Gothic Romance in Novel Scarlet Letter

Gothic Romance in Novel

Scarlet Letter

This paper is for fulfill the final assignment in subject Prose II

 

Writer:

Rizki Restu Permana

1211503118 / V / D

English Literature Department Faculty of Adab and Humanity

State Islamic University Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung

2013

Chapter I

Introduction

1.1  Introduction

We know that belles-lettres is not always for pleasure but also for education, this ascertainable in one of belles-lettres like in novel that showed by any elements which made the reader can get the lesson on belles-lettres like novel.

Many genres in novel like romantic, realism, and many more. Scarlet Letter is one of novel which very good to be read because many elements in this novel which make the reader know about the elements of culture which showed by novel scarlet letter.  I want to explore about gothic romance in novel scarlet letter because gothic romance in scarlet letter made me interest to explore this.

1.2 Background

            Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote Scarlet Letter give many elements of genre of novel. Nathaniel Hawthorne in Scarlet Letter I think focus in romantic which in this novel many act which romantic, so I think Scarlet Letter include to romantic novel. And romantic novel itself is one of genre novel which focus to relationship between two people and I know that is focus in love. Genre in romantic novel there are Supernatural, Heroic, Neoclassical, Love nature, Art, Emotional, Nationalism, Gothic.

            Romantic in Scarlet Letter is the most important elements, because in this novel which telling a story about a life of Hester Pryne as main character in this story who leaved by her husband. Her Husband is a doctor and researcher who often leaved his wife until years. Hester Pryne make a special relationship with a Dimsdale who known is the good ministry and he famous because his goodness, but he doing big sins with Hester Pryne which no one people known that the Pryne’s daughter is daughter of Dimsdale.

1.3 Question

1.      What is romantic in novel Scarlet Letter?

2.      What is Gothic in Scarlet Letter?

1.4 Significant

1.      For knowing what is romantic in novel Scarlet Letter.

2.      For knowing what is Gothic in Scarlet Letter.

1.5 Frame work of thinking

Gothic is dealt   with  supernatural,  mysterious  or  ghastly  events  and  the  apprehension  or  production  of  terror,  and  which  were  usually situated in wild, stormy landscapes, eerie manors or castles. (Wolfreys, Robbins and Womack; 2006)

            Gothic have emphasized the role of the reader, questions of gender, the gothic interest in the abject body and corporatization in general, and the inner feelings or phenomenological perceptions of the gothic terrain on the part  of  its principal   protagonists. (Wolfreys, Robbins and Womack; 2006)

Gothic is exploring the inner condition of the protagonist. (Wolfreys, Robbins and Womack: 2006; 47)

Romantic era have a particular affinity for winds, for the inspiration of the spirit of nature.(Ferber: 2007; 136)

Romantic view is that nature governs our most human feelings, our imaginations, and our hearts. (Ferber: 2007; 237)

Romantic ideas are also used to argue against the cultural materialist view of literature as merely a form of ideology.(Bowie: 2002; 2)

Romantic conception art can be regarded as reconciling in the realm of appearance what is unreconciled in reality, and thus as a form of ideology. Art does so, though, because it grants freedom to the imagination, allowing it to move beyond the world of what there is to a world of as yet unrealized possibility. (Bowie: 2002; 15)

Romantic enthusiasm for art has generally and in some senses rightly been understood as part of the attempts to fill gaps left by the process of secularization and rationalization in Western societies. (Bowie; 2002)

The Gothic featured accounts of terrifying experiences in ancient castles — experiences connected with subterranean dungeons, secret passageways, flickering lamps, screams, moans, bloody hands, ghosts, graveyards, and the rest. (The Norton Anthology of English Literature The Romantic Age Topic 2  Overview.htm)

Chapter II

Analysis

1.      Romantic in novel Scarlet Letter

Human has an accent there is heart for feel sad or happy. Heart usually called love, and human life not far with love. Love made human sad and happy. Many ways to express the love like that called romantic or like passiveness. Romantic is the beautiful way to express love, and I think Hawthorne also thinking like that until she write novel Scarlet Letter which has romantic side that showed.

