Is it necessary to read the custom house introduction. Im trying to understand but none of the things seem to make sense. His motivation for this is that the book, the scarlet letter, which is extracted from authentic historical writings which he found while at the customhouse. After having a child out of wedlock, hester prynne is shunned by her puritan community and forced to wear a scarlet a on her clothingbut hester is not the only one who has transgressed. The scarlet letter involves the presence of facts and figures to support the text and also includes the fictional work in the text. The customhouse introductory to the scarlet letter summary. The novel is considered a masterpiece of american literature and a classic moral study. Nathaniel hawthorne included the customhouse as an introductory essay for the original publication of the scarlet letter because he believed the book was too short for successful publication. Introductory in nathaniel hawthornes the scarlet letter. The scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne the custom house.
The scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne the customhouse. She will not reveal her lovers identity, however, and the scarlet letter, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin. The scarlet letter is told in both the firstperson introductory essay and the thirdperson omniscient the narrative. The language seems particularly thorny, and its hard to make out why exactly this introduction is so important. The work centers on hester prynne, a married woman who is shunned after bearing a child out of wedlock but displays great compassion and resiliency. You may have fallen asleep or skipped the little introductory appetizer to the scarlet letter known as the custom house. The customhouse introductory to the scarlet letter i t is a little remarkable, thatthough disinclined to talk overmuch of myself and my affairs at the fireside, and to my personal friendsan autobiographical impulse should twice in my life have taken possession of me, in addressing the public. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the scarlet letter. Get an answer for is it necessary to read the custom house introduction tothe scarlet letter. September, hawthorne began work on the scarlet letter and on the customhouse, which satirizes the salem customhouse and its officers, as well as the whigs who deprived him of his office. This section takes place in the mid19 th century, and, as such, the custom house has much less activity than it did during its heyday two centuries earlier. The scarlet letter the custom house summary course hero. As a result, the narrator spends a good deal of his time snooping about in the attic of the building, whereupon he finds an old piece of red cloth in the shape of the letter.
Puritanism began in england during the reign of queen elizabeth 15581603. The scarlet letter readon classics kindle edition by. On top of that, it begins at chapter 1 and does not include the custom house introduction like any version of the scarlet letter should. A custom house is a governmental building situated near a port or a wharf. The narrator says this discovery formed the core of the story that he will now tell in the scarlet letter. Chapter summary for nathaniel hawthornes the scarlet letter, the custom house summary. Do yourself a favor, and do not buy the american renaissance version of this book. The custom house is largely an autobiographical sketch describing hawthornes life as an administrator of the salem custom house. This classic novel explores guilt, sin, and hypocrisy. The scarlet letter paints a very unflattering portrait of the puritans, a religious group that dominated late seventeenthcentury english settlement in massachusetts. A summary of nathaniel hawthornes the scarlet letter.
The scarlet letter 6 of 394 the customhouse introductory to the scarlet letter it is a little remarkable, thatthough disinclined to talk overmuch of myself and my affairs at the fireside, and to my personal friendsan autobiographical impulse should twice in my life have taken possession of me, in addressing the public. Hawthorne blends supernatural elements with psychological insight in his story of one womans public punishment for adultery. It was written to enlarge the tale of the scarlet letter, since hawthorne deemed the story too short to print by itself. A romance is a work of historical fiction by american author nathaniel hawthorne, published in 1850. After a brief authorial digression about how his stuffy coworkers at the custom house kept him from writing this book until he was fired, hawthorne starts us off with a tour of the jail of the mid17th century massachusetts bay colony inside the jail is one hester prynne, an adulteress whos just about to be released from prison so that she can be paraded through town, displaying the. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the scarlet letter and what it means.
The name puritanism came from the groups intent to purify the church of england by making government and religious practice. Custom house in salem contains exhibits on the tools of the custom service, the work of the customs inspectors, and the office of nathaniel hawthorne, the famous american author whose threeyearlong stint in the salem custom house inspired his. The scarlet letter full text the customhouse owl eyes. So little adapted is the atmosphere of a customhouse to the delicate harvest of fancy and sensibility, that, had i remained there through ten presidencies yet to come, i doubt whether the tale of the scarlet letter would ever have been brought before the public eye. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The customhouse introductory to the scarlet letter summary the scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne the customhouse introductory summary and analysis.
He has just been fired from his job, his mother has died, and he has a family to support, but in the past he has never been able to provide for his family by writing alone. The scarlet letter is one of those books youve heard about, and feel you ought to read. While hawthorne is the narrator of the story, it should be noted that this is a fictionalized account of hawthornes time as a customhouse officer. The contextual story of the scarlet letter is found in the section known as the custom house, which serves as a preface to the action in the story, introduces the narrator to the audience, and helps explain some of the narrators feelings about the events in the story. The package contained a piece of fabric with a red letter a affixed to it along with several pages explaining the history of the letter.
