Paper 10 Assignment American lit

Name :- Alisha S Vaghasiya

Email ID :- alishapatel610@gmail.com

Roll No :- 1

Batch :- 2019 – 2020

Sem :- 3

Paper No :- 10 [ American Literature]

Topic Name :- The Background to the Scarlet Letter

Submited to :- Dr Dilip Barad Department of English

 The Background to the Scarlet Letter

1] History

We have been talking about the colonial American past and its Puritan heritage. Now what do we mean by these terms, In order to follow what Nathaniel Hawthorne was doing in The Scarlet Letter it may be useful for us to chart in the out the history of the United States especially the religious history of the states of Massachusetts, Maine, Cape Anne, New England’

After Christopher Columbus, onan attemt to reach India though the West, had accidentally discovered America in 1492, the Spaniards were the first Europeans to settle there in the 16^th century, followed by the English established by Oliver Cromwell, the dreat Puritan ruler of England for 16 years, King Charles 2 father, King Charles 1, had been executed by the Puritans un 1642 was restored to the throne of England. The Puritans, among whom can be numbered such great writers as John Milton, the poet and John Bunyan , were the avowed enemies of the royal family and so, the Puritans were hounded out of important political , religious and civic posts in England at the time of the return of Charles 2. Before this, in order to escape the tyranny of an undesirable King. As also to achive religious freedom, many Puritans had already left for the Low countries in the early 17^th century, and they were accepted in places like Amherst because of their skill as weavers, blacksmiths, carpenters and farmer. However, like the Jews of the Bible, theirs was a search for a New Home and after a number of half-attemots and failures the Puritan Pilgrim Fathers finally fited the historical May Flower and landed in Massachusetts in 1620 Following the success of this venture, many more private enterprises fitted more expedition, bringing in shiploads of religious and political dissidents, especially from the indurtrial North England. In due course, the civil and military authorities followed, and English governors, nominated by the king of England, ruled them with a democratic process of election of the representatives of people to aid the government. In The Scarlet Letter, we must remember that the action of the story moves to its climax in Election Day in May- June. These Puritan settlers brought with them a harsh and unrelenting code of conduct for religious and private life. Since they live in an alien land, they were suspicious not only of out siders like the Spaniards and the Dutch, but also of the Red Indian whom they considered the child of Satan becouse of thire red skin, different civilisation and hostility towards the European settlers.

Any attept towards freedom in private, civil or religious matters was considerd by them as betrayal of the whole society and a certain sternness and austerity were set up as ideals is a society like this has to survive in alien and hostile conditions. An “enclosed” society whose religious intolerance was futher heightend in the harsh and trying living conditions of New England.

However, the American War of Indepandence and the cosmopolitanism of the 18^th and the 19^th century Americans changed all this. In New England, the Puritan stronghold itself religious reformism in the shape of william Ellery Channing’s “Unitarianism and Emerson’s and Thoreau’s Transcendentalim in philoshopy liberated the American mind from its guilty and harsh in philosophy liberated the American mind from its guity and harsh past, and a new outlook of cosmopolitanism and materialism was further heightened by the success of American big business in the railways and indurstries. 

2] Puritans – Puritanism

Puritanism as a religious movement has had such a significant role to play in the histories of the United States, England and Germany that we cannot ignore it easily. The word “Puritan” is formed from the Latin, Putitas, which means “Purity”. The Puritans, who have been much – maligned since the “Enlightened” 18^th centuty, which frowned upon their religious “enthusiasm” were the nature prodect of the Reformation, which was a culminationof nationalism and a desire for culture and linguistic freedom which swept Europe in the 16^th and the 17^th centuries.

The Puritans main quarrel with Anglicanism was due to the nearness of Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism. In America, they established a Congregationalist Church in close association with their political rulers. Heretics and Dissidents were not accepted by them, and religion was the basis of this society. The Puritans believed in the Bible as the source of all authority, accepted “ inner light” as a source of understanding and maintained a rigid faith in hard work and duty.

Men only have to the work hard and pray hopefully but which souls are to be saved and whose to be condemned is not deside by one’s devotion to God and the holiness of one’s life, but by God himself, although purity of though and action is important. Life was a drama of conflict in which everything was white or Black , with no intermediate colours. Life was a big allegory and the struggle for the soul between God and Satan was its theme. Also, Man’s relations with the world were reduced to the matter of his individual conscience, his direct relationship with God. Hawthorne, though a 19^th century sceptic, had imbibed most of the views of his Puritan ancestors conscience out of tune with its surroundings. The Puritan themes of the universality of sin and “Predestination” also bothered Hawthorne’s mind, as we can see from this “Romance” and his Tales, especially “The Young Goodman Brown” and “Ethan Brand. The Puritans main quarrel with Anglicanism was due to the neaeness of Anglicanism to Roman Catholocism, in American, they established a congregationalist Church in close association with their political rulers, Heretics and Dissidents were not accepted by them, and religion was the basis of this society. Church ministers were appointed by ability rather than by the official patronage. They attached importance to the invidual conscince in matters of worship.

3] The Early History of Massachusetts

After the initial inflow of the Mayflower pilgrims, Massachusetts Bay was settled and salem the idea Christain city was established in 1626 by Roger Connant as a shelter for fishrmen and for agriculture purpose. In 1628, the Dorchester Company was given a patent by the New England council for colonisation. John Endicott, an important member of this company , become the first Governor f this settlement. A new charter for the Massachusetts Bay colony was issued in 1629, the Dorchester Company was given a patent by the New England council for colonisation. John Endicott, an important member of this company,becameing the first Government of this settlement. A new charter for the took over in 1630, removing the seat of the government from Salem to Boston in the same year

Meanwhile, the Congregationalist Chirch was established, ans Roger Williams took over as its first priest. Salem gradually dwindled in importance as Boston grew, and in 1692, Salem exploded with activity when it was alleged that witches and black magicians existed in the village. One of Hawthorne’s ancestore, John Hathorne, figurd prominently in the trials of alleged “witches” and excelled himself as a judge and persecutor. Tradition says that the hanging od the “witches” took place on Gallows Hill near the present day salem. The iron rule of the Puritan theocracy took its first deep roots in Amerian in Salem.

4] History in The Scarlet Latter

The actions of the story of The Scarlet Latter takes Place Some fifteen to twenty years later than the establishment of Bostom as the seat of the government. If we remenber that the transfer of the government from salem to Boston took place in 1630, We should say that the story is placed in 16042. We establish this on the basis that Governor Winthrop died in March, 1649, and Pearl, Hester Peynne’s daughter, is seven years old at the time, In other words, the story has taken place durring the last seven years of Governor Winthrop’s life 1642 to 1649. Roger Chillingworth died by the end of the year 1649  and Hester and Pearl it is who were left by Chilling worth left for Europe and were not heard for many years.

If they Wandered over Europe, for a number of years before Peael marrird well in England, it is safe to assume that it is after 1660 that Hester returned to Boston to spend the last years of her life as a “Sister of Charity”. The time, them, then, should be the time of the Restoration of King Charles 2 to the throne of Englang 1660 and Pearl must have married in the new, advaned English aristocracy. Hester, then,would have died long before the traials of the witches in 1669 at which John Hathorne was a magistrate. Government Bellingham’s sister is one of the witches, according to The Scarlet Letter which also hints that she was later punished during the witchhunts. This would imply that Mistress Hibbins, Governor Bellingham’s sister, was alive in 1655, and tried and sentened as a witch in a trial in 1655.