Reoccurring Themes And Symbols In Different Works By Nathaniel Hawthor

Reoccurring Themes And Symbols In Different Works By Nathaniel Hawthorne Reoccurring Themes and Symbols in Different Works by Nathaniel Hawthorne It is no secret that Nathaniel Hawthornes The Ministers Black Veil is a parable. Hawthorne intended it as such and even gave the story the subtitle a parable. The Ministers Black Veil, however, was not Hawthornes only parable. Hawthorne often used symbols and figurative language to give added meaning to the literal interpretations of his work. His Puritan ancestry also influenced much of Hawthornes work. Instead of agreeing with Puritanism however, Hawthorne would criticize it through the symbols and themes in his stories and parables. Several of these symbols and themes reoccur in Hawthornes The Ministers Black Veil, Young Goodman Brown, and The Scarlet Letter. One particularly noticeable theme in Hawthornes work is that of secret sin (Newman 338). In the Young Goodman Brown, this theme is evident when young Mr. Brown dreams that he is led by the devil to a witching party. There he sees all of the honorable and pious members of society, including his minister and the woman who taught him his catechisms, communing with the prince of darkness. Upon awakening, the hypocritical nature of his once admired neighbors and the realization of his own secret sin causes him to become terribly disillusioned (Colacurcio 396). The same thing happens in The Ministers Black Veil, except the reader does not know exactly what secret sin makes Reverend Hooper begin to don the black veil. Many scholars believe that this has something to do with the funeral of the young lady at the beginning of the story. The opinions range from believing that Reverend Hooper loved the girl in secret, to Poes believe that Reverend Hooper may have actually been the cause of the girls death (Newman 204). Whatever the reason, the ministers wearing of the veil taints his view of everyone else around him, making all of them look like they are wearing veils as well (Hawthorne 107). Dimmesdales secret sin with Hester Prynne is admitted at the end of the story, but the theme of secret sin is not as used as strongly in this novel as it was in Hawthornes stories (Dryden 147). However, two of the main themes in The Scarlet Letter are visible in both of the other stories. The first is the corruption of the clergy. In The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Dimmesdale is a good pastor. He is not, however, the Puritan ideal of what a pastor should be. He is human, and gives in to human desires when he sleeps with Hester Prynne. Both Reverend Hooper and the minister in Young Goodman Brown are corrupt as well. Reverend Hoopers sins with the deceased young lady are hinted at, but still ambiguous. The minister in Young Goodman Brown is a much better example of corrupt clergy. He is in attendance at the witches meeting just one day before he would go before his congregation and preach the word of God. This is no doubt another reflection of Hawthornes belief in the hypocrisy of Puritanism. Another element common in these three works by Hawthorne is the way that sin ostracizes one from society. In The Scarlet Letter, Hesters is branded with a symbol of her sin, so her separation from society is forced as a form of punishment. She is not physically removed from society, but she will never again be able to play the same role in society that she once played. Everyone else, neglecting to look inside their heart at their own sin, condemns Hester for her adultery and turns their back to her. In Young Goodman Brown, Mr. Brown voluntarily chooses to cut himself off from human love and companionship (Hawthorne 75). However, while Hesters neighbors turn their back on her because of her adultery, Mr. Brown ostracizes himself because he is sickened by the hypocrisy that he knows is present in the lives of the people around him. Finally, the veil worn by Reverend Hooper in The Ministers Black Veil separates him from society, and from God (Dryden 138). Whether this separation is voluntary or imposed depends on how one looks at the situation. It is voluntary in that Reverend Hooper knows that his wearing