Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) Study Objectives: 1.Understand the basic elements of a short story. 2.Learn the literary knowledge of symbol and allegory. 3.Appreciate the moral lesson conveyed by the narrative. Understanding the Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1860s Statue of Hawthorne in Salem,Massachusetts Nathaniel Hawthorne,American novelist,short story writer,and essayist,was born into a prominent New England family in Salem,Massachusetts,in July,1804.His rich family heritage and the leading role his ancestors played in American history shaped Hawthorne's philosophy and writing.His first American ancestor,William Hathorne (the author added a"w"to his name in his youth),arrived in 1630;later,he was involved in the persecution of Shakers.Subsequent family members included John Hathorne,a judge in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692,and Daniel Hathorne,a well-known and respected privateer during the American Revolution.Raised in New England,steeped in his Puritan heritage,and troubled by his ancestors'role in the persecution of others,Hawthorne focused on these themes throughout his life.The author spent his youth in Salem and among his maternal relatives in Maine,where his family moved in 1818.Breaking with
Nathaniel Hawthorne （1804-1864） Study Objectives: 1. Understand the basic elements of a short story. 2. Learn the literary knowledge of symbol and allegory. 3. Appreciate the moral lesson conveyed by the narrative. Understanding the Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1860s Statue of Hawthorne in Salem, Massachusetts Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist, was born into a prominent New England family in Salem, Massachusetts, in July, 1804. His rich family heritage and the leading role his ancestors played in American history shaped Hawthorne's philosophy and writing. His first American ancestor, William Hathorne (the author added a "w" to his name in his youth), arrived in 1630; later, he was involved in the persecution of Shakers. Subsequent family members included John Hathorne, a judge in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, and Daniel Hathorne, a well-known and respected privateer during the American Revolution. Raised in New England, steeped in his Puritan heritage, and troubled by his ancestors' role in the persecution of others, Hawthorne focused on these themes throughout his life. The author spent his youth in Salem and among his maternal relatives in Maine, where his family moved in 1818. Breaking with
the seafaring tradition of his father's family,Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College in the early to mid-1820s and decided to become a writer.He met with little success for many years and so loathed his self-published and anonymous novel Fanshawe (1828)that he attempted to destroy every copy.However,building on the success and critical attention he was beginning to garner from the publication of stories in magazines during the 1830s,he published a collection of short stories and essays entitled Twice-Told Tales.The book was ignored by the public and did not earn Hawthorne a profit until its third edition.However,the stories were a great success among critics, including Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.Hawthorne finally overcame his financial troubles when he published The Scarlet Letter,a novel which has its roots in his earlier writings about Puritan America.After Hawthorne's critical and popular success with The House of the Seven Gables (1851),his work began to decline.Upon his death in 1864,Hawthorne had fundamentally altered American literature,serving as the first author to combine a distinctive American voice and historical setting with universal themes of suffering and guilt. "The Minister's Black Veil"(1836)is one of Hawthorne's best known and most respected short stories.First published in the Token,the story is also included in Hawthorne's first collection of short stories,Twice Told Tales (1837).Known for its ambiguous and dark tone,the story recounts the tale of a minister so consumed with human sin and duplicity that he dons a veil to hide his face and manifest the spiritual veils that all humans wear.The reasons for the minister's actions and their implications are never fully explained,leaving readers to ponder Hawthorne's meaning.As in such works as "Young Goodman Brown"(1835)and The Scarlet Letter (1850), Hawthorne employed the settings and themes that are characteristic of his fiction:a Puritan New England setting.a fascination with the secret sins of humanity.the transformation of an object into a symbol,a dark,somber tone,and a reliance on ambiguity. Understanding symbol and allegory: In the broadest sense a symbol is anything which signifies something;in this sense all words are symbols.In discussing literature,however,the term symbol is applied only to a word or phrase that signifies an object or event which in its turn signifies something.The word "rose",for
