyman" (Hawthorne3 pp)
According to Peter Alces, morality is dynamic and may change over time, both from the individual and the group perspective. For example, slavery was once considered acceptable, a societal norm, a necessary economic institution (Alces)
¶ … Scarlet Letter According to Tony Tanner in "Adultery and the Novel," the adulteress represents not only a violation of social contract, but also a violation of the harmonic interrelation of defined roles as well. Ideally, the wife embodies the "biological female, the obedient daughter, the faithful mate, the responsible mother, and the believing Christian," and she must harmonize all these differing identities within her (Egan)
In fact, it is this characterization of Hester that Hawthorne first exposes his readers. As the "official staff" is placed on Hester's shoulder as she enters the threshold of the prison door, "she repelled him, by an action marked with natural dignity and force of character, and stepped into the open air as if by her own free will" (Hawthorne Chapter 2)
For example, stealing a loaf of bread to ward off hunger is not quite the same as stealing a new dress for the prom. Skipping class to play video games is not the same as forgetting to pay for one's share of office coffee (Metz)
The sin of Chillingworth, of course, is that of the cuckolded husband seeking revenge. In short, no one is without sin in the community (except perhaps Pearl -- a direct reference to the Baroque age, since "Baroque" means pearl (Bauer 3), and was a type of art that the Catholic world used as part of its counter-Reformation campaign to undo the Protestantization of Europe) (Laux 422)
Religious topics dominated early American literature in the 18th century, from the works of Jonathan Edwards and Cotton Mather to the works of Hawthorne and Melville. Their strict Calvinistic, Puritanical environment gave the writings of the former a "fire-and-brimstone" type of style -- an inflammatory rhetoric meant to rouse religious fervor (Baym 103), while the latter adopted a more questioning, soul-searching posture in order to root out the internal hypocrisy that they felt beneath the surface
In this sense, Hawthorne utilizes the "fantastic" by his own admission (by writing in the "romance" genre and digging into the spiritual depths) to deal directly with the reality. Colacurcio points out that for Hawthorne, the tactic of calling his works "romances" allowed him to embrace a "more fictional, and therefore less realistic" form of narrative (Colacurcio 31)
In The Scarlet Letter, the letter signifies, ultimately, not the stigma of Hester's sin, but the blindness and harshness of the soul that rejects the Christian ethos -- the stigma is the guilt which racks the preacher and blinds the community. The misplaced love of Hester and Dimmesdale, which results in Pearl -- the beautiful if imperfect child (again, the representation of the Old World soul) is the root of all sin, according to Augustine (Duffy 598) and it is this point that Hawthorne makes through the reconciliation process
Hawthorne and the Redemptive Aim in the Scarlet Letter As Hawthorne noted several times in his own works, he wrote "romances" -- not novels. The Romance writer, he contended, gave himself a degree of "latitude" that a novelist could not enjoy (Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables 1)
Hawthorne and the Redemptive Aim in the Scarlet Letter As Hawthorne noted several times in his own works, he wrote "romances" -- not novels. The Romance writer, he contended, gave himself a degree of "latitude" that a novelist could not enjoy (Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables 1)
The sin of Chillingworth, of course, is that of the cuckolded husband seeking revenge. In short, no one is without sin in the community (except perhaps Pearl -- a direct reference to the Baroque age, since "Baroque" means pearl (Bauer 3), and was a type of art that the Catholic world used as part of its counter-Reformation campaign to undo the Protestantization of Europe) (Laux 422)
His doctrine stems from the idea that Christ came only to save those who would accept Him and His grace -- in other words, the elect. Therefore, he views the Atonement as Limited (Nicole) -- not for all, but only for the elect (those, who, in other words, avoid wearing the cursed "letter")