The significance of the symbols in Nathaniel Hawthorne`s The Scarlet Letter seen from historical presceptives - USD Repository
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SYMBOLS
IN NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S THE SCARLET LETTER SEEN FROM HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
CICILIA FAIDA EKA ROSITA SARI
Student Number: 074214045
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SYMBOLS
IN NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S THE SCARLET LETTER SEEN FROM HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
CICILIA FAIDA EKA ROSITA SARI
Student Number: 074214045
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS
.
“Do the Best and Let God Do the Rest” (Anonymous)
This Undergraduate Thesis is dedicated to My Great Jesus Christ, My beloved mother, My father, My lovely sister.
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma
Nama : Cicilia Faida Eka Rosita Sari NomorMahasiswa : 07 4214 045
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul
The Significance of the Symbols in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter
Seen from Historical PerspectivesBeserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data mendistribusikan secara terbatas dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalty kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis. Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal : 26 Agustus 2011 Yang menyatakan.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Jesus Christ for His love and blessing so that I could finish this undergraduate thesis. He stays with me and never leaves me alone. He raises me up when I want to give up writing this undergraduate thesis.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum. and my co- advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum. for their patience, for their guidance and suggestion during the process of writing this undergraduate thesis. My gratitude also goes to all the members of lecturing and secretariat staff of the English Letters Department. They have helped me to solve my problems during lecturing.
I thank my parents for everything they have given to me. Especially for my mom, thank her so much for her understanding, her prayer, and her support.
Also to my only sister, Yohanna Fransisca Meilyna Dwi Cahyani, I realize that I cannot be a good older sister to her, but she has to know that I love her so much.
I would also like to thank my best friends, Florentina Yuliana Rafles, Karina Prisdiani, Mustika Sari, Christa Nastasya, Maria Rosetha Simbolon, and also Grace Melia Kristanto for their support. I am lucky to have some funny and good friends like them. Friendship is everything, finally “I did it, girls!” The last but not the least, I thank my dear boyfriend, Ardhy Sigit Permana Putra for his patience, understanding, support, and prayer.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE .......................................................................................... i
APPROVAL PAGE ................................................................................. ii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ........................................................................... iii
MOTTO PAGE ........................................................................................ iv
DEDICATION PAGE ............................................................................ v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ............... vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................... vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................... viii
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................. xi
ABSTRAK ................................................................................................ x
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ..........................................................19 CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ...................................................................
43 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................
39 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ..............................................................
35 3. The Ship ……………………………………………………..
30 2. The Forest …………………………………………………...
30 1. The Scarlet Letter …………………………………………...
27 B. The Significance of the Symbols .............................................
24 3. The Ship ……………………………………………………..
22 2. The Forest …………………………………………………...
22 1. The Scarlet Letter …………………………………………...
21 A. Symbols in the Novel and Why They can be Called Symbol ...
18 C. Method of the Study .................................................................
1 A. Background of the Study ...........................................................
17 B. Approach of the Study ..............................................................
17 A. Object of the Study ..................................................................
16 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ......................................................
11 D. Theoretical Framework ............................................................
9 C. Review on Historical Background ...........................................
6 B. Review of Related Theories .....................................................
6 A. Review of Related Studies .......................................................
4 CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW .........................................
4 D. Definition of Terms ..................................................................
3 C. Objectives of the Study ............................................................
1 B. Problem Formulation ................................................................
45
ABSTRACT
CICILIA FAIDA EKA ROSITA SARI. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
SYMBOLS IN NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S THE SCARLET LETTER
SEEN FROM HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES. Yogyakarta: Department of
English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2011.
The Scarlet Letter is a novel about Hester Prynne, a married woman who th
commits adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale. The setting takes place in the 17 century puritan society. Puritan society is the society that is based on Christian principles, and those principles are based on the Bible. Adultery is considered as a sin and the people who commit adultery get effects of their act. Literature is one of the media for the study. There are some components in a literary work that can be used as the media for studying. One of them is symbol. The Scarlet Letter is chosen as the object of this study because it contains some symbols.
