Gothic Effect In The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the most prominent American writers in the19th century, is the narrator and recorder of the history of the New England and its colonization. The Scarlet Letter is considered to be the first masterpiece in the history of American novels, whose enduring charm lies in its unique Gothic effect. The rich implication, bizarre symbols, in-depth moral exploration and psychological analysis in the novel collaborate to achieve the Gothic effect in The Scarlet Letter, especially its artistic techniques exploited in revealing the darkness and horror of human inner world by delving into the ugliness and secret evil, which develops a new school in the history of American literature.With this being the objective of the present study, the present thesis intends to undertake and fulfill it in three chapters, taking close textual reading as the methodology, and historicism as the theoretical perspective to analyze the Gothic effect in The Scarlet Letter through its settings, characterization, and techniques. Chapter1expounds Hawthorne’s Gothic effect in the settings which is manifested in three typical scenes of The Scarlet Letter including the gloomy prison, the ghastly scaffold and the gruesome forest. With the help of external Gothic forces, the novel breaks the hard shell that the society casts for man, freeing people from the constraints of the secular concepts, which paves the way for entering the depth of human psychology. Chapter2exposes the Gothic effect in characterization of the novel. The present thesis concludes that the unique charm of The Scarlet Letter lies in psychological Gothicism, which is represented by the minute psychological changes in three stages of the three protagonists:Hester Prynne’s self-conflict, Roger Chillingworth’s revenge, and Arthur Dimmesdale’s contradictions. The present study goes deeper into the features of psychological Gothicism, which discloses the dark side of humanity and the evil that even men themselves are reluctant or afraid to face by pursuing the most secret psychological change and thus achieving the required Gothic effect. Chapter3explores Hawthorne’s typical techniques to achieve the Gothic effect in the novel, including strange contrasts, supernatural description, and bizarre symbols. These techniques enhance the Gothic effect in the novel, enrich the implied meaning, entail the dark side of humanity and realize the fusion between reality and imagination, which veils a legendary color to the story yet discloses the origin of its Gothic fear.The present thesis delves into the Gothic effect of the novel as the unique style of Hawthorne and exhibits the lasting artistry of The Scarlet Letter. This thesis hopes that this perspective can help apprehend better Hawthorne and his The Scarlet Letter.