Man as the personification of Good and Evil in The Scarlet Letter andThe Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Man as the personification of Good and Evil in The Scarlet Letter andThe Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne

 Man’s feelings as the expression of human soul

Man’s goodness as a redemptive and destroying factor for human soul

In order to show that the title of the chapter I underlies namely: Man‘s feelings as the expression of human soul it is necessary to develop its subtitle written above in small one (1). So doing, the Concept of Good and Evil which are so interlinked will be detailed, then to define them especially what Good wraps as well positive or negativethe best thing is to list the themes characterizing goodness. So at first, the theme of Love has to be mentioned. So, Love which is a recurrent theme in the Romantic writing is exposed by Hawthorne; as to be faithful to the Romantic vein. But this Love is different from the other Love extolled by the romantics insofar as this one is stained by Evil or Darkness. Hence, the term dark Romanticism with its authors promoting those gloomy ideas generated by human soul with an author like Nathaniel Hawthorne. Then in Dark Romantic Movement impure Love is expressed stained by Evil. It is in that same line of argument that Hawthorne detailed the dark romantic‘s notion of Love. Since then, he shows the love felt by Reverend Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter, minister in the church of New England. This one feels love towards the Church, his faith urging him to not confess his fault namely the adultery. So, in order to preserve the image of the Church and the Puritan Community due to his sexual crime he committed with Hester Prynne. He chooses to shoulder the weight of a secret sin in his conscious. So, by Dimmesdale‘s character Hawthorne shows that if it happens he confesses his fault not only he will be humiliated publicly and openly. But also he will deviate his parishioners who will be unbeliever. Moreover, the yesteryear prestige of the Church and its laws enacted would collapse because those who exerted laws and punished people for sinning were sinners too. Thus Hawthorne shows there how Faith and Religion were so important for Puritans in America. They were ready to sacrifice themselves in order to preserve the Church, because being more preoccupied by purity and were constantly in the quest of this latter. Then this is what Hawthorne reminds in The Scarlet Letter with the Puritan who constantly preserves the sacredness, Purity of the Church. That‘s is why Dimmesdale prefers to suffer agonies by enduring the heavy weight of sin with Guilt, Shame and Cowardness secretly; all in order to not sap the image of purity of the Church and Puritan dignitaries in the eyes of the inhabitants. In that case, Arthur Dimmesdale can be likened to Mr. Parson Hooper in The Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne; this one committed sin what makes him wearing a black veil. Thenceforth, in order to not confess his fault, Reverend Hooper prefers to hide his face from the people and the Church. Hi sin was so heavy and being incapable to look his parishioners he chooses keep his sin secretly like Dimmesdale; in order to preserve the Puritans and the Church‘s images. So, those two ministers are similar by the way Hawthorne paints them, they keep their sin in secret without any intention to confess it, and prefer to suffer the martyr in silence. But they differ slightly in their way of acting, insofar as Dimmesdale being the slave of his sin he kept on preaching Hope, Grace, and Reverence for his Faithful. While Hooper was preaching harsh sermons by insisting on the secret sin. He would like his parishioners pay attention about the consequences of the secret sin, he focused on Gloom and not Light and in spite of releasing them from the weight of their sins by 7 preaching Hope and Salvation. He reminds them Death and Sin. Then, because of their Love towards their religion and community they chose to sacrifice themselves; hence the redemptive facet of Love. Also, Hooper is likened to be the precursor of Dimmedale because The Minister’sBlack Veil is published in 1836 whileThe Scarlet Letter in 1850. Besides, their difference is Mr. Hooper has any accomplice like Dimmesdale with Hester Prynne. Moreover, Hawthorne as a dark romantic exposes the notion of Guilt and how it affects human soul through those two characters namely Hooper and Dimmesdale. Also what makes the difference between them is Hooper has any accomplice like Dimmesdale with Hester Prynne. Besides that, through those two characters namely Dimmesdale and Hooper Hawthorne as a dark romanticist and a faithful one; he exposes the notion of Guilt. Because refusing to confess his infamy; namely the love affair he has with Hester Prynne a married woman. Moreover he is doomed to see every day the fruit of their wrong deeds, Pearl, their children. All of this makes his physical appearance changing, everyday he becomes thinner and thinner; also he turns pale and keeps constantly his hand on his chest as if something very heavy is on his it. Or even more his heart, full of anguish is on the verge of exploding. He walks with difficulty, and he looks feverish. So, the secret he hides in his inner is destroying him, the Evil that takes hold of his soul, mind and physic ends up by dehumanizing him. Nevertheless it remains a little bit of goodness in him, insofar as the price of that is he preserves his community from Sin and Evil which take over him. Hooper ends up by dehumanizing himself too due to the black veil added to the black cassock he wears. He turns into something terrific with his preaching delivered full of fear and anguish. So both of them namely Dimmesdale and Hooper are deprived of Light, making the two tales to be seen as dark romanticist works because Gloom, Fear and Guilt are promoted. Besides the Love for religion, another type of Love appears that one