The aim of this research is to find out the significance of the symbols in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter seen from historical perspectives. There are two problems that must be answered in this study, the problems are: (1) what are the symbols found in The Scarlet Letter and why can they be called symbol?, (2) What is the significance of those symbols seen from historical perspectives?
Sociocultural-historical approach is applied in this study. Sociocultural- historical approach is an approach on the social environment in which a work of literature was created. This study takes library research. Library research is a research which uses only written sources like articles, reviews and books, both printed and electronic. The primary source of this study is the novel itself, while many sources like articles, reviews, and other books are acceptable.
The result of the research can be formulated as follows. The first, the symbols that are found in The Scarlet Letter are the scarlet letter, the forest and the ship. The scarlet letter signifies punishment because historically people who commit adultery can be sent to die or punished publicly with the intention of causing shame and humiliation because it breaks the moral and religious marriage contract. The forest signifies frightening place. It becomes frightening because the
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17 century Puritans consider it as a kind of hell. It is a kind of hell because they regard the forest as a place which is haunted by the devil. The ship signifies escape. It signifies escape if it is related to the Mayflower ship. Mayflower brought many Puritans to leave England because they want to escape from the tyranny and persecution of the Church of England.
ABSTRAK
CICILIA FAIDA EKA ROSITA SARI. THE SIGNIFICANCES OF THE
SYMBOLS IN NATANIEL HAWTHORNE’S THE SCARLET LETTER
SEEN FROM HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE. Yogyakarta: Program Study
Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2011.
The Scarlet Letter adalah sebuah novel tentang Hester Prynne, seorang
wanita yang telah menikah yang berselingkuh dengan Arthur Dimmesdale. Cerita ini berlatar belakang di jaman kaum Puritans pada abad ke- 17. Kaum Puritans adalah kaum yang menganut prinsip Kristen protestan, dan prinsip tersebut berdasar pada Alkitab. Perselingkuhan dianggap sebagai dosa and orang yang berselingkuh mendapat dampak dari apa yang dia lakukan. Karya Sastra adalah salah satu media untuk pembelajaran. Ada beberapa komponen dalam karya sastra yang dapat digunakan sebagai media pembelajaran. Salah satunya adalah simbol.
The Scarlet Letter dipilih sebagai sasaran penelitian karena novel ini memiliki
beberapa simbol.Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mencari makna simbol- simbol di novel
The Scarlet Letter yang dilihat dari pandangan sejarah. Ada dua rumusan masalah
yang harus dijawab dalam penelitian ini. Kedua rumusan masalah itu adalah: (1) simbol apa saja yang terdapat dalam The Scarlet Letter dan mengapa mereka dapat disebut simbol?, (2) Apa makna dari simbol- simbol tersebut dilihat dari pandangan sejarah?
Pendekatan sosial-budaya sejarah diterapkan dalam penelitian ini. Pendekatan sosial-budaya sejarah adalah pendekatan dilihat dari sejarah dalam lingkungan sosial dimana karya sastra tersebut dibuat. Penelitian ini adalah sebuah studi pustaka. Studi pustaka adalah penelitian yang hanya menggunakan sumber- sumber tertulis seperti artikel, ulasan, dan buku baik yang tercetak dan yang elektronik. Sumber utama penelitian ini adalah novel tersebut, sementara banyak sumber seperti artikel, ulasan, dan buku lain yang juga digunakan.
Hasil penelitian ini dapat dirumuskan seperti berikut. Simbol yang terdapat dalam The Scarlet Letter adalah the scarlet letter, hutan, dan kapal. The scarlet letter bermakna hukuman karena berdasarkan sejarah, orang yang melakukan perselingkuhan dapat dijatuhi hukuman mati atau dihukum secara umum yang bertujuan untuk menyebabkan rasa malu dan penghinaan karena hal ini
melanggar moral dan janji pernikahan agama. Hutan bermakna tempat yang menakutkan
karena kaum Puritan pada abad ke- 17 menganggap hutan sebagai tempat yang dihantui
oleh setan. Kapal bermakna pelarian diri. Kapal bermakna pelarian diri jika dihubungkan
dengan kapal Mayflower. Mayflower membawa orang- orang Puritan untuk
meninggalkan Inggris karena mereka ingin melarikan diri dari pemerintahan yang
sewenang- wenang dan dari perlakuan buruk gereja Inggris.CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Literature cannot be separated from the life of human beings. Generally,
literature describes human life. Literary works usually tell about people’s experiences or events in life. Writers sometimes write about politics, economics, social life and culture that happen in this era. Thus literature and reality actually are related.
