The Scarlet Letter

Discussing the meanings of romanticism and realism is extremely similar to comparing red meat and seafood. Some people find these two categories to be equally delicious while others can’t even stomach the smell of seafood but do not hesitate to stick their noses deep into a steaming pot roast. Red meat and seafood carry different nutrients and are served in different ways, but they both happen to be staples in our American cuisine. Romanticism and realism are also extremely prominent in the Literature world, but one might begin to wonder; What are the opposing nutrients?

Realism is driven by the use of dialect. Huckleberry Finn is an exquisite example of a realistic type of literature that uses a specific type of language to reflect the way people of that time truly spoke. Another major characteristic is the use of flawed heroes. The settings are usually simplistic. They are meant to represent the everyday, unlike romanticism that uses the exotic locale to make things exciting and slightly dangerous for the reader. Character development is much more important in the realism genre. This is what makes the novels interesting; A deeply provocative character in an everyday setting with everyday problems.

Romanticism on the other hand, takes the reader into a completely different world where situations and settings are ordinarily out of the usual. Like I mentioned before, the exotic locale is an important characteristic of the romanticism genre. For example, in the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester and the townspeople are surrounded by an eerie and magical forest. The forest represents passion and the supernatural, which is another quality of romanticism; Symbolism. Hawthorne chose to use almost every object mentioned in the novel to represent something. For example, the rosebush mentioned at the beginning of the novel (Chapter 1, 46) symbolizes morality and gender issues throughout the novel. The use of Archaic language used to identify a uniquely American Literature is also found in The Scarlet Letter. In contrast with the realism genre, romanticism defines a true hero and true villain and through that, displays the struggle between good and evil. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester is the clear hero. Even though she did commit adultery, the reader gathers the idea that she didn’t perform the act with maliciousness or hatred towards her husband, but with the idea that he had passed. Chillingworth, who is often thought to symbolize a leech or the devil is the clear villain. He attempts to attack both Hester and Dimmesdale and it is simple for the readers to associate evil with all that he does throughout the novel.

The evidence that the novel, The Scarlet Letter, belongs in the romanticism genre is almost overwhelming. Although one might struggle to understand the content, seeing as the average reader digests much more realistic pieces, the characteristics associated with romanticism are very magical. This is what shapes novels such as The Scarlet Letter and Moby Dick into such enchanting pieces of literature. It also places them into the classic literature hall of fame.