Question

Hawthorne alludes, or refers, to the Virgin Mary in Chapter 2 in the Scarlet Letter. Why is this allusion appropriate? Why is it inappropriate and ironic? In light of this irony, what comment might Hawthorne be making about the Puritans?

Answer 1

Answer:

Hawthorne alludes, or refers, to the Virgin Mary in Chapter 2 in the Scarlet Letter.

a) This allusion is appropriate as Hawthorne compares Hester's pregnancy to the Virgin Mary's conception of the child Jesus.  The two could be said to have become pregnant without their natural husbands.

b) However, the allusion becomes inappropriate and ironic because Hester conceived by committing adultery.  On the other hand, the Virgin Mary became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit and not through sexual intercourse with any human being.

c) Hawthorne was simply satirizing the Puritans to the effect that they did not practice what they claimed that they believed in.  They were just sanctimonious, harboring impure thoughts, and committing sins with reckless abandon.  They also tried to deny human sexual needs; at the same time, they were busy secretly satisfying their sexual appetites.

Explanation:

The Scarlet Letter (1850) was authored by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  The historical fiction chronicled some important human realities, including guilt, stigmatization, revenge, and redemption.  It contrasted Hester's public humiliation for adultery, as she was forced to wear the scarlet letter A, with Dimmesdale's private shame and anguish for private sins.