English 207- American Literature

Test 2

1. Discuss the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne as a rejection of Puritanical values.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4
th
, 1804. Born into a
family who had had long since settled in Massachusetts, Hawthorne was born into Puritan
heritage. However, Hawthorne changed his birth name, Hathorne, in an effort to distance himself
from his great-great-grandfather, John Hathorne, who was a judge during the Salem witch trials.
Although he was born 112 years after the Salem witch trials of 1692, Hawthorne felt personally
guilty for the cruel actions of his ancestors. Nathaniel Hawthornes guilt is reflected in his
writing where by denouncing the actions of the Puritans, he rejects his New England and Puritan
heritage.
Hawthorne explored the guilt he felt over the injustice of the Salem Witch trials in his
short story, Young Goodman Brown. The story is set in the village of Salem and follows the
titular character, Brown, on his trip into the woods. Young Goodman Brown, like many of
Hawthornes stories, is set in New England, a culturally religious and superstitious region.
Brown leaves Salem content with life with his wife, Faith, but after discovering that his village is
full of devil worshippers he becomes a distant and paranoid man. The story ends with Browns
death and his funeral where they carved no hopeful verse upon his tomb-stone; for his dying
hour was gloom. (pg 1298, Hawthorne) Young Goodman Brown is Hawthornes argument
against the Puritans vigilance against evil. Although, the Puritan believed they were keeping
their village pure and safe, Hawthorne argues that it breeds distrust and ultimately tears
relationships apart. Goodman Brown, who began the story very close to his wife, declares that
his Faith is gone (pg 1294, Hawthorne) after his trip into the woods. Although goodman

Brown says it in reference to discovering his wifes ribbon in the woods, Hawthorne uses it
symbolically to express that Brown has lost in faith in the Puritan ways. Goodman Browns
actions in Salem also reinforce his lost of faith as he becomes distrustful of the kindness of his
neighbors and becomes distant with his wife. The story criticizes more than Puritan fears and
superstitions; it questions the Puritan value of holiness. Brown distrusts his neighbors because he
thinks that they worship the devil, but because he refuses to associate with them, he never
substantiates it. During the Salem witch trials, the Puritans executed those who denied they were
witches, but were proven to be. However, the Puritans isolated people who admitted they were
witches because they believed righteous Christians should not associate with worshippers of the
devil. Reflecting this belief, Brown dies a miserable old man who destroyed his happy life
because he thought himself more righteous than his neighbors. Hawthorne is condemning the
Salem witch trials, which he argues only created a village of people who could not trust one
another.
Nathaniel Hawthornes continues to criticize the Puritans in another one of his short
stories, The May-Pole of Merry Mount. The story is about the colony of Merry Mount and the
celebration around its May-Pole. Although the celebration is described as being nature related
and superficially pagan, Hawthorne describes the people of Merry Mount as laughing, dancing
and being happy. Hawthornes colony of Merry Mount is a stark contrast to the historically
austere and strict Puritans. By attaching some many positive traits to the people of Merry Mount,
Hawthorne is arguing that their non-Puritan lifestyle makes the people happy and brings them
together. Hawthornes rejection of Puritanical values is reflected in his description of them,
Unfortunately, there were men in the new world, of a sterner faith...a settlement of Puritans,
most dismal wretches weapons were always at hand (1307, Hawthorne) Hawthorne is

harsh and unforgiving in his description, and makes the Puritans appear to be a joyless and
savage people. The Puritans come to colony of Merry Mount, which the reader discovers is
Anglican, and condemn the people as evil and pagan. The Puritans destroy the May-Pole,
symbolically destroying the happiness in Merry Mount, and punish the people of the colony by
whipping them. Hawthorne rejection of Puritan strictness is reflected in his description of the
whipping-posttermed the Puritan May-Pole. (1308, Hawthorne) The Puritans symbolically
replace joy with punishment and force their austere religion on a once happy people. Hawthorne
condemns the Puritans lifestyle in The May-Pole of Merry Mount by saying that the Puritan
lifestyle destroys the happiness of not only those who practice it, but those around them.
Arguably Hawthornes greatest work, The Scarlet Letter, also reflects his rejection of
Puritan values. The Scarlet Letter tells the story of Hester Prynne who has been punished by the
Puritan people of Boston for being an adulterer. Hester Prynnes affair is discovered after she
becomes pregnant and she is punished by being forced to wear the scarlet letter, a red A which
ostracizes her. During her public punishment Arthur Dimmesdale, a reverend and her lover,
urges confess, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow sufferer!
Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him (pg 1388, Hawthorne) Although
Dimmesdale is her lover and it pains him to see her suffer alone, he still urges Hester to confess
his sin for him. Hawthorne is arguing that Puritan culture is so unforgiving that even a reverend
fears being ostracized for his sins. Hester refuses to reveal her lover to protect Dimmesdale, and
as a result she and her child bear all of the punishment. Hawthorne is criticizing the Puritan
practice of public punishment, and argues that sin is between God and the sinner. Dimmesdale
does not admit his sin and as a result he becomes sick with guilt eventually developing a
stigmata resembling Hesters scarlet letter. So although Hester is being punished by society,

