Thursday, February 14, 2013
Nathaniel Hathorne
As we know Hawthorne's father died, leaving his mother in grief and his children without a father figure; in the scarlet letter, Dimmesdale similarly abandons Hester, leaving her to publicly carry the burden of shame on her own and his daughter Pearl without the father she needed. A lot of you thought this made Dimmesdale a coward, and disapproved of his actions. Do you think that this is a representation that Hawthorne had some bitter feelings toward his father after witnessing all the pain and struggles that his mother went through? Do you think that is why he choose to portray Dimmesdale in that manner?
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To me it doesn't seem that Hawthorne harbors any bitter feelings towards his father its more like he uses Dimmesdale as a representation of how he felt his father was incorporated into his life. Kinda of like he was always there (in spirit) but never interacting with him and his family because of some impediment, in real life death in the novel if Dimmesdale is the representation the obstacle would be society.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brain in the fact that Hawthorne probably did not have bitter felling towards his father. This can be assumed because Dimmesdale was accepted but Pearl before he died so in some sense you could say his life was complete because he was accepted by his family.
ReplyDeleteHmm good point, I was slightly conflicted as to whether it was a representation of his 'bitterness' or his acceptance towards his father's death. Because the main character of the story is Hester, and she goes through a lot trying to carry the burden of their sins on her own. (publicly at least) Which to me was sort of a reflection of his life where his mother did all the work and maintained the family by herself. Growing up with a household that was primarily female, I would think that he was more 'tuned' to her mother's anguish. I feel that maybe it somewhat of a representation of how he wished his father would return and help his mother through the tough times and that he could have that father figure in his life. However, at the end of the book Dimmesdale dies, so maybe it shows his acceptance that it could never be?
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