THEORETICAL ASPECTS IN THE FORMATION OF
PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES
International scientific-online conference
12
RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL ASPECTS IN NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S
NOVEL “THE SCARLET LETTER”
Khayitkhon Farkhodjon kizi Tukhtaboeva
Student:
Akhmedova Muyassar Ataxanovna
Scientific supervisor:
Chirchik State Pedagogical University
4th year student in Foreign languages and literature (English)
E-mail addresses: tukhtaboyevakhayitkhon@gmail.com
Mobile phone: +998888767404
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14987390
Abstract
This article gives information about religious and social views in British
literature and it’s features in the novel “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel
Hawthorne. Also this article helps learners who are interested in religious and
social situation in 19
th
century and their impact on literature. Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter explores the deep interplay between religious
doctrine and social norms in Puritan New England. The novel critiques the rigid
moral codes imposed by Puritan society, highlighting themes of sin, guilt, and
redemption.
Key words:
Puritan, Puritanism, Church, literature, social, impact, adultery,
Puritan leaders.
Introduction
Religious issues were particularly controversial in Britain during the
Victorian era. The established Church of England was no longer the sole
religious force in England. Evangelists, Liberals and Catholics became separate
denominations within the country. Different doctrines associated with each
religion governed all aspects of Victorian life. "Religion occupied a place in the
public consciousness and a central place in the intellectual life of the age" (War
of Consciences). Victorian morals and virtues were governed by religious ideas
and doctrines. Through faith sermons, clergymen were able to spread the "Word
of God" to believers. They were responsible for keeping the congregation
engaged in prayer and service (Naomi, Rebecca, Angharad, Richa, Clare, 2020).
In times of religious unrest, when pamphlets and texts critical of religion
were being produced, it was the clergy's job to uphold the faith of the
congregation is mentioned by Elliott of Middlemarch, which follows the lives of
characters living in provincial towns deeply rooted in religion.
This four-volume historical resource provides new opportunities for
investigating the relationship between religion, literature and society in Britain
and its imperial territories by making accessible a diverse selection of harder-to-
find primary sources. These include religious fiction, poetry, essays, memoirs,
sermons, travel writing, religious ephemera, unpublished notebooks and
pamphlet literature. Spanning the long nineteenth century in 1789–1914, the
THEORETICAL ASPECTS IN THE FORMATION OF
PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES
International scientific-online conference
13
resource departs from older models of ‘the Victorian crisis of faith’ in order to
open up new ways of conceptualising religion. A key concern of the resource is
to integrate non-Christian religions into our understanding and representations
of religious life in this period.
Each volume is framed around a different meaning of the term ‘religion’.
Volume one on ‘Traditions’ offers an overview of the different religious
traditions and denominations present in Britain in this period. Volume two on
‘Mission and Reform’ considers the social and political importance of religious
faith and practice as expressed through foreign and domestic mission and
philanthropic and political movements at home and abroad. Volume three turns
to ‘Religious Feeling’ as an important and distinct category for understanding
the ways in which religion is embodied and expressed in culture. Volume four on
‘Disbelief and New Beliefs’ explores the transformation of the religious
landscape of Britain and its imperial territories during the nineteenth century as
a result of key cultural and intellectual forces (Kagramanov, 1999).
METHODS
Who were the Puritans?
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who
sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining
that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become
more Protestant. Puritanism played a significant role in English history,
especially during the Protectorate.
What is the Puritanism?
Puritanism is not a formally defined religious division within Protestantism,
and the term Puritan itself was rarely used after the turn of the 18th century. It
was incorporated into the teachings of the Church of England. Others
assimilated into the many Protestant denominations that arose in North
America and England in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Widely regarded
as part of the Reformed tradition, the Congregational Church is descended from
the Puritans.
The Reformation movement took place in the late 16th century and his
17th century to wash and purify the Church of England. This movement is
known as the Puritan Revolution. Some extreme Protestants who were
dissatisfied with the changes made by Henry VIII, Edward II and Queen
Elizabeth after the Reformation expressed contempt and dissatisfaction. It laid
the foundation for New England's religious, intellectual, and social order. But
Puritanism was not the only historically specific phenomenon coinciding with
the founding of New England. It is also a way of being in the world, a style that
responds to lived experience, and has resonated with American life ever since.