dedicated to a wife. In that case, Hawthorne depicts the character of Roger Chillingworth Hester‘s husband; he is a necromancer and a doctor too. Roger being absent for many years because was captured by the indigenous or Red Indians, till he was thought dead and at the day of Hester‘s trial he reappears and is aware of his spouse‘s crime. But despite Hester‘s fault namely the adultery, he keeps on loving her but that same Love urges him to litigate for Hester. Because in his eyes she is not the only culprit who has to pay the price of infamy, her partner in crime has to be condemned too. Thus, his love for Hester turns him into a righter of wrongs and in order to restore her image by unmasking the other sinner to whom Hester refuses to reveal the name. So Roger‘s love for his helpless, vulnerable and alone espouse within a puritan community and where all the laws are against her. He decides to give justice to Hester by hiding his identity and discover the male sinner, who is the cause that Hester is offended and everybody is against her. And also Roger‘s Love has a redemptive facet because he restores Hester‘s dignity moreover he repays her justice because she is humiliated; because having get an unfair trial and treatment. Then, Hester‘s mistreatment by the puritan inhabitants revolts him. Over and above this, the Love felt by Roger Chillingworth is not reciprocal because Hester dislikes him 8 On top of that in the same line of argument depicts other kinds of Love; the maternal one and Love as a romance. By that, Hester Prynne‘s character is the best illustration of this kind of Love because being the one who commits the infamy by having a love affair with Reverend Dimmesdale. And from this Love to is Pearl. Because born a child named Pearl who is a treasure in Hester‘s eyes moreover this she devotes a strong and an undying Love she is alone, Pearl is her only companion. What makes her to be ready for anything her daughter wants, moreover she spares her to get the same fate she got but she Pearl to have the same right like the other children, namely that of getting a family. By that, her love for Pearl makes her commit another sin, and she is overwhelmed by Pearl‘s future and how dark it looms because of her hereditary. Like one quote saying: ―Selfishness is one of the qualities apt to inspire love‖1 And her questions are how will she be without a father, would she be accepted by the society,, moreover would she get married? And as a result all those worries urge her to take action for the sake of Pearl. So the meeting in forest is a project to bribe Dimmesdale to flee off the community with them namely Hester and Pearl in order to build a family for Pearl. So doing all of them will live far from the coercive puritan laws. Thus by Hester‗s worry about Pearl‘s hereditary; by the same time Hawthorne exposes one romantic axiom namely Hereditary by showing how this one is important for a human being. Insofar as it proves and testifies of Mankind‘s humanity. Also those questioning of Hester are his questionings too about his ancestors‘ heritage and according to him; he inherits from them a burden namely their names: Hathorne. Insofar as it is full of Grief, Evil making him to be not proud of them. In that effect, ones of them like William Hathorne and John Hathorne can be cited because are involved in some scandalous stories during puritan time; with the first one known for his persecutions over a Quaker woman he is also described as a rigid, severe and intolerant puritan despite the fact of being the pioneer of the colony of Salem in 1630. The second one who is his son is told to be ones of the judges who condemned several women for witchcraft during puritan time, and those women were told to be judged unfairly because of unfounded accusations. What is more is the meeting in the forest because it is highly symbolical, because Hawthorne paints there Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne like Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis of The Holy Bible; and precisely in the Eden Garden of Paradise when they were discussing. So the use of Imagery of Hawthorne shows his romanticist task because image is ones of the concepts which constitute The Romantic Movement of the 19th century. Hence an allegory putted by Hawthorne between the inhabitants of Eden Garden and Arthur and Hester, also he raises an important religious theme. For this purpose, the fact of bribing Arthur to leave the Church, his Congregation and community for Pearl‘s sake.Hence the need to remind one quote: ―She had wandered without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest, amid gloom of which they were now holding a colloquy that was to decide their fate.‖2 1www.brainyquote.com/authors/nathaniel hawthorne 2 Hawthorne ,Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter, New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003, P. 165 9 There, that scene is similar of the one narrated in the Bible with Eve being the one who gave to Adam the forbidden fruit by God. Causing the Original Sin which stained on Mankind but also their expelling from Paradise. And there Adam‘s reaction looks to that of Arthur because the first one after having he got knowledge and see things in another way; the second becomes distressed and odd because he commits once again a crime by accepting Hester‘s proposal. There, as a romantic author Hawthorne accomplishes his task, by showing that Nature is the well placed element to reveal Truth, hence he is said to be a shower than a teller, because using Imagery, Allegory and Symbols. Moreover this, the scene of Hester and Arthur‘s rendez – vous in the forest surrounded by the trees in gloom is symbolical; because those tall trees represent the yoke of puritan laws with the puritan dignitaries. Also the Gloom shows their crime‘s results, they are deprived of light, the Divine Grace. So, in turn they are guilty and all those elements unified: Sin, Guilt and Darkness summarize the Dark Romantic‘s concepts.

