What is the meaning of transcendentalism? There are different vague definitions of transcendentalism. One of the most common definitions of this term is it’s often used as a literary movement; basically, it’s more philosophical and political when it comes to writing. In general, some can say that transcendentalism is used to describe a subtle form of escapism from the society or societal issues. Some say that one character, fictional or non-fictional, is rebelling against the situation, depending on what he currently perceives and he’s attempting to be different or to get away with it. Others say it’s a generation of people who are struggling with the meaning of spirituality and religion. Overall, the term transcendentalism is normally a negative aspect as it deals with the malignant side of the society and how individuals are trying to cope with it as they attempt to retaliate.
In the earlier times, mainly the 19th century, there are several writers who were transcendentalists themselves. A couple of examples are Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. These two writers were around during slavery in the 1800s; their works mainly talked about their own horrid perspectives of slavery around the US and together they became leaders of the transcendentalist movement. There is another writer who shared similar transcendental beliefs as Thoreau and Emerson. That is Nathaniel Hawthorne. Despite that he is not a transcendentalist, Hawthorne did write his own works by using this philosophical and literary movement. As individuals read his works, such as “The Scarlet Letter,” there are some questions about his vague style in writing; some would wonder if there’s a subtle message about the malignant side of the society he once lived in. It’s doable that Hawthorne’s own transcendentalism is causing an individual into many negative conflicts.
Hawthorne has many themes in his writing; one of them is alienation. Alienation, or isolation, is when one character suffers through self-cause, societal-cause or a combination of both. He chose to separate himself from everyone else around him to avert from the damage he has done or as a form of escapism to avert from the negative aspect of the society. This theme was used in Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter.” In this literary work, Hester Prynne was ostracized from the society for having a baby with no father. Due to her oppression and after her arrest for refusing to admit her lover’s name, she was forced into alienation to avert the authority from taking her infant, Pearl, away from her. Hawthorne used transcendentalism in “The Scarlet Letter” to describe how strict the society was when it comes to spiritual beliefs; they would shun anyone who they believed is the sign of sin and the devil. The reason why Hester was ostracized by the society is because of adultery; she was considered as the devil’s sin for carrying a baby without a husband and adultery is a violation of their laws.
Despite that the society may be strictly religious there could be a malevolent side within them, which can be ironic. Hawthorne believed in the existence of the devil and the way the citizens reacted over one simple sign of sin could be a reference to how the Puritans believed that one of their own kind is a witch during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. The author’s ancestor was Judge Hathorne who presided during this horrifying trial. The accusation from the society when they believed that Hester Prynne was sinning may have been influenced by Hawthorne when he found out about his ancestor’s involvement with the Salem Witch Trials, which soon became the reason why he changed his surname by adding a “W.” During the Salem Witch Trials, the Puritans became strict with their new religious laws; they falsely accused 20 innocent lives for being witches and getting involved with the devil. However, what their religious belief was doing is arresting and killing more innocent lives when it should be free from the suffering of their former religion they were forced to convert into. This happened in “The Scarlet Letter”; the religious citizens became accusative on Hester Prynne with her alleged sin and just like the Puritans from the Salem Witch Trials, they attempted to get rid of her so they can get rid of the “devil.” What is malevolent about this? Hester Prynne may be innocent.
Another one of Hawthorne’s themes in his writing is the issues with guilt. Preferably, guilt versus innocence. In “The Scarlet Letter,” one character was suffering with guilt and that is Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale was responsible for adultery with Hester Prynne and throughout the entire novel, he was forced to keep this adultery secret to himself to avoid dire consequences. He was obsessed with himself and he proclaimed himself as a good minister when in reality, he committed a deadly sin. When noticing that Hester Prynne is on a scaffolding, Dimmesdale’s contriteness became severe. He then gets into a conflict with himself and soon, the guilt is about to kill him. As he is about to die from guilt, Dimmesdale gets stuck with two difficult choices; either he, as a minister, confess his sin and prove Hester’s innocence or keep the sin to himself to save his seemingly innocent reputation. With guilt consuming him alive, Dimmesdale, on his very last breath, finally confesses his sin and unfortunately, it was not enough time for him and he dies. In regards with Hawthorne’s transcendentalism, Dimmesdale’s conflict with guilt versus innocence dealt with coping and battling the malignant side of his religious belief. He committed a sin, kept it to himself as Hester Prynne gets punished for sin, and the guilt comes to kill him (one can say it’s a symbol or metaphor for God punishing his followers for disobeying his commands). Battling guilt and doable punishment can be part of transcendentalism to Hawthorne because one is attempting to escape from the consuming pain he’s going through whilst simultaneously getting away with the dire consequences.