There are many reasons why the researcher chooses a novel for the study. In her opinion, she can see what the author wants to say to the readers by reading a novel. According to Abrams, novel is a great variety of writings that has common only the attribute of being extended works of fiction written in prose. As an extended narrative, the novel is distinguished from the short story and from the work of middle length called the novelette; its magnitude permits a greater variety of characters, greater complication of plot, more exploration of character and motives than do shorter and more concentrated modes (1993: 130).
In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne tells about the history of human in the
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17 century Puritans as discussed by Frederick Newberry in his review entitled “Tradition and Disinheritance in The Scarlet Letter”:
The Scarlet Letter, above all else, is about history, about the conflict
between dominant and recessive characteristics of Puritanism and the resolution of conflict in 1649. As Hawthorne sees it, the seven year period covered by the novel, from 1642 to 1649, is a pistol one in the history of
Puritan society is the society which is based on the Protestant principle, and that principle is based on the Bible. Law of God is the rule of nation. If the nation keeps the law of God, it will be blessed. If it breaks the God’s law, it will be punished. Morality is based on the Bible law, and that is the key to success. It can be proved by the quotation from Foeister’s book entitled American Poetry and
:
Prose
We are to conceive of the bible as a rule by which to measure ourselves and our essential knowledge and proper action, a rule superior to any that human experience might devise (1960: 7). The researcher is interested in the way the author tells about the sin that is made by Dimmesdale, a priest who has affair with Hester Prynne, a married woman. Everyone all over the world surely has ever made mistakes that are not proper with their conscience during their lives. They have ever made mistakes, whether they are men or women, important or just ordinary people, even religious people. No one is sinless.
The other reason why the researcher chooses this novel to be analyzed is because The Scarlet Letter becomes one of the most successful novels written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. There are also many people who have discussed this novel in their thesis so that the researcher can learn and find some interesting views about this novel.
There are some components in a literary work that can be used as the media for studying. One of them is symbol. According to Abrams, a symbol is anything which signifies something, in this sense all words are symbols. However, the term symbol is applied only to a word or phrase that signifies an object or event which in its turn signifies something, or has a range of reference, beyond itself (1993: 93). Stanton in Introduction to Fiction also states that symbol may be anything from an egg to the story’s setting, a single object, a physical type of object, a physical substance, a repeated type of object, a shape, a gesture, a sound, a fragrance and so forth. It means that symbol can be anything inside the literary work (1965: 31).
Symbol is chosen as the object of this study because there is no story as filled with the symbols as The Scarlet Letter. This study will analyze the symbols found in The Scarlet Letter, for example the scarlet letter itself, the forest, and the ship. Those symbols are important because the author mentions them several times. After finding the symbols in The Scarlet Letter, the researcher will find the significance of those symbols which are seen from historical perspectives.
B. Problem Formulation
The researcher formulates two problems that lead her thesis into a further explanation of the analysis:
1. What are the symbols found in The Scarlet Letter and why can they be called symbol?
2. What is the significance of those symbols seen from historical perspectives?
C. Objectives of the Study
This study will focus on finding the significance of the symbols seen from historical perspectives. The aim of this study is to answer the questions stated in problem formulation. First, this study will focus on finding the symbols and also the reasons why they can be called symbol. This description will answer the first question. After finding the symbols in this novel, the next objective of this study is to identify the significance of those symbols. The researcher will identify the significance of those symbols which is seen from historical perspectives.
D. Definition of Terms
There are three things that need to be clarified in this study. They are symbol, significance, and historical perspective.