Romantic in novel Scarlet Letter is the most important elements, because in this novel which telling a story about a life of Hester Pryne as main character in this story who leaved by her husband. Her Husband is a doctor and researcher who often leaved his wife until years. Hester Pryne make a special relationship with a Dimsdale who known is the good ministry and he famous because his goodness, but he doing big sins with Hester Pryne which no one people known that the Pryne’s daughter is daughter of Dimsdale.

“Such was the sympathy of Nature—that wild, heathen Nature of the forest, never subjugated by human law, nor illumined by higher truth—with the bliss of these two spirits! Love, whether newly-born, or aroused from a death-like slumber, must always create sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance that it overflows upon the outward world. Had the forest still kept its gloom, it would have been bright in Hester’s eyes, and bright in Arthur Dimmesdale’s!”(Scarlet Letter: 305)

The citation showing that Scarlet Letter is romantic novel, because like Feber said that romantic view is that nature governs our most human feelings, our imaginations, and our hearts and that citation I think that is showing that Scarlet Letter is including to romantic novel because the sentence “that wild, heathen Nature of the forest, never subjugated by human law, nor illumined by higher truth—with the bliss of these two spirits! Love, whether newly-born, or aroused from a death-like slumber, must always create sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance that it overflows upon the outward world.” Is showed that all badness, difficulty, hatred, and grudge can loosed by feeling of love. Than in the sentence “Had the forest still kept its gloom, it would have been bright in Hester’s eyes, and bright in Arthur Dimmesdale’s!” is continue with a sentence which showing two hearts which feeling of love that looked by the light which glowing between this two people who falling in love. Like Ferber (2007; 136) said that romantic view is that nature governs our most human feelings, our imaginations, and our hearts. 

In Scarlet Letter novel, Hawthorne using romantic element, because in eighteen century is in romantic era and this Scarlet Letter whom write by Hawthrone is using romantic element because this novel wrote at eighteen century.  In romantic era, nature is center of belles-lettres because romantic itself is representing of nature.

He was now known to be a man of skill; it was observed that he gathered herbs and the blossoms of wild-flowers, and dug up roots and plucked off twigs from the forest-trees like one acquainted with hidden virtues in what was valueless to common eyes.(Scarlet Letter:180)

That citation can show that romantic is representing love with nature. In phrase “the forest-trees like one acquainted with hidden virtues in what was valueless to common eyes” its mean that forest as draw of nature is can showing goodness that was hide from what all knowing. This citation is clearly showed that Hawthrone is romatic poet which showed by his words which much using nature as rightness of life.

For the sake of the minister’s health, and to enable the leech to gather plants with healing balm in them, they took long walks on the sea-shore, or in the forest; mingling various walks with the splash and murmur of the waves, and the solemn wind-anthem among the tree-tops.(Scarlet Letter:183)

That citation also representing that nature is source of the medication. Nature is not only medication for inside of human like for make human feel a peace but also medication for physic like in that citation was showing that in the forest can take a medication for physic with plants and medication for feeling like he splash and murmur of the waves, and the solemn wind-anthem among the tree-tops. This citation is clearly showed that Hawthrone is romantic poet which showed by his words which much using nature as rightness of life. Ferber (2007; 237) clearly argued that romantic era have a particular affinity for winds, for the inspiration of the spirit of nature. This same like Hawthrone do that he inspirited by the nature.

Hawthrone is the poet who clearly applied the romantic theory in the Scarlet Letter. Romantic also drew by against the materialist with nature, like Bowie (2002; 2) Romantic ideas are also used to argue against the cultural materialist view of literature as merely a form of ideology.

The directness of this appeal drew the eyes of the whole crowd upon the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale young clergyman, who had come from one of the great English universities, bringing all the learning of the age into our wild forest land.(Scarlet Letter:100)

That citation is showing that romantic is against materialist view with that citation those showings that from materialist like the city, Dimmesdale who come from great English Universities which at the city have to come to the forest land. It clearly showed that Scarlet Letter is romantic novel.

2.      Gothic in Scarlet Letter

Romantic novel has many elements like Supernatural, Heroic, Neoclassical, Love nature, Art, Emotional, Nationalism, and Gothic. From those elements of romantic, I want to explore gothic side in Scarlet Novel by Nathaniel Hawthrone because gothic is dealt with supernatural, mysterious or ghastly events and the apprehension or production of terror, and which were usually situated in wild, stormy landscapes, eerie manors or castles. (Wolfreys, Robbins and Womack; 2006). Like Wolfrey and friend (2006) said before that gothic is deal with all of something like unreason things.

