The Scarlet Letter: Connections with American Romanticism

     In The Scarlet Letter, a book that we started reading last week, we get to see a lot of American Romantic aspects being reflected into the story. This is no surprise, since the story was essentially written in the 1840s, which correstponds directly to the American Romantic era. An example of a romantic aspect would be the prison door (Hawthorne 43). In all of chapter one, the author describes the door very carefully and descriptively, not missing an inch of character from it. It is very dark, rusted, and old, which corresponds with the common "ghastly thrills" that the people were interested in during the romantic era. This door also sets the initial mood for the story, foreshadowing future unfortunate events that might take place. It also foreshadows irony that may be coming up in the story because of the fact that it was an old, distusting door, in the middle of a quite elegant, architecturally sophisticated environment.
     Another aspect of Ameican Romanticism is the fact that Anne Hutchinson was reffered to (Hawthorne 44). Anne Hutchinson was a woman who belived in faith in God. She preached that having faith will bring one closer to God. This set her as an outcast compared to the rest of the villagers, because not everyone believed in that. She was kiled, which contributes to the aspect of facination with death of American Romanticism. This also serves as a foreshadow for what might happen to Hester Prynne since she was both compared to Hutchinson, and in a similar situation as Hutchinson was in because of the fact that they are both outcasts in society.