1. Symbol
In the book A Glossary of Literary Terms Sixth Edition, Abrams defines symbol as anything which refers to something else that is significant. In this case ‘anything’ can be all words. He says that symbol is applied to word or phrase that signifies an object or event which has a variety of reference, beyond itself.
Symbol is anything which signifies something, in this sense all words are symbols. In discussing literature, however, the term symbols is applied only to a word or phrase that signifies an object or event which in its turn signifies something, or has a range of reference, beyond itself (1993: 93).
2. Significance
Based on Longman: Dictionary of English Language and Culture, the meaning of the word ‘significance’ is the quality of being significant; importance, meaning or value (Della Summers ed, 1992:1230). While according to The New
nd
Oxford American Dictionary 2 Edition , the significance means the quality of
being worthy of attention, importance (Erin McKean ed, 2005: 1579). From those two quotations, the researcher can conclude that the word ‘significance’ means the quality of being worthy of importance, attention, meaning or value.
3. Historical Perspective
In Oxford American Dictionary and Thesaurus, perspective means point of view, viewpoint, standpoint, prospect, vantage point, position, angle (Erin McKean ed, 2003: 1114). Then, in Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary of English Language, historical means based on or suggested by people or event in the past (Simon ed, 1989: 863). From the above explanation, the researcher concludes that historical perspective means viewpoint that is based on the people or event in the past.
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies In this section, the writer will refer to some criticisms of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. The followings are some critical reviews on the symbols from many different sources. Carol Joy Fider in his review entitled “Moral and Ethical Issues in The Scarlet Letter” states that Hawthorne is not overly concerned with the sin that has
been committed, but he is more concerned with the results of the sin, with its effect on the persons involved. However, in the Christian view, the sin as well as its effects is to be considered. God regards man's motives. He who sees and understands the intents of the heart knows all about the spring from which man's actions flow. Motives are important to Him. Furthermore, the Bible condemns sin in all its forms (http://www.aiias.edu/ict/vol_24/24cc_117-135.htm, accessed in
21 July 2011).
There are many critical viewpoints of The Scarlet Letter as discussed by Hyatt Howe Waggoner’s review entitled “Three orders: Natural, Moral, and Symbolic” in the book The Scarlet Letter: An Authoritative Text Essays in
Criticism and Scholarship Third Edition . Waggoner states that the closing words
of the chapter make the metaphorical use of color explicit. He says that the author hopes that a wild rose beside the prison door may serve to symbolize some sweet moral blossom, that may be found along the track or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow (1988:315).
Bailey Shoemaker Richards (2009) in his review entitled “The Importance of Religion in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Book” states that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter is full of symbols about society as well as symbolic religion. Through the use of numerous symbols, Hawthorne is able to communicate his feeling on the way religion influences decision and society for the Puritans. By using symbols in The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne is able to criticize religion and its role within society in a way that is subtle yet very effective (http://www.suite101.com/content/religious-symbolism-in-the-scarlet- letter-a141006
27 September 2010 , ).
Review by Henry F. Chorley entitled “Severity, Purity, and Sympathy” from the book The Scarlet Letter: An Authoritative Text Essays in Criticism and states:
Scholarship Third Edition
The Scarlet Letter is badge of Hester Prynne’s shame, we ought to add that we recollect no tale dealing with crime so sad and revenge so subtly diabolical, that is at the same time so clear of fever and of prurient excitement. The misery of woman is as present in every page as the heading which in the title of the romance symbolizes her punishment (1988: 184).
In his review, Chorley states that the scarlet letter is badge of Hester Prynne’s shame because she does a crime. He says that the scarlet letter is the symbol of her punishment presented in every page on the story. Then it becomes the title of the story with the same words The Scarlet Letter.
