The Scarlet Letter

 

"Wondrous strength and generosity of a woman's heart! She will not speak!" (59)

The Scarlet Letter is another novel that I recall from my early high school experience. What I specifically remember about my introduction to the text was the scandalous nature of its plot concerning a woman who had committed adultery...I was at once appalled and fascinated. I don't particularly remember how old I was upon being assigned the book, but I was young enough to be relatively ill acquainted with most content pertaining to such actions. I did, however, love a good forbidden romance. Imagine my disappointment when I realized that the book begins after the romance bit has taken place, and the reader isn't permitted to observe the two lovers interact until about 75% of the way through. So, NOT a romance. Let me just clarify that fact for anyone unsure of the story you will find herein.

I would probably have said, up until a recent point in life, that The Scarlet Letter has historically remained one of my least favorite classics. As a teacher, I've presented it as necessary within courses of American Lit, but with nowhere near the enjoyment I find in most other novels. My earliest memories of the thing are poor, and it hadn't really redeemed itself upon subsequent readings. Now you may be asking, "Dear lady, what has changed? What mysterious providence led you to a newfound love of this work?"

To which I answer, not much. Not much has changed. I am severely sorry to dash your hopes in such a rude fashion; if you were anticipating a rousing treatise in appreciation of Hawthorne's merits, it will not be found here. I will tell you that I started my summer by re-reading TSL--partly because I want to believe in the validity of the classic and would gladly admit, if possible, that the error lies with the reader, but also partially to vindicate my generally harsh critique. I'm sure I looked very studious and "literary" to the casual observer. But there at the end...I must be transparent. I skimmed a little. I just couldn't read Hester's inner turmoil one more time. We get it; the central conflict is within her. She fights against herself, the expectations of her society, the dark emblem upon her chest. I really would like to see the characters do more than sit and think, stand and talk, walk and think and talk. Except for Pearl, who is allowed to run a bit and tromp through water. Usually while talking. And the number of exclamation points! In the last chapter! Is enough to make a high school English teacher blush (with rage)! Shouldn't the emotional climax of the text speak for itself, rather than requiring punctuation to communicate that we have reached the fullness of plot intensity?

Now, to give credit where credit may be due: from the standpoint of characterization and a thought-provoking portrayal of Puritan societal pressures, I can see the value in the text. It is also a really wonderful study on characters. Teaching character analysis and symbolism is pretty easy when a book is primarily characters and symbols, without much distracting plot to speak of. While there is usefulness in it, I still struggle with appreciating The Scarlet Letter as anything more than a tool for the classroom. There are so much more exciting and well-written texts than this one.

In typical form, we find a list of the "Why?":

1. "Then, what was he? -- a substance? -- or the dimmest of all shadows? He longed to speak out...I, your pastor, whom you so reverence and trust, am utterly a pollution and a lie! (119)

The character analysis. As good a place to start as any, Hawthorne's characters are the major substance of his text. We have whole chapters given to waxing poetic about almost every important individual living in New England. While I have my reservations about this mode of writing a novel, I do appreciate the depth with which he evaluates the physical and psychological morphology of Hester, Dimmesdale, Pearl, and Chillingworth. I can stand before a class of students and ask, "How is Dimmesdale's internal unraveling portrayed?" If they've read chapters seven-twelve, the answer will be evident, as it is written no fewer than twenty times. I love this as a method to determine right away which students need habitual public shaming as motivation for reading the assigned texts. If I've interpreted TSL correctly, I believe they will respond by liking it and coming back for more.

2. "The boughs were tossing heavily above their heads; while one solemn old tree groaned dolefully to another, as if telling the sad story of the pair that sat beneath, or constrained to forebode evil to come," (162). 

The language. Over and above the repetitive prose, which I will address shortly, the figurative language in the novel is beautifully executed. There are many descriptions and revelations, especially pertaining to the setting, that strike the reader. A characteristic of many 19th century publications, narrative and exposition often carry the qualities of romantic poetry. Perhaps, rather than writing novels, Hawthorne should have focused on landscape verse. He really would have excelled.

And, in less typical form, a list of the "Why not?":

1. "The mother herself--as if the red ignominy were do deeply scorched into her brain, that all her conceptions assumed its form--had carefully wrought out the similitude; lavishing many hours of morbid ingenuity, to create an analogy between the object of her affection and the emblem of her guilt and torture," (84). 

The pace. There is an interesting viewpoint in writing about the aftermath of a passionate love affair, but the character work that is done sometimes feels hollow when the reader has no real connection to the relationship that set it all in motion. Pearl's father is slowly revealed over the course of a few chapters, which is not my issue. The plot points are so few and far between, they could be listed in a meager number of bullet points; internal struggle is the main impetus for the book's movement. By the time that Hester and her ex-lover meet in the forest and finally acknowledge their still-burning passion for one another, the reader hasn't been set up to care. In short, it took too long. And yet, not enough happened in all of the novel to create a likely scenario where such an admission would make sense. They each battle the sin that was committed, not their hidden love. I waver between thinking that either they are both infuriating and deserve each other, or it would really be better for everyone if they just continued to struggle in private and left one another alone.

2. "The links that united her to the rest of human kind--links of flowers, or silk, or gold, or whatever the material--had all been broken. Here was the iron link of mutual crime, which neither he nor she could break," (132).

The repetition. I've already mentioned this point, but to be clear and ensure that every reader understands, Hester has sinned against the natural order. She is shunned by society. Her struggle is profound, symbolized by the wayward child born of her illicit union. This story does not change until, in the thirteenth chapter, we get "Another View of Hester," which is that... she has sinned against the natural order. She is shunned by society. Her struggle is profound, symbolized by the wayward child born of her illicit union. AND she also still cares for her father's daughter and seeks to protect him. For lack of a more highbrow way to write it, TSL is so boring. You could cut out about half of the chapters and not miss much of anything important.

Harsh, I know. In regard to a recommendation, I would say that The Scarlet Letter may have value from an educational standpoint, but I would be happy to never read or teach this book again. I'd love to speak to someone who likes it (not appreciates or understands it, but LIKES it), because that point of view is beyond the grasp of my mental faculties.