spiritually she is fine because she has already confessed her sin to God. Hawthorne condemns the
Puritans for ostracizing Hesters daughter, Pearl, because she did not commit the sin, but society
punishes her alongside Hester. However despite the severity, Hawthorne argues that the
punishment actually benefited Hester. But Hester Prynneoutlawed, from society, habituated
herself to such latitude of speculationher intellect and heart had their home The scarlet letter
was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread (pg 1459, Hawthorne)
Away from the restrictions of Puritan society, Hester is allowed to think for herself and as a
result begins to disagree with the conventions of her community. While Hester and Pearls
actions and beliefs only causes their society to further ostracize them, they are admirable for their
free-thinking and their convictions. Hawthorne criticizes the conservative Puritans arguing that
their societies held back imagination and self-expression. At the end of the novel, Hawthorne
reinforces the idea that sin is between man and God by having Hester return to New England.
But there was a more real life for Hester Prynne, here, in New Englandshe had
returned, there for and resumed the symbol of which we have related so dark a
talethe scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma (pg 1492, Hawthorne)

Hester embraces the scarlet letter because it is a symbol of who she, and ultimately all people
are, a sinner. Hawthorne argues that because all people are sinners there is no need to stigmatize
people for being imperfect. Hester Prynne, having made peace with God, keeps the scarlet letter
as a reminder of that man is imperfect.
2. Discuss some aspects of Thoreau and its application to today.

Henry David Thoreau is best known for his book, which chronicles Thoreaus
experiences living in the woodlands of Walden Pond. Thoreau builds a cabin near Walden Pond,
just outside of Concord, Massachusetts, and lives there for more than two years. Part experiment
and part autobiography, Walden is Thoreaus argument for a simpler and more practical life.

During his time at Walden Pond, Thoreau lives by the simple principles of moderation, self-
sufficiency and of hard, honest work. Thoreau is trying to convince people to live simpler and
more self-sufficient lives, because that will ultimately make them much happier. Thoreaus
argument in Walden is an extension of his own Transcendentalist and Romantic beliefs which are
reflected in his reverence towards natures beauty. Although many of his ideas and suggestions
seem old-fashioned and irrelevant to the modern world, the simple lessons Thoreau teaches in
Walden; or Life in the Wood, can be applied to all of our lives.
Thoreau explains why he set out to build his cabin, writing, I went to the woods because
I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn
what they had to teach (pg 1920, Thoreau) Walden is ultimately trying to teach the reader
the essential facts of life, truths that should always govern how we live and what we do. In a
chapter praising the virtues of solitude, Thoreau teaches the reader to appreciate people, writing,
Society is commonly too cheap. We meet at very short intervals, no having had time to acquire
any new value for each other. (pg 1943, Thoreau) Modern life is very fast and very impersonal,
but Thoreau argues that we need to slow down and appreciate each other. We are so distracted by
the rat race of life and the electronic toys we have, that we forget the people who are around us.
Even if we do spend time with our friends and family, Thoreau argues that we rarely acquire
any new value for each other, meaning that our meetings are often so superficial that we fail to
realize why we really care for each other. Thoreau tells us that we need to stop being so
impersonal with each other and that with true honest communication, there really is not point to
living together. The greatest lesson Walden teaches is the importance of self-reliance; Thoreau
writes, Drive a nail home and clinch it so faithfully that you can wake up in the night and think
of your work with satisfaction... (pg 2044, Thoreau) Thoreau is praising the value of being self-