Daniel G Hoffman’s review entitled “Hester Double Providence: The Scarlet Letter and the Green” also discusses about the letter ‘A’ on Hester’s breast. This review is taken from the same book with Henry F. Chorley’s review:
The Scarlet Letter they condemned her to wear was a self evident judgment: A for Adultery. Giving up her individuality, she would become a general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of woman’s frailty and sinful passion (1988: 343). After reading some reviews from the previous studies above, the researcher can get a deeper understanding about The Scarlet Letter. The researcher agrees with all reviews from the other researchers above. Those can be used to strengthen this study because the researcher wants to discover the symbols more deep so that the researcher comes into the further understanding about symbols. In other words, this study can develop the previous studies.
In this study, the researcher is going to find out the symbols and why they can be called symbols. The descriptions will give better understanding about the symbols then just mention it directly what symbols in found in The Scarlet Letter is, without knowing why those objects can be called symbols. In this study, the researcher does not only use the real meaning of certain object, but also the meaning based on the context of the story. This study differs from the previous studies since the researcher compares it with the sociocultural-historical
th
background of the 17 century Puritans. The meanings of those symbols have the relation with the social environment in which the story takes place.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Symbol
In order to be able to go deeper to the analysis of this novel, the researcher needs to have strong foundation to the discussion. The researcher needs some theories that will be the basic guidance for this study. There are some theories of symbol that will be discussed and those can be used to answer the problems formulated in the problem formulation.
In the book A Glossary of Literary Terms Sixth Edition, Abrams states that symbol is anything which signifies something else, in this sense all words are symbols. In discussing literature, the term symbols is applied to a word or phrase that signifies an object or event which in its turn signifies something, or has a range of reference, beyond itself (1993: 93). While, in A Handbook to Literature by C. Hugh Holman and William Harmon, a symbol is something that is itself and yet stands for or suggests or means something else, a symbol is like an image that evokes an objective reality and has a meaning that suggests another level of meaning (2009: 539-540). Then, based on Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction, a symbol is anything from an egg to the story’s setting, a single object, a physical type of object, a physical substance, a repeated type of object, a shape, a gesture, a sound, a fragrance and so forth. They may represent a face of a human personality, the indifference of nature to man’s suffering, human responsibility, futile ambition, the romanticism of youth (1965: 31).
Richard Abcarian and Marvin Klotz in their book entitled Literature:
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Reading and Writing the Human Experience 7 Edition states that there are two
kinds of symbols. They are public symbol and contextual symbol.Public symbols are those objects or events that history has invested with rich meanings and associations. Contextual symbols are objects or events that are symbolic by virtue of the poet handling of them in a particular work- that is, by virtue of the context (1998: 12).
Public symbols are those objects or events that have invested with rich meanings and associations. The example of public symbols is rose. Rose has long been a symbol of love. In Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway, the husband communicates his love by proffering this public symbol: “He was holding out flowers- rose, red and white roses. But he could not bring himself to say love her in so many words.” Similarly, a poem about the cross would probably be about Christianity. In contrast, contextual symbols are object or events that are symbolic by virtue of poet’s handling them in a particular term. Contextual symbols are created by the author, there is no exact meaning behind the contextual symbols. The meaning behind the contextual symbols depends on the context of the story that is created by the author. In other words, it depends on the context that is made by the author.
There are some ways to emphasize the symbol. In Literature for
Composition Essays, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, Sylvan Barnet says that the
author emphasizes the symbol by doing some ways like by describing them in some length, by introducing them at times when they might not seem necessary, and by calling attention to them repeatedly (2005: 231). The problem is how to
Introduction to Fiction states that the author gives the clues to the reader to find
the symbol. The clue is by making it in conspicuous detail. It may be conspicuous because it repeats or resembles certain other details. Details may also be conspicuous because they contrast with one another. The ways to make something conspicuous are by describing it more fully than its factual importance deserves, by making it unusual for no apparent reason, by mentioning it in the title, or by some other means (1965: 32).
Symbol in fiction has three usual effects depending upon how it is used. In
An Introduction to Fiction, Stanton states that a symbol that appears during an
important moment of the story underlines the significant of the moment. Second, a symbol is repeated several times to remind us. Third, a symbol that recurs in varying context helps to define or clarify the theme (1965: 31-32). Moreover, Robert Stanton also states that there are three ways of interpreting symbols. They are noting the symbol’s connotations, comparing it to its context, comparing its contexts to one another (1965: 32- 33).
