First Story of the Scarlet Letter Creation

Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter criticizes the Puritans, a group of people who strictly believe in the Old Testament. Therefore, it is either by coincidence or on purpose that Hawthorne chooses to set the novel in a period of seven years, seeing that God creates the universe in seven days. Moreover, the distinct creations of each day in the "First Story of Creation," the first chapter of the Old Testament, are amongst the preeminent symbols of the novel.

Hawthorne commences the novel by setting the scene in the afternoon when the light, God's first creation, is bright. By creating light, God is able to "[separate] the light from the darkness" (The New American Bible, Genesis 1.4), a common antithesis of the novel. In The Scarlet Letter, the more promising events of the characters, such as Hester Prynne's contrition, take place in the daylight, while the grave events, such as Minister Dimmesdale's vigils, take place at night. Additionally, God's second creation, the sky, appears in the book, for in it Dimmesdale sees a meteor resembling a scarlet letter, the paramount symbol of the novel. Upon seeing the meteor's radiance "[illuminate] the dense medium of cloud betwixt the sky and earth" (Hawthorne 140), Dimmesdale reflects on his sin against the Puritan society. Two days after the formation of the sky, God inserts the sun, the representation of salvation. Sunlight serves as the assertion of redemption for those who repent by shining on those who are saved. Hester Prynne first appears in the novel as "a black shadow emerging into sunshine" because she commits adultery and, therefore, humiliates herself on the scaffold in front of the Puritan community (Hawthorne 49). On the other hand, Pearl "[absorbs the sunshine] into herself" (Hawthorne 166), since Pearl is a depiction of the guide to salvation. Eventually, the illumination of the sun "[shines] down upon [Dimmesdale]" (Hawthorne 227), who finally pleads guilty on the scaffold in front of the Puritans as the father of Pearl. Hence, God's first, second, and fourth creations associate with the symbols of deliverance from sin.

On the third day, God creates '''every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit with its seed in it'" (Genesis 1.11). Hawthorne consistently includes figurative language pertaining to plants, especially flowers. Once God forms plants, the earth becomes a vivid and aesthetic environment. In comparison to the Bible, Hawthorne describes Pearl as beautiful, specifically "a lovely and immortal flower" (Hawthorne 81). As Pearl continues to grow, she is frequently connected to a red rose, which is usually associated with love. In essence, Hawthorne utilizes a red rose to depict Pearl's love for her mother. On another note, Hawthorne relates the Puritans with the less appealing plants, for he equates "pine trees, aged, black, and solemn" (Hawthorne 87), to the elders. Along with plants comes the creation of "the great sea monsters...and all kinds of winged birds" two days after (Genesis 1.21). Pearl's description usually correlates with birds, since her young and lonely character lives with the freedom to "[flit] along as lightly as . . . little sea-birds" (Hawthorne 161). In one incident she feels guilty for breaking a bird's wing because she sees the bird as a creature "as wild as [her] herself" (Hawthorne 160). Contrasting to the wild and fluttering image of Pearl as a bird, Roger Chillingworth is compared to a bat, given that his vengeful character illustrates his dark and evil nature. Thus, God's plants and animals both exemplify positive and negative traits of the characters of the novel.

God's final creations are human beings. By doing so, God makes creatures to "'[b]e fertile and multiply'" (Genesis 1.28). Through Hester Prynne and Minister Dimmesdale's affair, Pearl is conceived, hence, continuing the circle of life. On the seventh day, God "rest[s]...from all the work he [undertakes]" (Genesis 2.2). After seven years of "[wandering] in a maze" (Sewall) Dimmesdale repents his sin in front of his people, dies on the scaffold, and rests in peace. Consequently, the universe is completed in the "First Story of Creation," and salvation is achieved in The Scarlet Letter.

The Old Testament's first chapter and Hawthorne's novel are parallel to each other in that they both take place in a seven-day or -year time frame. Ergo, Hawthorne artistically applies the connection of Puritanism to the novel.














Works Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. 1850. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.
Sewall, Richard B. "The Scarlet Letter." The Vision of Tragedy. Yale University Press, 1980. 86-
91. Rpt. in Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature
Resource Center. Web. 5 January 2012.
The New American Bible. New York: Catholic Book Publishing Corp., 1992. Print.