sufficient; he says the value lies not in the material thing which we accomplish, but in the pride
of accomplishing something ourselves. Thoreau argues that the pride we feel when we are self-
sufficient it the key to happiness. By accomplishing things ourselves, we have a greater
appreciation for what we have, what we have done and who we are. Thoreau argues that the nail
could be building a shed or a mansion, the value lies in the pride of knowing that you built it.
Thoreaus self-sufficient attitude doesnt mean he believes we should isolate ourselves, but
rather that if we do everything ourselves we only have what we need. Thoreau knew he needed a
home to stay at Walden Pond, but only built what he needed because he knew he would build it
himself. Thoreau took pride in his home, not because it was large and lavishly furnished, but
because he had built it himself. This lesson is one that we should take to heart because if we only
aspire to have what we need, we will never be left wanting.
Even before Walden, Henry David Thoreau advocated Transcendentalism in his writing,
calling for a reform of organized government, conservation of nature and the abolishment of
slavery. These beliefs, more than any, are more relevant now than they were in Thoreaus time.
Thoreau wrote an essay in protest after he was jailed for refusing to pay his poll tax. The essay,
Resistance to Civil Government is Thoreaus argument for individual freedom, peaceful
protest and a call for morality in government. In his essay, Thoreau criticizes an immoral
government and questions the nature of democracy asking, Is a democracythe last
improvement possible in government? Is it not possible to take a step further towards
recognizing and organizing the rights of man? (pg 1872, Thoreau) Although most Americans
today seem content with the faux-democracy of the Electoral College, Thoreau argues that we
should always strive for true representation. Perhaps the Electoral College is the proper way to
elect our official because it protects the smaller states from being ruled over the smaller, but

Thoreau believes that we should at least try other methods. Thoreau is arguing that we have
should always strive to recognize and organize the rights of man by which he means civil
rights. Americans should not be content with the fact that things are better than they were fifty
years ago, but rather should fight to correct the injustices that still exist today. However, the
most important lesson Thoreau teaches that we should not be advocating any particular agenda,
but rather we should support what is right. Thoreau is not abolitionist because he is a Northerner;
Thoreau is an abolitionist because he wants what is best for his fellow man. Thoreaus belief in
morality in government can also be found in his essay, Slavery in Massachusetts. The essay
was written in response to the compromises the North and the South had made on slavery.
Thoreau was vehemently opposed to slavery and wrote that people are to be men first... No
matter how valuable law may be to protect your property if it do not keep you and humanity
together. (pg 2052, Thoreau) Thoreau is arguing that slavery laws are not about keeping the
union together or protecting property rights, they are about the rights of humans. Thoreau is
saying that no law is worth losing our humanity, and once again arguing that government should
be run on morally. Although he is specifically referring to slavery, Thoreaus lesson is that we
should not support a law if it is not morally right. Today more than ever, people need to set away
from political parties, and vote on issues following moral, not party lines. In Resistance to Civil
Government, Thoreau also argues for the rights of the individual and writes, That government
is best which governs not all. (pg 1857, Thoreau) Thoreau believed that he had a moral
obligation to not support, what he believed was, an immoral government. Thoreau was against
slavery and against the Mexican-American war and in protest refused to pay his poll tax.
Thoreau argues that peaceful protesting is not civil disobedience, but that it is a moral obligation
we have as righteous citizens.

3. Discuss how Emerson, Longfellow and Poe reflect Romanticism and/ or Transcendentalism.
During the 19
th
century there were two influential literary movements in America,
Romanticism and Transcendentalism. Romanticism was about a reverence towards nature;
admiring natures beauty and its unspoiled splendor. Romantics often wrote of the feelings that
could only be experienced in nature, often attributed supernatural qualities to it. Finally,
Romanticism was about self-expression and personal freedom. A reflection of the American
ideals, Romantics praised individualism, focusing more on individual experiences and feelings.
Inspired by the Romantic Movement, Transcendentalism shared many beliefs with Romanticism,
but differed on key points. While Transcendentalists also venerated nature, they often attributed
mystical, almost religious experiences to it. Transcendentalists often wrote about the lessons that
only nature could teach us and believed that it helped someone better understand themselves.
Transcendentalists were also social activists, often abolitionists, who believed that all individuals
had rights and freedoms. By analyzing a small selection of the works of Emerson, Longfellow
and Poe, we can see the effects that the Romantic and Transcendentalist movements had on their
writing.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, born in 1803, was an essayist and a poet, and is best known for
his essays, Nature and Self-Reliance. He was a well-known Transcendentalist and those
views can be seen in his most famous works, Nature. Emersons Nature is an essay written
praising the beauty in nature. Emerson argues that in nature people find an inner peace that
cannot be found anywhere else. Emerson writes, In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs
through the man, in spite of real sorrows. Nature says, he is my creature, and [despite] all his
impertinent griefs, he shall be glad with me. (pg 1112, Emerson) In his essay, Emerson equates
nature to a divine being which man can commune with by exploring its majesty. Emersons