(
Callum
, 2006)
The Puritans coloured their lives on the preaching of religious
reformers, John Wycliffe and John Calvin. They had their own sets of beliefs and
idealisms. These are:
THEORETICAL ASPECTS IN THE FORMATION OF
PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES
International scientific-online conference
14
They believed that The Bible represented the true law of God. So they
always wish to reshape people and church on the ideology of Bible.
They were up against the episcopacy or the rule of Bishop. Instead they
wanted church to be managed by a group of ‘presbyters’ or elders.
They believed the voice of God in each man’s conscience and hence no
priest or bishop could rightfully come
They insisted on extreme austerity of worship, believing that images,
ornaments, alter, rituals, embroidered surplices owned by the priests
The puritans were strict disciplinarians who stressed on grace, devotions,
prayers, and introspection.
They hated to see the Church being reduced to political div. They
challenged Elizabethan religious settlement of 1559 to solve the religious
debate. They didn’t accept the Tudor doctrine that every member of the state
was automatically the member of state Church.
Charles I of England made efforts to purge all Puritan influences in England,
which resulted in the Great Migration to Europe and American colonies. Those
who remained in England responded to this persecution with the English Civil
War in 1641-1651, which led to the execution of Charles I, the Exile of his son
Charles II and the rise of Oliver Cromwell.
The age of the Puritans was too short for man to be born and mature, but its
influence was the strongest and it was too stormy. Poets such as Andrew Marvel,
Abraham Cowley, and John Milton are credited with having a great influence on
Puritan poetry. Milton's Paradise Lost is a Puritan's dream. In the field of prose
literature, mention should be made of Robert Burton and John Bunyan. Bunyan's
Pilgrim's Progress has reached the pinnacle of success and is considered "next to
the Bible". This book is undoubtedly a masterpiece of Puritan literature. Drama
declined sharply in the Puritan era. After the Tempest of 1611, the production
energy of the English Renaissance seemed to have dried up.
While the Puritan literature speaks of age of sadness, gloom and pessimism,
the Elizabethan literature throbbed with youth, vitality and hope.
The Elizabeth literature was intensely romantic; in Puritan literature critical,
intellectual takes the place or romantic ardour.
The great victory in the Civil War provided the Puritans with the oxygen to
establish the Commonwealth. Oliver Cromwell established a military
dictatorship during his protectorate, but in 1660 the monarchy was restored.
They failed, but the Puritans took off their shoes to step into England's political
affairs for the Whigs.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, religion dominates society as a
major factor in life and work, but nature can attack it in many ways. Religion in
the novel is an important factor in society's feelings towards Hester. Nature, on
the other hand, sympathizes with the hero, giving him hope and divine light. In
THEORETICAL ASPECTS IN THE FORMATION OF
PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES
International scientific-online conference
15
The Scarlet Letter, these two factors go head-to-head in her as religion attacks
and nature heals (Boivin, 2016).
Nature in the novel can be seen as a passive element that sympathizes with
the protagonist. At the beginning of the novel, nature is represented as a rose
bush next to the prison. This symbolizes hope for prisoners, as it is the only life
that lives on the prison grounds and the only thing they see before and after they
enter prison. Later in the story, when Hester and Pearl visit the governor's
mansion, Pearl is seen violently yelling at Rosen in front of the mansion. I started
crying and couldn't calm down." This shows her desire for roses, her desire for
hope. Nature interrupts the story with a secluded encounter between Hester and
Dimmesdale. During this meeting, Hester courageously rips off her A in the
scarlet letter and throws it to the ground. Nature sympathized with Hester's
experience of the Scarlet Letter with the "Flood of Sunshine." Another of his uses
of nature in the novel is that of the alchemist Roger Chillingworth with herbal
medicines, learned from his native Americans when he was captured upon his
arrival. Overall, nature sustains all the characters in the novel, and most
importantly gives them hope and freedom from social and religious struggles.
Religion in society is a very important factor as it affects relationships,
status and etc. The Scarlet Letter prominently centers around religion as the
main character, Hester, is affected by such. She is caught being an adulterer and
is subjected to societal punishment with the lifelong sentence of wearing a
scarlet letter “A”. Hester is at the head of the community conversation and sees
herself used as a “living sermon against sin”. Further, religion alters the views of
Hester on Pearl, as at some point, she thought she was a demon-child, mainly
because of “some of her odd attributes”. Due to her hardships within society,
Hester chose to live on the outskirts of Boston, making a living by making
various items using her embroidery skills. She is well renowned for this except
for wedding dresses as no one in the town wants to buy a dress from her for a
religious event. Basically, religion and Puritan values base daily life in 19th
century Boston, with strict consequences if any of the values are broken, as did
Hester (
Leema, 2016).