C. Review on the Puritans and Puritanism
Based on Marsden’s book Religion and American Culture, early in the 17th century some Puritan groups separated from the Church of England. Among these were the Pilgrims, who in 1620 founded Plymouth Colony. They left their homeland to find an alternative land in order to built new society which was based on Puritan principles. The society was the Massachusetts Bay Colony known as a rule. Puritan rule is fundamental protestant principle, that their bible should be their supreme guide (1990: 16).
In the 17
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century Puritans that is based on the Christian Principle, adultery is considered as sin because it breaks the law of God. She or he who commits adultery gets punishment from the Puritans. People who commit it can be sent to die or punished publicly with the intention of causing shame and humiliation because it breaks the moral and religious marriage contract. The following quotation proves the statement.
In Puritan society, adultery was considered the ultimate sin, a moral violation of God's will. Adultery was a capital offense, and people who committed it could be put to death. Adultery was punished publicly, with the intention of inflicting shame and humiliation, because it was a clear breaking of the moral and religious marriage contract between husband and wife. By threatening the bonds of marriage, the Puritans also viewed adultery as a threat to societal order (Johnson, accessed in 7 September 2011).
In the America Poetry and Prose (1960), there was a chapter entitled “The Puritan Age”. It is about a man and woman who commit adultery in the 1644.
Although they had felt guilty, they were executed death penalty because adultery was considered as a sin and both of them were dead very penitently. Based on
B.A.K.E.R Encyclopedia of the Bible Volume 1 (1989: 495), Scarlet was used as
the figure of sin. The following quotation becomes the proof that adultery was considered as a sin and she or he who committed adultery was sent to death.
The woman proved very penitent, and had deep apprehension of the foulness of her sin, and at length attained to hope of pardon by the blood of Christ, and was willing to die in satisfaction to justice. The man also was very much cast down for his sins, but was loth to die, and petitioned the general court for his life, but they would not grant it, though some of magistrates spake much for it, and questioned the letter, whether adultery was death by God’s law. They were both executed, they both died very penitently (1960: 24). The researcher found another source about the crime of adultery. It told the story of Mary Latham an eighteen year old girl who was condemned the penalty of death. John Winthrop wrote the plight of Mary Latham in his diaries. The following quotation became the proof.
This is the story of Mary Latham an eighteen-year-old girl who strayed from the moral path of her Puritan community and paid for her transgression with her life. This was the start of Mary's misfortunes, for the Massachusetts colony had that very year constructed its first code of laws and among these was the penalty of death for the crime of adultery. John Winthrop was the first Governor of Massachusetts Colony. He describes the plight of Mary Latham in his diaries: "At this court of assistants one James Britton, a man ill affected both to our church discipline and civil government, and one Mary Latham, a proper young woman about 18 years of age, whose father was a godly man and had brought her up well, were condemned to die for adultery” (http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/adultery.htm, accessed in 9 September 2011).
Historically, the forest signified frightening place. It became frightening because the Puritans considered it as a kind of hell. It was a kind of hell because they regarded the forest as a place which was haunted by the devil. It also became a frightening place because the forest was a place where the Indians lived. The Puritans considered the Indian to be devil-worshippers, so it was appropriate to the Puritans’ opinion which regarded the forest as a place which was haunted by the devil. In addition, the Puritans believed that witches held their rites in the forest. It was also suggested by Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter. It can be proved by the following quotation.
Broadly speaking, the Puritans did regard the forest as a kind of "hell," in that they identified it as the haunt of the devil (and, of course, the Indians, believed, as Hawthorne's story suggests, that witches held their rites in the forest (Heyrman, accessed in 8 September 2011). There was another quotation saying the same thing about the forest. It was said that no Puritans have the positive ideas about the forest because the Indians lived there. The Puritans assumed that the Indians were devil worshippers. Witches who were involved in the devil also hold their ritual there. So, the Puritans saw the forest as a sort of hell and the devil would be there.