MAN IN FRONT OF HIS DOUBLE IDENTITY 

Man’s kindly appearance the subterfuge to Evil and a source of preservation

Nathaniel Hawthorne shows clearly in The Scarlet Letter and The Minister’s Black Veil that Man is the embodiment of Good and Evil and this can be seen in his feelings. Man‘s feeling constitutes a den for Good and Evil, through feelings these two concepts got a powerful force over Man and have tendency to drive him. Also by Man‘s feelings it is clear that Good can emerge from Evil and vice versa. So, this sums up that human feelings which is the expression of his soul can be as well a source of destruction as a source of relief and also. By taking account that Good and Evil make Man to ascent or descent by the positive and negative expression of his soul, these two antagonistic concepts do not let leave it at that they affect also Man‘s personality. It appears that, it is the same case in the exterior side; in so far as it is the exteriozation of human soul and human good appearance can be the veil for Evil as well human source of preservation and safety. So as well Man bears a good image and identity it is in that same lines of arguments of Arthur Dimmesdale‘s character in The Scarlet Letter can be illustrated; insofar as this one in spite of the good appearance he shows in people‘s eyes. This image is totally different of what he is in reality, insofar as the commits sin, an adultery he is the liar because he hides his heavy secret, in front of people and his cassock he embodies holiness. While he is the partner of crime of Hester Prynne, both commit adultery. So there, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale embodies two different personalities; the first one is the visible appearance what he shows to people by being a good preacher, by taking people back in the right way, the way of God. Moreover, the example of his old woman parishioner explains how Dimmesdale is appealed to and adulated too, insofar as this latter wanted him to sooth her soul by remembering her dead relatives; so she could be happy and her soul revitalized. But despite this aspect of lying he got another personality embedded within him, he fights in order to conceal it. He does not escape from Adam and Eve‘s original sin as one of their descendant. He fears the consequence of his deed, insofar as in puritan time sexual misconducts were severely punished and that could lead to death sentence in some states at the puritan colony of America. As it is the case in the following examples: ―The case between KatherenAines and William Paule ended with an unusual conviction. The case was first brought before the Court of Assistants on February 3, 1656 (PCR 3: 110-11), but for want of more information, it was referred to the next General Court on March 5th of that year (PCR 3: 111-12). The two were not clearly convicted for adultery, but they were sentenced for ―vnclean and laciuiousebehauior.‖ William was publicly whipped and, as an additional punishment, he was forced to pay the costs of his brief imprisonment. Katheren was whipped once at Plymouth and once at Taunton and forced to wear a red B on her right shoulder for the remainder of her time in the colonly. However, the most unusual part of the ruling was the punishment inflicted on Alexander Aines‖for his leauning his family, and exposing his wife to such temtations, and being as baud to her therin.‖ He was sentenced to pay the fee for his wife‘s imprisonment and sit in 37 the stocks while she and William were whipped.The records do not indicate how long Aines was absent from his family, but abandonment was grounds for divorce in the colony. On October 29, 1671, Mary Attkinson and John Bucke appeared before the court to answer for their adultery that resulted in a child. Curiously, the jury was not in doubt as to whether or not the couple committed fornication, but whether or not MarmedukeAttkinson, the former husband of Mary, was alive at the time the act was committed. Since the jury could not be sure, Mary and John were found guilty of fornication and given the choice of paying a ten pound fine or being whipped. Not surprisingly, they chose the fine (PCR 5: 81-2). On June 10, 1662, Thomas Bird was sentenced to be whipped for ―seurall adulterous practices and attempts‖ with Hannah Bumpas(PCR 4: 22).‖28 Thus, behind his kindly appearance he bears Evil in him, his kindly image is a subterfuge to Evil and there Hawthorne brings back to Dark Romantics idea, by showing that Evil stays cling to Man. And one academic document can strengthen this: ―when we deal with the process of bedeviling and de-humanization in Young Goodman Brown and The Minister‘s Black Veil, we do not mean tackle merely literal reading of deviltry, or purely symbolic analysis of the black veil; but we mean to show an ascetic creed only based on earthly retribution without placing the individual at the core center of this belief can deprive the individual of his humanity and plunge him into a realm of moral uncertainty. Because it is in his de-humanizing side that Ethan Brand is hideously picture.