In “The Scarlet Letter,” both Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale dealt with their own conflicts. Hester’s conflict was individual versus society whilst Dimmesdale’s conflict was hypocrisy versus integrity. These two conflicts are relevant with Hawthorne’s transcendentalism that led to the society’s negativity. Hester Prynne, once committed with adultery, was humiliated whenever she goes out in public with a letter “A” attached to her chest (which stands for Arthur) and carrying her baby daughter, Pearl, whom others believed that she is a devil’s baby (despite her name, which some say it’s a jewel of purity). Completely overwhelmed and fed up with all the accusation by everyone around her, she decided to escape from the society. There, Hester goes into deep isolation with only herself and Pearl by living in a small abandoned house in the middle of the forest. Her escapism suddenly went from feeling like a weak victim into a strong survivor. Hester Prynne, later in the novel, stands up for herself when hearing that the authorities would take Pearl away from her and when her husband, Chillingsworth, demands her to reveal Dimmesdale’s name. She refuses to let any of this happen and so she retaliates by performing her own rebellion against the society. This type of transcendentalism by Hawthorne shows a character choosing to be different from the society’s religious laws.
Dimmesdale’s conflict with hypocrisy versus integrity already led to his dire consequences, which is his untimely death. As a minister, integrity is the most crucial part of his job and he must avert himself from all sins. Sadly, it did not go so well for him. Dimmesdale’s affair with Hester Prynne led him to lie in front of his followers and the Lord. His hypocritical movement became the source of his contriteness that slowly killed him in the end of “The Scarlet Letter.” As already mentioned, Dimmesdale’s hypocrisy and lies became so persistent he waits until the last minute to die when he finally confesses. He never confesses in the first place because all he cared about is his reputation as an innocent and honest minister. To Hawthorne, Dimmesdale’s hypocrisy versus integrity could be a form of transcendentalism; his character is suffering with many struggles of the meaning of religion and spirituality. Some can assume that Dimmesdale fears for the worst by the time of his death; his hypocritical movements and constant lies would put him into Hell.
Even though Nathaniel Hawthorne is not a transcendentalist, he was capable of using this philosophical and literary movement in his writings. To the author of “The Scarlet Letter,” transcendentalism does cope with the malignity within the society and certain individuals were attempting a their best to deal with issues they have perceived. It is indeed possible that transcendentalism can lead to more malevolence, typically dire consequences. Transcendentalism can also be relevant to how malevolent the society can be despite its proclamation as a benevolent world. By that, the Puritans thought that their newly-found religious laws would bring better to their citizens and followers. Unfortunately, it led to more malignity; their false accusations led to demises of innocent lives, just like the Salem Witch Trials. This happened to Hester Prynne when she was allegedly accused for adultery, in which she became ostracized and later went into alienation. Transcendentalism also pertains to a desire of being different from the society. After her alienation, Hester Prynne stood up for herself by showing resistance against the authority to prove her innocence.
There are several contrasting and vague meanings for transcendentalism. Perhaps the most common meaning can be a form of escapism for literay characters and it is often used to describe the society’s malevolence. When it comes to writing his stories, Nathaniel Hawthorne used this literary movement to express his belief of the devil and a brief history of his ancestor being in charge of the Salem Witch Trials, so that his audience can understand his perception about how negative and cruel the world can be.
References:
http://archive.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap3/hawthorne.html#themes
http://americanliterature.com/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/bio-books-stories
http://www.transcendentalists.com/what.htm
-Written by Nicole Cheng, 2015
Special thanks to Professor Ian Maloney, St. Francis College