Free Essay on Romanticism and Intuition in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: free essay writer

The Scarlet Letter: Romanticism and Intuition During the romanticism period, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the novel, The Scarlet Letter, which used the romanticist idea of deep intuition and inner feelings, allowing the characters to have insight of the plots and secrets hidden in the strict Puritan community that they lived in. Throughout the novel many of the characters have this intuition, making the book more alluring to readers when trying to figure out what each character really knows. At the beginning of the novel, we are shown Pearl's natural child-like instincts for the Preacher, who is actually her father. When Pearl was first a baby, Hester and she were shamed on the scaffold while Reverend Dimmesdale, her father, preached to the awed crowd of the deep sin committed by Hester. Pearl reached out for him, "and held up its little arms," (pg. 68) as if reaching for her father. In another instance, they were all discussing Pearl at the Governor’s house and Pearl, totally out of her independent character, went over to Dimmesdale and "taking his hand in the grasp of both her own, laid her cheek against it." (pg. 118) That was really unlike Pearl, who was a "wild and flighty little elf," (pg. 118) that didn't display affection like that. Both of these bonding experiences occurred while she was younger and neither time caused speculation by the townspeople in general.. Not only Pearl, but Mr. Chillingworth, Hester's husband, had the intuition of knowing, rather sensing that Dimmesdale was the father. It was never told to him by anyone, or even speculated that the preacher was the sinner, but he could sense it anyway and knew he had to become close to Dimmesdale to figure him out. He also knew, not as a doctor, but as an evil man, that when Mr. Dimmesdale grabbed at his chest it was caused by something greater than an illness, it was caused by something Chillingworth knew how to provoke. The most amazing of his intuitions, would be at the end of the novel when he was already aware of Hester and Dimmesdale's plans to leave with Pearl on a ship to England. The mariner first informed Hester of his plans when explaining to her "that this physician here- Chillingworth, he calls himself- is minded to try my [the mariner's] cabin-fare with you [Hester].