Gothic is made the story more interesting, because can make imagination of the reader is running wild and make heart racing for the reader. In Scarlet Letter, Hawthrone give gothic elements because in romantic novel, gothic element is for make the story more colorful because I think that in the scarlet letter gothic element is didn’t showed by ghost or something like something scare that can look or can feel with everybody, but Hawthrone use Pearl as Pryne’s daughter that send a message that in this novel any gothic element.

In Scarlet Letter, Pearl is character that called devil’s daughter because her attitude is very different with other children. She very naughty, she never obeys another asks except her mother. Pearl is the most beautiful thing for Pryne. Pearl is the only one that Pryne have in the world although he know that she still having Dimsdale as Pearl’s father, but Pryne never recognize Dimsdale as a friend in this world because she know what is consequences if she tell that Dimsdale is Pearl’s father.

“If the children gathered about her, as they  sometimes did, Pearl would grow positively terrible in her puny wrath, snatching up stones to fling at them, with shrill, incoherent exclamations, that made her mother tremble, because they had so much the sound of a witch’s anathemas in some  unknown tongue.”(Scarlet Letter:140)

That citation is showing that in the Scarlet Novel any gothic element that showed by Pearl. From she grow up she has freak habitual, she didn’t like gathered with other children, but she has her world for herself. She prefers abstract ding and she has her friend in her imagination but likes real friend. She often speaking without real friend and she enjoy with her imagination friend.

            Gothic in Scarlet Letter also drew by Pryne. It because her mind is very confused and she often abstract ding like Pearl, like he feel about her destiny, and also he has a big secret that have to protect with big energy, because her mind is too weak for protect that secret but she still protecting that secret until she likes crazy woman. This also called gothic because she has imagination like real in her life.

“ It was whispered by those who peered after her that the scarlet letter threw a lurid gleam along the dark passage-way of the interior.”(Scarlet Letter:105)

That citation can showing that in Scarlet Letter it has gothic element, that is when scarlet letter which on Pryne’s cloth or precise on the left of the cloth that Pryne used start make effect to Pryne like annoyances to Pryne precise in her mind or her heart like anyone who whispered when that scarlet letter like glowing in the dark place. This gothic is from inner feelings or phenomenological because gothic have emphasized the role of the reader, questions of gender, the gothic interest in the abject body and corporatization in general, and the inner feelings or phenomenological perceptions of the gothic terrain on the part  of  its principal   protagonists. (Wolfreys, Robbins and Womack; 2006). Wolfreys, Robbins and Womack adding their statement that gothic is exploring the inner condition of the protagonist. (2006; 47) and this same like in the Scarlet Letter’s novel that Pryne as protagonist always feel something from inner condition that become a gothic event.

Chapter III

Conclusion

Gothic and romantic is two elements in literary that cannot be separated, because in romantic any gothic element which the element for complete romantic genre. Romantic which grow at eighteen century and gothic element any at nineteenth century and Scarlet Letter was wrote at the end of eighteen century and at began of nineteenth century.

Nathaniel Hawthrone write Scarlet Letter with genre romantic because in this era the poets is affected by romantic theme. Bowie (2002;15) clearly argued that romantic conception art can be regarded as reconciling in the realm of appearance what is unreconciled in reality, and thus as a form of ideology. Art does so, though, because it grants freedom to the imagination, allowing it to move beyond the world of what there is to a world of as yet unrealized possibility. It’s mean that romantic can give a freedom to the imagination and the important thing is romantic genre is can against the materialist that was made life boring.

References:

Bowie, Andrew. 1997. From Romanticism to Critical Theory;   The philosophy of                       

German literary theory. Routledge: London

Ferber, Michael. 2007. A Dictionary of Literary Symbol; Second Edition.

Cambridge University Press: Ney York

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. 1842. The Scarlet Letter. Planet Pdf

Wolfreys, Julian. Robbins, Ruth and Kenneth Womack.2006. Key Concept in

Literary Theory; Second Edition. Edinburgh University Press: Edinburg

TheNortonAnthologyofEnglishLiteratureTheRomanticAgeTopic2 Overview.htm