Hawthorne Critiques Puritan Society in His Works, Young...

Nathaniel Hawthorne Critiques Puritan Society in His Works, Young Goodman Brown and The Scarlet Letter Many American writers have scrutinized religion through their works of literature, however none had the enthusiasm of Nathaniel Hawthorne. A handful of Hawthornes works are clear critiques of seventeenth century Puritan society in New England. Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown and The Scarlet Letter illustrate his assessment by showing internal battles within characters, hypocrisy in religious figures, atypical punishment for crimes, and accenting womens roles in Puritan society. Firstly, Hawthornes literature often stresses internal battles in main characters. In both Young Goodman Brown and The Scarlet Letter, these battles are†¦show more content†¦Seeing his fellow church members and his wife among women who were convicted and put to death for being witches makes Brown question himself. Yet, still Brown abhors transgression. Although he avoids Satan, however, he cannot forget how Satan influenced him with what he saw that night. He became a stern, a sad, a darkly meditative , a distrustful, if not a desperate man (Hawthorne 1244) and lived his life this way until death. Another internal conflict within a character is shown in The Scarlet Letters Arthur Dimmesdale. Perhaps one of Hawthornes most widely read works shows this battle most simplistically. In this tale, Hawthorne introduces us to Hester Prynne who has had a child by Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester could not hide her child, Pearl, and was disciplined openly for committing adultery. Meanwhile, Dimmesdale does not reveal that he is the father of Pearl because of his esteemed position as Reverend of the towns church. Since Hester technically is married to Chillingsworth, Dimmesdale has committed a sin. If a man commits adultery with another mans wife... both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death (Leviticus 20:11). He is torn between his desire to let the truth out and accept his sin and Pearl as his own or live knowing he cannot admit to his unlawful activity. This is anShow MoreRelatedEssay Sin, Guilt, and the Mind of Nathaniel Hawthorne1490 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Mind of Nathaniel Hawthorne      Ã‚   Nathaniel Hawthornes works are notable for their treatment of guilt and the complexities of moral choices. Moral and religious concerns, in short, are almost always present in Hawthornes work(Foster, 56). Given Hawthornes background, it is not a stretch of the imagination to say that his novels are critiques of Puritanism. Hawthorne lived in the deeply scarred New England area, separated from Puritanism by only one generation. His grandfather had been