Hawthorne and SymbolismHUM 2212: British and American

Literature IFall 2012

Dr. PerdigaoSeptember 17, 2012

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Minister%27s_Black_Veil

Unveiling Hawthorne• Hawthorne as “American” writer

• Connection to Emerson—rented house, pall-bearer at Hawthorne’s funeral

• Success in America, Great Britain

• Setting, connection to Irving, idea of America

• “The Minister’s Black Veil” *1836)

• Fearful to congregation, they to him (410)

• Based on true story

• Secret to be “unveiled”

• “Unmasking” in The Monk

Symbols!• “penetrate the mystery” (411)

• Symbol, becomes “terrible”

• Interpretation, multiple readings

• Scarlet letter

• Makes him “ghost-like”

• With funeral, “Now an appropriate emblem” (412)

• Story that the corpse shuddered

• Reference to death, snatching the veil from their faces

• Idea girl from funeral was at the wedding, changes tone

• Earth has its own black veil (413)

Revelations• Church, envisioned it on his heart, fearful secret (413)

• Girl sees it as nothing significant

• Veil as symbol (414)

• She feels its power

• Question of what lies between them (415)

• Becomes man of “awful power” 9416)

• Physician, Elizabeth at bedside

• Revelation at end of life, rending of mortal veil

• Struggle with Reverend Clark at end

• Condemns all—all wearing black veils

Perfection• “The Birth-mark” (1843)

• Man of science, Aylmer

• Late 18th century—Enlightenment to Romanticism

• Defect or beauty with Georgiana’s birthmark

• Interpretation

• Fairy’s hand

• Bloody hand

• Mark of nature (419-420), mortality, temporary, finite

• Inspires fear and horror

• Dream and nightmare—stops heart

Perfection• He was almost enlightened to created another

• Frankenstein?

• Comparison to Pygmalion

• Lesson—man cannot create life (422), can mend

• Aylmer and Aminidab, spiritual and physical

• He’d keep birthmark (422)

• Plucks flower

• Takes daguerreotype (423)

• Elixir Vitae (424)

• Idea of balance in nature, tries to perfect her anyway

Endings• Elixir of Immortality

• She reads science, finds in it romance and poetry (424)

• Perfect idea vs. actual

• Unless science deceives him, he will not fail (428)

• Tries it on the geranium

• Mysterious symbol goes away, awful, like rainbow disappearing (429)

• Announces she is dying