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An elements of Transcendentalism & Anti - Transcendentalism in the novel " The Scarlet Letter"....

Here is my task which given to us by our mam (MKBU)....

Transcendentalism comes from the Latin word transcendere, which means to "climb over or beyond.”



Definition of Transcendentalism:-

Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that started in the 1830s with the belief that the most important reality is what is sensed or what is intuitive, rather than what is thought such as scientific knowledge.

often Transcendentalism A literary and philosophical movement arising in 19th-century New England, associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller and asserting the existence of an ideal spiritual reality that transcends empirical and scientific reality and is knowable through intuition.

What is Transcendentalism:-



TRANSCENDENTALISM is a very formal word that describes a very simple idea. People, men and women equally, have knowledge about themselves and the world around them that "transcends" or goes beyond what they can see, hear, taste, touch or feel.
This knowledge comes through intuition and imagination not through logic or the senses. People can trust themselves to be their own authority on what is right. A TRANSCENDENTALIST is a person who accepts these ideas not as religious beliefs but as a way of understanding life relationships.

What is Anti - Transcendentalism:-

Anti-Transcendentalism was an opposition movement to the Transcendentalist. The Transcendentalist were writers who supported the beauty of Nature, the kindness of Humans and a distrust in government.

 ◆ Characteristics of Anti - Transcendentalism:-

Movement and style of the 1800s that focused on the dark side of human nature.

    -Believed that spiritual facts lay behind everything
    -Developed from the Puritan thoughts
    -Examined and explained the relationship between good and evil
    -Studied the effects of sin and guilt
    -Studied the dark side and madness of human psychology
    -Studied the evil and emptiness of life
    -Believed every event had a meaning
    -Studied and observed human limitations
                                                                            -Observe the power and mystery of nature

◆  Anti - Transcendentalism TODAY:-

Anti-Transcendentalist ideas are becoming more and more evident in the world today.
Some examples include:
    -Contemporary Gothic one of the most evident
          -Home decorating design with dark features, gothic features
          -T.V. shows and movies, such as Twilight, The Walking Dead, Halloween, and video games such as Left for Dead promote the evil side of human nature.
    -Gothic Rock bands, such as The Cure, are becoming more popular.

It includes the ghosts, werewolves, vampires & the evil side of human nature.

 ● Transcendentalism in " The Scarlet Letter" :-


In scarlet letter, Hawthorne portrays puritans and their religion. They are very much orthodox in the matter of God and religion and tend to follow them blindly, at the cost of human being. In the first  chapter society curses and abuses Hester for her adultery. Would it be different if the community had different religions? It probably would because other religions might have a different opinion on adultery. But puritan society can not bear such adultery. Transcendentalism allows one to think about self. In this way transcendentalism comes into large umbrella of ‘Romanticism’.  The follower of romantic movement strongly believed in individualism. Transcendentalists try to find themselves through nature. Nature cannot influence a human to think a certain way. Nature actually reveals what a person really feels without any thoughts that are not from him/her mind.

Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter illustrates self-reliance in a society in which there is no respect for individuals. During her punishment, Hester passes some different and difficult stages which show her as a transcendental and self-reliant character. First stage shows her as sinner, cursed by society, seen as lawbreaker. Which takes place in prison, market and scaffold. The second stage portrays Hester as victim who suffers everything with persistently and patiently. in the third stage society accepts her as good human being who helps poor people and now the letter “A” has different meaning than earlier that is ‘A’ for “Able or Angel”.

Anti - Transcendentalism in "The Scarlet Letter":-

Anti-Transcendentalism is described as the darker side of human nature. It also deals with good versus evil and the dark side of romanticism. In The Scarlet Letter, these elements are evident in several areas. For example, Roger Chillingworth exemplifies the darker side of human nature. This is evident through his vengeful tactics and malicious ways. His entire purpose and being is focused on the demise of Dimmesdale. He tortures and torments Dimmesdale throughout the novel and feels no remorse for it.
One example of good versus evil is Dimmesdale against Chillingworth. Dimmesdale, who already feels a great deal of guilt for his sin, is being taken advantage of by Chillingworth. He is completely unaware of Chillingworth's motives for most of the story and undergoes a lot of torture, not only from himself, but also from Chillingworth.
Another example of good versus evil is Pearl against her mother's sin. Pearl, an innocent, pure child is affected greatly by her mother's sin. Because of the sin that her mother has committed, she is a social outcast. She has no friends. The other Puritan children look down upon her. Because of the sin her mother has committed she will always remain an outcast.
Probably the greatest show of good versus evil is Hester and Pearl versus Puritan society. Hester's sin has caused her so much humiliation. The Puritan society shuns her and scorns her for what she did. She and Pearl are looked down upon and disrespected in the town. Because of the strict Puritan code, Hester and Pearl become inferior beings and are social outcasts of the town.






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