reverence for nature is reflected throughout the essay, but he also shows us what nature can teach
us. Emerson writes, The wise man shows his wisdom in separation, in gradation, and his
scaleas wised as nature. The foolish have no rangewhat us not good they call the worstnot
hateful, they call the best. (pg 1123, Emerson) He argues that in nature all things have a
purpose, but mans limited perception causes us to improperly assign value. Transcendentalists
could use Emersons argument to support social and individual rights; believing that nature
makes all things equal. Although Ralph Waldo Emerson was primarily a Transcendentalist,
examples of Romantic beliefs can also be found in Self-Reliance. Emerson argues for self-
expression, writing, To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your
private heart, is true for all men, -that is genius. (pg 1163, Emerson) In the essay, Emerson
argues that man is afraid to be himself and because of that we all conform to our societies values.
Emerson says that by thinking for ourselves we improve our self-worth, and that we become who
we truly are. Emerson is making an argument for personal freedom and self-expression, and
defending it by saying Trust thyself (pg 1164, Emerson). The Romantics believed that man
was inherently good, so Emerson believes that no evil can come out of learning to trust our own
feelings.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, born in 1807, was an America poet who is best known for
his poem, Paul Reveres Ride. Although it has been proven historically inaccurate, Paul
Reveres Ride has become part of the American mythology. The poem beings with the line,
hardly a man is still alive that remembers the famous day and year (Longfellow), setting the
mythical mood of the poem. Like the Romantics did for nature, Longfellow does for Paul
Revere, and his prose describes magical scenes. Longfellow describes the church as spectral
and somber, the horse as flying fearless and fleet, and the British ships as a huge black

hulk. Longfellows language throughout the poem is very reminiscent of other Romantic poets.
Paul Reveres ride also reflects the Romantic value of the individual, and uses it to emphases
the heroism of Paul Revere. Longfellow writes, A cry of defiance, and not of fear, a voice in the
darkness, a knock at the door, and a word that shall echo for evermore! (Longfellow) Romantics
valued the experiences of the individual so Paul Revere makes his ride alone, and the poem
emphases individual actions. Longfellow continues to express the value of an individual work
and experiences in his poem, The Village Blacksmith. In the poem, Longfellow describes the
blacksmith writing, His brow is wet with honest sweat, he earns whateer he can, and looks the
whole world in the face for he owes not any man. (Longfellow) The village blacksmith is
praised for his self-reliance in that he knows his own self-worth. The Romantics believed in
expressing the feelings of the individual, and the village blacksmith is respected because he
respects himself. Like in Paul Reveres Ride, Longfellow also expresses American values like
the value of honest work. The village blacksmith works hard, but works honestly and is able to
support himself and his family.
Edgar Allan Poe, born in 1809, was an author and poet, who is best known poem, The
Raven, and for his short horror stories. Although Poe would be best described as a Gothic
writer, some elements of Romantic and Gothic writing are similar. For example, both the
Romantics and the Gothics applied supernatural significance to natural things. Edgar Allan Poes
poem, The Raven is about a bird who begins the poem as a a stately raven of the saintly
days of yore (pg 1538, Poe). In the poem the raven frequently says Nevermore, but because
ravens are capable of mimicry the narrator isnt too surprised. However as the poem continues,
the narrator becomes afraid of the bird and describes it as grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and
ominous bird of yore. (pg 1538, Poe) The narrator, mourning the loss of his love, begins to

believe the raven has been sent to mock him and calls the raven a thing of evil! prophet still,
if bird or devil... (pg 1539, Poe) Poes poem, The Raven, is similar to the works of the
Romantics in that through the use of supernatural imagery, he is able to turn a bird into a
threatening force.

































Works Cited
Baym, Nina, Wayne Franklin, Philip F. Gura, and Arnold Krupat. "Edgar Allen Poe (1809-
1849)." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 7th ed. Vol. B. New York: W. W.
Norton &, 2007. 1528-616. Print.


Baym, Nina, Wayne Franklin, Philip F. Gura, and Arnold Krupat. "Henry David Thoreau (1817-
1862)." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 7th ed. Vol. B. New York: W. W.
Norton &, 2007. 1853-2060. Print.

Baym, Nina, Wayne Franklin, Philip F. Gura, and Arnold Krupat. "Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-
1864)." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 7th ed. Vol. B. New York: W. W.
Norton &, 2007. 1272-495. Print.

Baym, Nina, Wayne Franklin, Philip F. Gura, and Arnold Krupat. "Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-
1882)." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 7th ed. Vol. B. New York: W. W.
Norton &, 2007. 1106-252. Print.

Longfellow, Henry W. "Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: A Maine Historical Society Website."
Longfellow: The Village Blacksmith, Ballads and Other Poems. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr.
2013.

Longfellow, Henry W. "Paul Revere's Ride." Paul Revere's Ride. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.