the seafaring tradition of his father's family, Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College in the early to mid- 1820s and decided to become a writer. He met with little success for many years and so loathed his self-published and anonymous novel Fanshawe (1828) that he attempted to destroy every copy. However, building on the success and critical attention he was beginning to garner from the publication of stories in magazines during the 1830s, he published a collection of short stories and essays entitled Twice-Told Tales. The book was ignored by the public and did not earn Hawthorne a profit until its third edition. However, the stories were a great success among critics, including Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Hawthorne finally overcame his financial troubles when he published The Scarlet Letter, a novel which has its roots in his earlier writings about Puritan America. After Hawthorne's critical and popular success with The House of the Seven Gables (1851), his work began to decline. Upon his death in 1864, Hawthorne had fundamentally altered American literature, serving as the first author to combine a distinctive American voice and historical setting with universal themes of suffering and guilt. "The Minister's Black Veil" (1836) is one of Hawthorne's best known and most respected short stories. First published in the Token, the story is also included in Hawthorne's first collection of short stories, Twice Told Tales (1837). Known for its ambiguous and dark tone, the story recounts the tale of a minister so consumed with human sin and duplicity that he dons a veil to hide his face and manifest the spiritual veils that all humans wear. The reasons for the minister's actions and their implications are never fully explained, leaving readers to ponder Hawthorne's meaning. As in such works as "Young Goodman Brown" (1835) and The Scarlet Letter (1850), Hawthorne employed the settings and themes that are characteristic of his fiction: a Puritan New England setting, a fascination with the secret sins of humanity, the transformation of an object into a symbol, a dark, somber tone, and a reliance on ambiguity. Understanding symbol and allegory: In the broadest sense a symbol is anything which signifies something; in this sense all words are symbols. In discussing literature, however, the term symbol is applied only to a word or phrase that signifies an object or event which in its turn signifies something. The word “rose”, for
instance,literally is a kind of flower,but very often it signifies love.Similarly,a peacock is associated with pride and an eagle with heroic endeavor.Some symbols maybe conventional or public,whereas some other symbols may be private or personal. An allegory is a narrative,whether in prose or verse in which the relative specific images are used to signify a more general concept.There are two main types of allegory:1)historical and political allegory in which the characters and actions represent historical personages and events;2) the allegory of ideas,in which the literal characters represent concepts and the plot allegorizes an abstract doctrine or thesis.In the second type some abstract entities such as virtues,vices,states of mind,modes of life may be personified as characters,as shown in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress
instance, literally is a kind of flower, but very often it signifies love. Similarly, a peacock is associated with pride and an eagle with heroic endeavor. Some symbols maybe conventional or public, whereas some other symbols may be private or personal. An allegory is a narrative, whether in prose or verse in which the relative specific images are used to signify a more general concept. There are two main types of allegory: 1) historical and political allegory in which the characters and actions represent historical personages and events; 2) the allegory of ideas, in which the literal characters represent concepts and the plot allegorizes an abstract doctrine or thesis. In the second type some abstract entities such as virtues, vices, states of mind, modes of life may be personified as characters, as shown in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress
Lead-in Questions: 1.How much do you know about the 19th century New England society? 2.Are you familiar with terms like puritanism,or Salem witch trials? 3.Do you know more of Nathaniel Hawthorne's works?What are they mainly about? The Minister's Black Veil A Parable (1836) 1 THE Sexton stood in the porch of Milford meetinghouse,pulling busily at the bell rope.The old people of the village came stooping along the street.Children,with bright faces,tripped merrily beside their parents,or mimicked a graver gait,in the conscious dignity of their Sunday clothes.Spruce bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens,and fancied that the Sabbath sunshine made them prettier than on weekdays.When the throng had mostly streamed into the porch,the sexton began to toll the bell,keeping his eye on the Reverend Mr.Hooper's door.The first glimpse of the clergyman's figure was the signal for the bell to cease its summons. 2 "But what has good Parson Hooper got upon his face?"cried the sexton in astonishment. 3 All within hearing immediately turned about,and beheld the semblance of Mr. Hooper,pacing slowly his meditative way toward the meetinghouse.With one accord they started,expressing more wonder than if some strange minister were coming to dust the cushions of Mr.Hooper's pulpit. 4 "Are you sure it is our parson?"inquired Goodman Gray of the sexton