Puritans had all sorts of ideas about the forest...none of them putting it in a positive light. The Indians lived in the woods, which the Puritans assumed were devil worshipers. Witches also held their covens in the woods, who were involved with the devil as well. Therefore, as we see in evidence such as Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown," (which may be the source of your question) the Puritans saw the forest as a sort of "hell," and the devil would (of course) be there (Karma, accessed in 9 September 2011).
The ship had a close connection with the people in the 17
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century Puritans. Based on The Oxford Dictionary of the American People, in 1620, Plymouth colony was founded by the Mayflower pilgrim, who brought Puritanism in one of its purest forms to America (1965: 61).
Mayflower was the name of a ship. It brought Puritans to leave their homes and begin to live in the America. Whatever motive they might choose to emphasize, most of them thought of themselves as refugees from tyranny and persecution. Based on A Short History of American Life, the seventeenth century was a period of political and religious ferment. On the British Throne from 1630 to 1688 sat four Stuart Kings, each in his way attempting to continue the strong monarchial authority that is exercised by the Tudors during the previous century. There was a faction who hoped to subordinate the King to Parliament because the absolutist policies of the Crown opposed to the strength of country gentlemen and city merchants. Particularly, it was heated because of the controversy over religion. James I and Charles I took their side on the Elizabethan settlement. They supported the Church of England and enforced intermittently the laws which required religious conformity. By this policy they opposed the wishes of the Catholics, who wanted each Christian congregation to enjoy independence. The influence of this situation upon the settlement of America was great. There were much more numerous and influential Puritans, who believed in an establishing Church but wanted radical changes in church government and practice. The Mayflower brought many Puritans who left England because they insisted on worshipping God in their bare and solemn meetinghouse instead of attending the service of the Church of England (1952: 3). So, the ship was used by the Puritans when they escaped from the tyranny and persecution of the Church of England.
D. Theoretical Framework
Some reviews from the related studies will be used to strengthen this study. Those can support the data in developing previous studies. This study can develop the previous studies since this study also talks about symbol.
Theory of symbol is needed to answer problem number one. All the theories of symbol from many writers are beneficial in this thesis. Theories of the symbol by Abrams, Stanton, Hugh Holman and William Harmon lead the researcher to understand about symbol. Those theories give the definition of symbol so that it can help the researcher to find many symbols in the novel. Theories of symbol by Richard Abcarian and Marvin Klotz, Sylvan Barnet, and Stanton give some factors that must be considered to find out more about the symbol. It is important to know about the relation between the social historical backgrounds and the literature since the idea of this study has the relation with people and social environment at that time. Here, theory on the historical background is needed.
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study The Scarlet Letter was a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1849. This research was based on the fourth printing on May 1961 by A Signet Classics. The novel contained 255 pages and is divided into 24 chapters. The Scarlet Letter was considered Nathaniel Hawthorne's most famous
novel and the first essentially American novel in style, theme, and language. It also became popular after the publication because it had the good fortune of becoming one of America's first mass-published books. Before The Scarlet Letter, books in America usually were handmade, sold one by one in small numbers. But Hawthorne's novel was copied from a machine press, and its first run of 2,500 copies sold out immediately.
The Scarlet Letter had been adapted many times on film, on television, and
on the stage. The first film was a 1917 black and white silent film, while the most recent film version opened in 1995 starring Demi Moore and Gary Oldman. That movie had the same title with the novel “The Scarlet Letter”. It was directed by
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Roland Joffé and released first in the USA on October 13 , 1995. Then it was become wider in many countries for example USA, UK, South Korea, Spain, Greece, Argentina, Australia, etc.