One rainy day, the narrator discovered a peculiar package in the upstairs storage area of the custom house. Hawthorne originally planned to include the custom house, the scarlet letter, and other works in a collec. In the custom house, in the scarlett letter, what did. Set in puritan massachusetts bay colony during the years 1642 to 1649, the novel tells the story of hester prynne who conceives a daughter through an affair and then struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. The nameless narrator, who shares quite a few traits with the books author, takes a post as the chief executive officer, or surveyor, of the salem custom house. His account is a mixture of fact and fiction and loosely follows the story of how hawthorne himself came to write the scarlet letter. Like others have said, this is poorly formatted with wide pages and small type. This section of the site focuses on the customhouse sketch, the first chapter of hawthornes romance, the scarlet letter, which was written just after he was fired from the salem custom house in 1849.
His job at the custom house stifles his creativity and imagination. His voice and laugh, which always echoed in the custom house, didnt quaver like an old mans. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Introductory to the scarlet letter it is a little remarkable, that though disinclined to talk overmuch of myself and my affairs at the fireside, and to my personal friends an autobiographical impulse should twice in my life have taken possession of me, in addressing the public. The scarlet letter study guide literature guide litcharts. Hawthorne was actually inspired from the manuscripts he got in the custom house in salem while he was working as an executive officer or the surveyor in custom house where the taxes are paid, their he found. The scarlet letter is a frame story, placed within the broader context of another story. A vocabulary list featuring the scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne, the customhouse. The scarlet letter the custom house summary and analysis. Read the scarlet letter, by author nathaniel hawthorne page by page, now. Hawthorne, the nineteenth century, and the scarlet letter, chapter 7 in understanding the scarlet letter by claudia durst johnson courtesy of greenwood press in these excerpts johnson explains the relevance of the first chapter, the customhouse, to the scarlet letter. Nathaniel hawthorne gives the reader background information in his introduction so that the reader is more familiar with the customhouse. The scarlet letter a represents the act of adultery that she has committed. Hawthorne says he has been seized by an impulse to write another autobiographical essay, this time about his threeyear experience at the customhouse.
It has been said by salemites that hawthornes description of the custom house and the town is sour grapes. Hawthorne begins the scarlet letter with a long introductory essay that generally functions as a preface but, more specifically, accomplishes four significant goals. In the introduction to the scarlet letter, called the custom house, which was a separate short story that hawthorne adapted to use in the scarlet letter, hawthorne tells the background of. The narration of the introduction, the customhouse, is in the first person, both clearly autobiographical and intensely emotional. The primary purpose for the customhouse introduction was to give the reader a better understanding of the people living in the customhouse and their ways of living. The scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne, the custom. Our narrator is the chief executive officer of the salem custom house sometime during the mid1800s. Nathaniel hawthornes 1850 historical novel the scarlet letter explores guilt, revenge, and redemption in colonial america. This section of the site focuses on the custom house sketch, the first chapter of hawthornes romance, the scarlet letter, which was written just after he was fired from the salem custom house in 1849. The original papers, together with the scarlet letter itselfa most curious relicare still in my possession, and shall be freely exhibited to whomsoever, induced by the great interest of the narrative, may desire a sight of them i must not be understood affirming that, in the dressing up of the tale, and imagining the motives and modes of passion that influenced the characters who figure in it, i have invariably confined myself within the limits of the old surveyors halfadozen. This introduction provides a frame for the main narrative of the scarlet letter. Custom house in nathaniel hawthornes the scarlet letter. And a great insight into 17th century puritan life but written in 1850. The scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne the custom house introductory to the scarlet letter nathaniel hawthorne 1804 1864 this book tells the story of hester prynne, a young woman who.
The customhouse introductory to the scarlet letter quiz. The customhouse quotes the customhouse w e may prate of the circumstances that lie around us, and even of ourself, but still keep the inmost me behind its veil. The custom house salem maritime national historic site. Nathaniel hawthornes the scarlet letter is prefaced by the custom house, a brief letter detailing events that are. In this long introduction hawthorne accomplishes several tasks. Read the scarlet letter here, with sidebyside no fear translations into modern english. Ticknor, reed, and fields published the novel in 1850 and issued 2,500 copies in the first printing.
I guess nathaniel hawthorne, the guy who wrote it, wasnt bored. Has there been a single person in the history of forever who hasnt been bored to tears by this introductory chapter to the scarlet letter. It also serves as an excellent essay on society during hawthornes times, and. Hawthorne really wrote the customhouse for himselflike some kind of neverending literary therapy session.
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