Renee Pariseau
Amory Dwight Mayo’s article from Universalist Quarterly analyzes Nathaniel Hawthorne’s abilities as a writer. The article deals with the common themes, trends and messages running throughout all his works, such as how Hawthorne portrays nature, historical periods and events, human nature, spirituality and sin. The few criticisms are left at the end of the article, concerning Hawthorne’s excessive use of symbolism and his lack of fully developed characters.
The author makes the argument that Hawthorne’s most profound gift was his ability to communicate the wisdom and time honored truths in Christianity (264). Hawthorne expresses this spirituality in the nature of his characters. They are the surface for showcasing how the desire and will of human nature interacts and struggles with spiritual law and fate. In particular, Hester Prynne, Reverend Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth are all struggling with their hearts desires and coping with the consequences of sin. The general moral in the telling of these characters stories is that sin leads not only to more sin, but misery and corruption of their selves and others. With Hester, as Mayo indicates, her first sin is that of marrying a man which she did not love, so that when she does find love with Dimmesdale, her desires carry her to commit adultery. This then leads to the destruction of both Dimmesdale and Chillingworth (269). Dimmesdale’s cowardice to speak the truth due to “the dread of public exposure”(101) causes him to physically and mentally deteriorate. While the demon of Revenge takes over Chillingworth and leads him to inflict harm on the reverend in a vain attempt at retribution for his own hurt and sorrow.
Yet, as is clearly evident in The Scarlet Letter, the sin itself can lead a character to a higher and more fully realized spiritual purpose and understanding. As Mayo indicates
“…a certain experience in sin enlarges the spiritual energies and the power to move the souls of men to noble results” (269).This is especially apparent with Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale. For Hester, the scarlet letter casts her out of a society based on men’s idea of absolute truth and rule and she is forced to forge her own path. On this dark and lonely path she develops a stronger sense of self. Hawthorne speaks of Hester having “…wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness….the tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free” (128).
I’m no theological excerpt but I have a great respect for spirituality and religion. From my own limited contact with Christianity and Buddhism, the namesake of these religions didn’t seem to be following an absolute set of rules; they seemed to have set out on their own paths and had fully experienced truth in their own course through life. This seems similar to Hester’s story.
As for Dimmesdale, the people of the town do respond to him in a genuine way. Despite his false position, the reader gets the impression that when he preaches, he’s speaking what he believes in his heart to be the valuable and inspirational insight of Christianity. Dimmesdale is in stark contrast to the other authority figures, such as Governor Bellingham and John Wilson, whose view of Christianity comes off as an exclusive club in which they have the top seat and have the privilege and divine right to tell everyone how to live. Although Dimmesdale does not acknowledge his sin publicly, it is clearly with him and in his mind at all time and affects his very manner and way of preaching. The public can sense the wound in his soul and he does not act higher than them, he is one of them and they clearly love him. Hawthorne expresses this idea stating that his sin being the “very burden it was…gave him sympathies so intimate with the sinful brotherhood of mankind; so that his heart vibrated in unison with theirs…”(94).
In conclusion I very much agree with the arguments presented by Mayo as to the strengths and weakness of Hawthorne’s writing abilities. Mayo speaks of Hawthorne as analyzing rather that creating his characters (265). An author such as Tolstoy develops his characters to the point where the reader can readily grasp why a character might be acting or reacting in a certain way because the reader is so well acquainted with the nature and disposition of that character. Where Hawthorne is certainly on par with Tolstoy is in his ability to convey the beautiful, timeless, and manageable truths of spirituality.

Work citied
Mayo, Amory Dwight. The Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Universalist Quarterly. New York, Norton, 2004.

Hawthorne, Nathanial. The Scarlet Letter. New York, Norton, 2004