Transcendentalism in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Research Paper

Transcendentalism in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet letter - Research Paper ExampleThis paper shall seek to closely examine these nuanced facets of the novel. The concepts of free-enquiry and liberal questioning argon profound to the theory of Transcendentalism. Though Hester is seen to quietly accept her persecution, she is also seen to question and rebel against the rules of the square-toed bon ton in which she lives. This can be seen in the uncharacteristic vehemence with which she opposes the decision of the clergy to take away her squirt from her. Hesters rebellion is also seen in her desire to start her life afresh with Dimmesdale and their illegitimate daughter. It is however Hesters daughter Pearl, who is an embodiment of this spirit of free-enquiry. Her seemingly nave, childish questions about the workings of the Puritanical bon ton of Boston are in fact quite radical. The concepts of self-reliance and compensation are central to the theories of Transcendentalism. The idea of compensation dictates that mans actions shall result in inevitable, inescapable consequences. It thus rejects the notion of the society or the state penalizing an individual for his transgression. Hester Prynne is an intensely individualistic woman and the her ability to transform the harshly unfavourable letter A into a thing of beauty with her needlework is symbolic of her ability to transcend the cloistered moralities of her times (Bell). It is perhaps also significant that Hester, by the virtue of her pious living and virtuous