In the novel, religion and nature combat each other in many ways, changing
the interactions of characters, the feelings of society, and other ideas. In the
prison, situated in Boston, “a wild rose-bush…fragrance and fragile beauty,” is
seen to greet prisoners with the feeling of hope. This is ironic as prison
represents, “the black flower of civilized society,” which is basically society’s
moral and religious views, combating nature’s rose bush, which gives a sense of
hope to the prisoners as they enter and leave. Hart has similar views, stating,
“Hawthorne contrasts the beauty of nature with the community prison to
identify Puritan societal corruption.” Furthermore, along with the black rose
representing the values of society, the Black Man, is shown to represent the
views of nature among Bostonians. Depicted as a form of evil, he is usually
referred to in conjunction with the forest. This places society’s views of the
THEORETICAL ASPECTS IN THE FORMATION OF
PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES
International scientific-online conference
16
forest to be mostly negative, as that area is uncontrolled and without Puritan
values. Another event in which nature sympathizes with going against religion is
when Hester and Pearl meet up with Dimmesdale in the forest. With the action
of Hester throwing the scarlet letter on the forest floor, nature thus reacts by
filling the forest with sunlight, forgiving Hester of her sin. Furthermore, Paula
Mas Ferrer states, “She escapes from the discomfort of society through nature.
Pearl is an elf child and her natural habitat is the forest. She is neither good nor
evil,” depicting that nature can easily thwart societal values. The split between
religion and societal values and nature can be simply stated as, a “gloomy and
energetic religious sect, pioneers in a virgin land, with the wolf and the Indian at
their doors” (Sinkevich, 2019).
At the time of this writing, Boston was heavily influenced by prominent
Puritan leaders and Puritan values. This created a rigid judicial system and a
rigid social network among Bostonians. In The Scarlet Letter, the harsh
punishment and social exclusion experienced by Hester and Pearl are evident. In
contrast, we also see nature forgiving and pitying the hero. Her two conflicting
influences cause Hester to struggle in Boston, especially with her child, Pearl.
CONCLUSION
In the novel, religion and nature battle each other in many ways, shifting
character interactions, social sentiments, and other ideas. In Boston's prison,
"the scent and ephemeral beauty of the wild rose bush" welcomes inmates with
hope. Ironically, prisons represent the "black flower of civilization", a moral and
religious view of society that essentially fights against the natural rose bush,
giving the prisoners the hope of entering and exiting. giving you a feeling. Hart
holds a similar view, stating that "Hawthorne contrasts the beauty of nature
with the district prison to identify the corruption of Puritan society." Bostonian
view of nature. Depicted as a form of evil, it is usually mentioned in relation to
forests. This results in an overwhelmingly negative society's view of the forest,
as the area is uncontrolled and lacks Puritan values. Another event in which
nature sympathizes with opposition to religion is Hester and Pearl's meeting
with Dimmesdale in the woods. When Hester throws the scarlet letter on the
forest floor, nature fills the forest with sunlight and Hester forgives her sins.
Furthermore, Paula Mas Ferrer said: Pearl is an elf child and her native habitat is
the forest. It is neither good nor bad” shows that nature can easily interfere with
social values. The schism between religion, social values and nature can be easily
described as "a brooding, energetic religious sect, pioneers of virgin lands, with
wolves and Indians at the door."
References:
1.
Boivin L. (2016) Religion in The Scarlet Letter. Study.com.
2.
Callum G.B. (2006). Religion and Society in Twentieth-Century Britain.
THEORETICAL ASPECTS IN THE FORMATION OF
PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES
International scientific-online conference
17
3.
Routledge
4.
Kagramanov Y. (1999) America far and near. New world, 42(12), 136-140.
5.
Leema S. G. (2016). Conflict between the Individual and Society in The
Scarlet Letter. A Journal of English Studies, 7(2016), 55-62.
6.
Kagramanov Y. (1999) America far and near. New world, 42(12), 136-140.
7.
Naomi H, Rebecca S, Angharad E, Richa D, Clare S. (2020). Nineteenth-
Century Religion, Literature and Society. Routledge
8.
Sinkevich V. (2019) "Gloomy Writer" Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864).
Amer. poets and prose writers, 19(190), 133-145.
