THE SCARLET

LETTER
A Romance, Not a Novel
 Romance Novel
• Not a love story between two protagonists
• Romance means not adhering strictly to reality
• Combining  realistic and imaginative elements to tell a moving and
dreamlike story
• Incorporates fantastic elements while remaining emotionally and
psychologically realistic
• Familiar scenes in the moonlight and warmed slightly by coal-fire
• In the preface of the book, Hawthorne defines romance as taking place
“somewhere between the real world and fairy-land, where the Actual and
the Imaginary may meet, and each imbue itself with the nature of the
other.” 
 Examples
• The scarlet letter A seen by Dimmesdale when he stands on the scaffold
during his vigil in night
• A token of guilty secret seen by Chillingsworth on the breast of sleeping
minister
• The revelation of letter A imprinted in Dimmesdale’s flesh and witmessed
by no. of people in the crowd
• Pearl pointed out that sunlight runs away from Hester
• Final descent of Chillingsworth into the regions of hell
• Chillingsworth changed into an ugly person
 Gothic elements
• Certain suggestions borrowed from gothic novel to add weirdness and
horror
• Example:
 Wooden jail has a grim appearance
Oaken door looked more antique than anything else in the world
Governor’s house decorated with strange and cabalistic figures
 Strong suggestion of intrigue and murder in portraits
Mistress Hibbins depicted as a witch
o Constantly talks about black man who haunts the forest
Pearl seems to have witchcraft in her
o Not a normal child
o Her furies and frenzies signify a diabolical touch to her nature
• According to Mr. Willson, she has witchcraft in her
• Chillingworth calls her a strange child
• Many people believe her to be a “demon offspring”
• Hester herself gets irritated by her erratic behaviour
 Realistic elements
• Story contains convincing characters and convincing situation
• Example:
• Punishment awarded to Hester is true to facts of history
• Female spectators in the crowd true to Puritans age
• All characters are vividly portrayed
• Hester
o Her haughtiness in the face of her public humiliation
o Her social endurance of punishment
o Her intense maternal anxiety to keep Pearl by her side
o Her sufferings on account of Pearl’s persistent questioning
o Her suggestion to minster to flee to other land
o Strong minded, strong willed who refuses to consider her act as sinful
o Unusual woman
o Her life is tragic but she rises above her tragedy
o Throws dust into the eyes of people
o His cowardice and his hypocrisy damage him more than his sin
 Other realistic elements
• Minor characters
• Description of town
• The forest
• The market place
• The Puritan community
• The portrayal of crowd
 CONCLUSION
• Hawthorne through his writing as a romance writer depicts the dark and
gloomy side of mankind in all its guilt and pain.
 Reference
• NKM Excellent series, Masterpiece critical study
• Prepared by Syeda Amarah Zahid