Lead-in Questions: 1. How much do you know about the 19 th century New England society? 2. Are you familiar with terms like puritanism, or Salem witch trials ? 3. Do you know more of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works ? What are they mainly about? The Minister's Black Veil A Parable (1836) 1 THE Sexton stood in the porch of Milford meetinghouse, pulling busily at the bell rope. The old people of the village came stooping along the street. Children, with bright faces, tripped merrily beside their parents, or mimicked a graver gait, in the conscious dignity of their Sunday clothes. Spruce bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens, and fancied that the Sabbath sunshine made them prettier than on weekdays. When the throng had mostly streamed into the porch, the sexton began to toll the bell, keeping his eye on the Reverend Mr. Hooper's door. The first glimpse of the clergyman's figure was the signal for the bell to cease its summons. 2 "But what has good Parson Hooper got upon his face?" cried the sexton in astonishment. 3 All within hearing immediately turned about, and beheld the semblance of Mr. Hooper, pacing slowly his meditative way toward the meetinghouse. With one accord they started, expressing more wonder than if some strange minister were coming to dust the cushions of Mr. Hooper's pulpit. 4 "Are you sure it is our parson?" inquired Goodman Gray of the sexton
5 "Of a certainty it is good Mr.Hooper,"replied the sexton."He was to have exchanged pulpits with Parson Shute,of Westbury;but Parson Shute sent to excuse himself yesterday,being to preach a funeral sermon." 6 The cause of so much amazement may appear sufficiently slight.Mr.Hooper gentlemanly person,of about thirty,though still a bachelor,was dressed with due clerical neatness,as if a careful wife had starched his band,and brushed the weekly dust from his Sunday's garb.There was but one thing remarkable in his appearance. Swathed about his forehead,and hanging down over his face,so low as to be shaken by his breath Mr.Hooper had on a black veil.On a nearer view it seemed to consist of two folds of crepe,which entirely concealed his features,except the mouth and chin, but probably did not intercept his sight,further than to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things.With this gloomy shade before him,good Mr.Hooper walked onward,at a slow and quiet pace,stooping somewhat,and looking on the ground,as is customary with abstracted men,yet nodding kindly to those of his parishioners who still waited on the meetinghouse steps.But so wonderstruck were they that his greeting hardly met with a return. 7 "I can't really feel as if good Mr.Hooper's face was behind that piece of crape," said the sexton. 8 "I don't like it,"muttered an old woman,as she hobbled into the meetinghouse. "He has changed himself into something awful,only by hiding his face." 9 "Our parson has gone mad!"cried Goodman Gray,following him across the threshold. 10 A rumor of some unaccountable phenomenon had preceded Mr.Hooper into the meetinghouse,and set all the congregation astir.Few could refrain from twisting their heads toward the door;many stood upright,and turned directly about while several little boys clambered upon the seats,and came down again with a terrible racket. There was a general bustle,a rustling of the women's gowns and shuffling of the men's feet,greatly at variance with that hushed repose which should attend the entrance of the minister.But Mr.Hooper appeared not to notice the perturbation of his people.He entered with an almost noiseless step,bent his head mildly to the pews on
5 "Of a certainty it is good Mr. Hooper," replied the sexton. "He was to have exchanged pulpits with Parson Shute, of Westbury; but Parson Shute sent to excuse himself yesterday, being to preach a funeral sermon." 6 The cause of so much amazement may appear sufficiently slight. Mr. Hooper gentlemanly person, of about thirty, though still a bachelor, was dressed with due clerical neatness, as if a careful wife had starched his band, and brushed the weekly dust from his Sunday's garb. There was but one thing remarkable in his appearance. Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath Mr. Hooper had on a black veil. On a nearer view it seemed to consist of two folds of crepe, which entirely concealed his features, except the mouth and chin, but probably did not intercept his sight, further than to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things. With this gloomy shade before him, good Mr. Hooper walked onward, at a slow and quiet pace, stooping somewhat, and looking on the ground, as is customary with abstracted men, yet nodding kindly to those of his parishioners who still waited on the meetinghouse steps. But so wonderstruck were they that his greeting hardly met with a return. 7 "I can't really feel as if good Mr. Hooper's face was behind that piece of crape," said the sexton. 8 "I don't like it," muttered an old woman, as she hobbled into the meetinghouse. "He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face." 9 "Our parson has gone mad!" cried Goodman Gray, following him across the threshold. 10 A rumor of some unaccountable phenomenon had preceded Mr. Hooper into the meetinghouse, and set all the congregation astir. Few could refrain from twisting their heads toward the door; many stood upright, and turned directly about while several little boys clambered upon the seats, and came down again with a terrible racket. There was a general bustle, a rustling of the women's gowns and shuffling of the men's feet, greatly at variance with that hushed repose which should attend the entrance of the minister. But Mr. Hooper appeared not to notice the perturbation of his people. He entered with an almost noiseless step, bent his head mildly to the pews on