‖But where were the heart? That, indeed, had withered, ..had contracted, .. had hardened,.. had perished! It had ceased to partake of the universal throb. He had lost his hold of the magnetic chain of humanity.‖ Through that perspective we‘ll analyze Hawthorne‘s complex treatment of the individual in so harsh a secular minded puritanical environment, up to the point losing his heart and his humanity.‖29 He even praises Evil as a Dark Romanticist insofar as by taking Dimmesdale‘s characters it is clear the Evil appears to be a solution, remedy for Man to reach goodness, salvation holiness. Insofar as, if it was not a guilty conscious he feels, as the result of the infamy he commits driven by Evil. Arthur Dimmesdale will not be able to be some of the savior of the best souls. So, there Hawthorne shows the powerful effect of Evil, he demonstrates that Evil is a necessity for Man, it is human being‘s ―springboard‖ to reach Salvation, Redemption. So, through Dimmesdale‘s example, Devil gives Man an identity that of Satan‘s disciple because by accumulating sins Arthur becomes the slave of his sins or of Evil. As the result two antagonistic identities interlinked within him and one gives birth to other hence the of Hawthorne‘s critics the Puritan man. According to him puritans are hypocrits; they were not what they pretend to be, so he uses Arthur Dimmesdale‘s character to show it. 28WWW.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/Lauria1.htmlV 29Topic: The Process of Bedeviling And Dehumanizing in Nathaniel Hawthorne‘s Young Goodman Brown (1835) and The Minister‘s Black Veil (1835). Presented by Aissatou Ndiaye, Supervisor: Prof Ndongo, 2011/2012, English Department of Cheikh Anta Diop University P.3 38 So, Hawthorne reminds the puritan time by using fiction, imagination and creation. Also, Hawthorne by criticizing puritan he destruct their belief, because this latter consider themselves as the people elected by God, the people of the look; they believe in the notion of predestination theorized by John Calvin who is precursor and founder of Protestantism. According to the theologian after the disobedience of Adam and Eve who eat the forbidden fruit, God expels them from paradise, their deed gives birth to the original Sin and from then God divides people in two groups that of the salvation and that of the Damnation. And according to the Calvinism to which puritan believed, they were people elected by God. That‘s why God lead them to the Promised Land namely New World or America, and for them those who are in the group of Salvation were the priests, high educated people, the rich people etc… And those who belong to the Damnation group were the poor, the farmer, the illiterate ones etc… So, those in the salvation group are the elected and those belonging to the Damnation one are the Non Elect. This latter in order to be faithful to his literary movement and his context calling into question the religions concept of the previous century such as the 17th century marked by the Puritanism. So in order to deconstruct what was saying in the past. He puts puritans in a shaky position all the images helping embellish them such as, saintliness, holiness, virtue, kindness, fairness, and so one and so forth, Hawthorne paints them in the opposite way. He denounces that the authoritarianism they did was unfounded, the state based and created with the aid of the fusion of the political and religious laws and where coercion and oppression reigned over people was unfair. As it is the case of Hooper in The Minister’s Black Veil who after having committed a sin he imposes himself a black Veil which hides his face from people and God till his death, by taking account this story is based on a true one. During puritan era there was a minister who committed a crime and who wears a veil, a black Veil till his death. Hawthorne turns their identity, by dehumanizing them and paints them awfully as well Arthur Dimmesdale as Mr. Hooper by the way. Over and above this, the act of Arthur Dimmesdale after the meeting in the forest with Hester Prynne who preconizes him to flee together off the community with their daughter Pearl contributes to undermine the puritan image. The historical testimony of the Puritanism, allowing him to show that Puritanism is a failure and absurdity for the puritans. They made grow the Evil in them, because Man is that individual or being who does not accept restriction. And for instance one academic document can strengthen this: …‖Hawthorne is criticizing a society so intolerant of individuals who have slipped from the path of social norms, and seems profoundly concerned with the increasingly exercised discipline over the selves, which is an attempt to keep up the collective identity of Puritans. This over- literal control fatally leading to dehumanization and constantly lurking in Nathaniel Hawthorne‘s works of fiction is the object for our study.