B. Approach of the Study
This study applies sociocultural-historical approach. Socio cultural historical approach by Mary Rohrberger and Samuel Woods in Reading and
Writing about Literature can be defined as follows:
The sociocultural-historical approach insists that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the civilization that produced it. They define civilization as the attitudes and actions of a specific group of people and point out that literature takes these attitudes and action as its subject matter (1971: 231). From that quotation, the writer concludes that sociocultural-historical
Approach is an approach on the social environment in which a work of literature was created. It is because literature represents ideas that are significant to the culture that produce it. Sociocultural-historical approach is used to answer the problems in this study since the problems here have a connection with people and their ideas of a sin. The writer has to know about the history, the attitudes, social condition, and also problem of the civilization in which the story takes where the events in the novel happen. The writer has to understand about extrinsic elements of the work such as the History of American Society and the religion at that time especially
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about the Puritans in the 17 century which exist in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.
C. Method of the Study
In order to be able to discover the element of the symbols, the writer takes library research to gather the data. Sociocultural-historical approach is applied to answer the problem since the main focus of the analysis has connection to the social environment and history of people and their ideas. This study takes library research because the writer only uses written sources like articles, reviews and books, both printed and electronic. The primary data of this study is the novel itself, while many sources like articles, reviews, and other books are also needed as the additional data to support the study.
There were some steps used to work on this analysis. The first step was to choose a literary work that was going to be analyzed. In this step, the writer chose a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne entitled The Scarlet Letter. There were many reasons why the writer chose The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter was one of the most successful novels written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. There were also many people who had discussed this novel in their studies so that the researcher can learn and find some interesting view about this novel. The second step was reading the novel for several times in order to understand the content of the novel deeply. The researcher found that there were some symbols in The Scarlet Letter. Then, it also contains interesting story, themes, moral values, message, etc.
The third step was formulating the problems. Since the researcher was interested in the symbols, she focused on finding some symbols in the novel. The researcher collected sources from others books, reviews, analysis, also social and symbols. By combining all of the materials and the fact, the writer found the topic to study. The writer also looked for the references and also the theories related to the theory in literature.
The fourth step was doing the analysis. The researcher analyzed symbols found in The Scarlet Letter and why they can be called symbol. Then, the researcher analyzed about the significance of those symbols that was seen from historical perspectives. After the researcher knew about the significance of those symbols, the last step was making a conclusion. The writer concluded the result of the whole analysis.
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part explains the symbols
found in The Scarlet Letter and why they can be called symbol. The second part tells about the significance of those symbols.
Puritans is the major thing discussed in this novel. During the whole period of Puritanism, it has direct impact on both religious thought and cultural patterns in Boston, Massachusetts. The rule of Puritan society is very strict and it makes people live under pressure. The story of The Scarlet Letter focuses on the sin made by Hester Prynne, a married woman, and Arthur Dimmesdale because they commit adultery. As a woman who commits adultery and is considered as a criminal, Hester Prynne feels that she lives in hell. She gets a lot of sufferings and punishments there.
Hester Prynne does not reveal the name of her partner in committing adultery. She does not want Arthur Dimmesdale, her partner, a minister who is respected by the Puritans, loses his fame. Besides, actually Dimmesdale wants to reveal the truth that he is the father of Hester Prynne’s child. He wants to reveal the truth because he suffers from covering this secret. Although, he does not get any punishment from the Puritans like what Hester gets, he feels devoid, despair, anxious, restless and depressed because he hides a big secret.
A. The Symbols in The Scarlet Letter and Why They can be Called Symbol.
This part contains some symbols found in The Scarlet Letter and why they can be called symbol. It discusses the symbols and the reasons why they can be called symbol.
1. The Scarlet Letter “A”
Based on Stanton’s theory an object can be called a symbol because it is repeated several times (1965: 32). The scarlet letter is a suitable object to that theory because it is also repeated several times. The next quotation proves it.
A blessing on the righteous Colony of Massachusetts, where iniquity is dragged out into the sunshine! “Come along, madam Hester, and show your scarlet letter in the market!” (1961: 62). Then, the author repeats the word “the scarlet letter” in the second quotation. “It was whispered, by those who peered after her, that the scarlet letter threw a lurid gleam along the dark passage way of the interior” (1961: 75). Once again, the author repeats it on page 78. “As he spoke, he laid his long forefinger on the scarlet letter, which forthwith seemed to scorch into Hester’s breast, as if it had been red- hot” (1961: 78).