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나다니엘 호손의 인간관과 자연관

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s View of Man and Nature

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This study aims to define Nathaniel Hawthorne’s view of Man and Nature in his literary works. Hawthorne having Puritan ancestors is evidently the heir of the Puritan tradition, but he has very critical consciousness against their dogmatic behavior patterns doing much damage to human nature. Like his Puritan ancestors, he has the Calvinistic belief that the Original Sin, committed by Adam and Eve, has resulted in everyone’s innate sinfulness. However, he seeks to establish this view as the basis for a compassionate view of the plights caused by human shared imperfections. In that sense, it may be safely assumed that he is the unwilling heir of the Puritan tradition. Hawthorne’s subject of criticism can be interpreted as all the human negative qualities violating the sanctity of human heart and denying the common heart of humanity rather than the Puritans or the transcendental extremists themselves. It must be noticed that Hawthorne employs the natural objects as symbols to effectively convey his central ideas. His literary strategy lies in evoking poetical associations in New England landscape. As stated in “The Custom-House” of The Scarlet Letter, the writer who is very sensitive to the spirituality of place intends to grasp human mental state projected into the natural landscape. In his fiction, it is interesting that most natural objects symbolically reflect human psyche. In The Scarlet Letter, the prison stands for sin and the cemetery for death, which is closely related to the Puritan dogmatism. On the contrary, the rosebush and the forest represents natural beauty and wildness, which parallels Hester Prynne’s beauty and her mental state unrestrained by Puritan law. Such instances can also be found in his other novels and short stories. Hawthorne’s themes center upon the predicament of individuals alienated from society, the fellowship essential to human survival, and the exploration of the possibility of achieving a regenerated community. He manages to adopt various natural objects as symbols of human psyche, to aesthetically present such themes.

Abstract

This study aims to define Nathaniel Hawthorne’s view of Man and Nature in his literary works. Hawthorne having Puritan ancestors is evidently the heir of the Puritan tradition, but he has very critical consciousness against their dogmatic behavior patterns doing much damage to human nature. Like his Puritan ancestors, he has the Calvinistic belief that the Original Sin, committed by Adam and Eve, has resulted in everyone’s innate sinfulness. However, he seeks to establish this view as the basis for a compassionate view of the plights caused by human shared imperfections. In that sense, it may be safely assumed that he is the unwilling heir of the Puritan tradition. Hawthorne’s subject of criticism can be interpreted as all the human negative qualities violating the sanctity of human heart and denying the common heart of humanity rather than the Puritans or the transcendental extremists themselves. It must be noticed that Hawthorne employs the natural objects as symbols to effectively convey his central ideas. His literary strategy lies in evoking poetical associations in New England landscape. As stated in “The Custom-House” of The Scarlet Letter, the writer who is very sensitive to the spirituality of place intends to grasp human mental state projected into the natural landscape. In his fiction, it is interesting that most natural objects symbolically reflect human psyche. In The Scarlet Letter, the prison stands for sin and the cemetery for death, which is closely related to the Puritan dogmatism. On the contrary, the rosebush and the forest represents natural beauty and wildness, which parallels Hester Prynne’s beauty and her mental state unrestrained by Puritan law. Such instances can also be found in his other novels and short stories. Hawthorne’s themes center upon the predicament of individuals alienated from society, the fellowship essential to human survival, and the exploration of the possibility of achieving a regenerated community. He manages to adopt various natural objects as symbols of human psyche, to aesthetically present such themes.

참고문헌 (19)

  1. Bercovitch, Sacvan, "The Office of The Scarlet Letter" (2013), Transaction Publishers
  2. Boller, Paul F, "American Transcendentalism, 1830-1860: An Intellectual Inquiry" (1974), G. P. Putnam’s Sons
  3. Conron, John, "The American Landscape: A Critical Anthology of Prose and Poetry" (1978), Oxford UP
  4. Cowley, Julian, "The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne" (1999), York Press
  5. Elder, Marjorie J, "Nathaniel Hawthorne Transcendental Symbolist" (1969), Ohio UP
  6. Forgle, Richard Harter, "Hawthorne’s Fiction: The Light and the Dark" (1964), U of Oklahoma P
  7. Hawthorne, Nathaniel, "The Scarlet Letter" (1988), Norton
  8. Hawthorne, Nathaniel, "The House of the Seven Gables" (2012), Norton
  9. Hawthorne, Nathaniel, "The Blithedale Romance" (1978), Norton
  10. Hawthorne, Nathaniel, "Great Short Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne" (1967), A Perennial Classic, Harper & Row
  11. Hawthorne, Nathaniel, "The American Notebooks by Nathaniel Hawthorne" (1932), Yale UP
  12. James, Henry, "Hawthorne, English Men of Letters" (1879), Macmillan Press
  13. Kaul, A. N, "The American Vision: Actual and Ideal Society in Nineteenth- Century Fiction" (2002), Oxford UP
  14. Lewis, R. W. B, "The American Adam" (1966), U of Chicago P
  15. Matthiessen, F. O, "American Renaissance" (1979), Oxford UP
  16. Perkins, George, "The American Tradition in Literature. Sixth Edition" (1985), Random House
  17. Nisbet, Robert A, "The Quest for Community" (1953), Oxford UP
  18. Waggoner, Hyatt H, "Hawthorne: A Critical Study. Revised Edition" (1971), The Belknap Press of Harvard UP
  19. Woodress, James, "Eight American Authors: A Review of Research and Criticism. Revised Edition" (1971), Norton

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