‖ 30 Thus, to show that Man‘s kindly appearance is the subterfuge to Evil except for Dimmesdale‘s characters; Young Goodman Brown is a perfect illustration of Man‘s mutability of identity. So in order to demonstrate that the puritans are not those Elect people 30 Ibid., P.2 39 by God, and that the original Sin of Adam and Eve stained of them; Nathaniel Hawthorne‘s Young Goodman Brown, illustrates this because Goodman Brown belonging to a puritan community and whose ancestors and parents are puritan dignitaries. This latter after the midnight meeting in the forest where he encounters the Devil on his way and who shows the real facet of his ancestors and members of the community who are all his followers. Goodman Brown loses his point of reference like the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale at his coming out of the forest after the rendez- vous with Hester Prynne. Goodman Brown who left his wife Faith at his house after this latter prays him to stay insofar as she feared to be alone, and who is in turn reassured by her husband Goodman Brown. He met her on the meeting in the forest and along the way with the Devil this one told him he knows all his relatives his father and ancestors; and what proves it is at the meeting on a blazing rock he saw the image of hi forefathers. Moreover, the old woman namely Goody Closey who taught him catechism at his infancy took on another appearance she is in reality a witch. This one confesses her deeds out of the community when she is on her way to the midnight meeting to Goodman Brown who is with the Devil. Goody Closey who inspires him virtue, moral is in reality Satan‘s servants. On top of that the high dignitaries of the church and states are also Satan‘s followers like Deacon, the Minister. Then, characters in Young Goodman Brown are a perfect illustration of it, because those so respectable, pure, strict members of the puritan community of Salem are in reality Satan‘s servants and he discovers it. Also mutability of appearance reveals that Man endows a double identity that of light and that of shadow. There also, Hawthorne castigates the puritans in Young Goodman Brown; this tale is a more severe critic towards Puritanism by the author and allows to reinforce critics on Puritans in The Scarlet Letter with Reverend Dimmesdale. Besides that, in order to criticize more severely puritan, he changes their so called ―pure assembly, society, and community into a fiendish, devilish one. And rather than singing divine melodies as they do during Sabbath and praise God during sermons; they praise Satan during midnight meeting who knows all their secret deeds ranging from the old, men, women to boys and girls. Furthermore Goodman Brown discussing with Satan as the traveler, this latter confess him that above the fact he knows his relatives this latter as also his followers and what they did, was under his influence. All of this make Goodman Brown to adopt another aspect, a new identify when he comes out of the forest, now he discovers the real facet of members of Salem puritan colony. By that Goodman Brown and Dimmesdale‘s behaviors are similar at the coming out of the forest, each one of them shows a new identify; adopts a new appearance. Their mood change and this impact on their physical appearance. Their gestures, speaking, look etc… But they have a little bit of difference regarding the thing which influenced and led them to got another identify, insofar as the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale get confused, distressed by the fact that Hester Prynne is encouraging him to commit another Sin, a more capital Sin beyond the adultery which is to abandon his church task and flee together with them. And in front of a dilemma this latter is distressed added to the others sins he did, while Young Goodman Brown is disgusted and demoralized by the fact that the travelers namely Satan reveals him 40 the real nature of the Salem puritan community members. He has been diverted by what he saw in the forest contrary to Dimmesdale who became meddle up after a proposal from Hester Prynne.