Complementing this intriguing theory of a new type of romance, Hawthorne’s writing prior to 1850 hinted at the masterpiece yet to come. In “The Gentle Boy,” he wrote of an emotional creature faced with the hostility of Puritans, who did not understand emotions. The ambiguity of sin was the subject of still another story, “Young Goodman Brown.” These stories helped Hawthorne develop some of the themes that would become part of The Scarlet Letter. Two other stories that would predate the conflict of head and heart in his novel were “Rappaccini’s Daughter” and “The Birthmark.” The cold intellect of Chillingworth, man of science, can be seen in the earlier conflict of these two stories. Both concern men of science or cold intellect who lack human sympathy and compassion and so sacrifice loved ones. This idea was further developed in “Ethan Brand,” a study in the conflict of head and heart. In this story, Hawthorne defined the unpardonable sin as the domination of intellect over emotion. He was to develop this idea in The Scarlet Letter with his portrayal of Chillingworth, the husband who seeks revenge.
In The Scarlet Letter, the reader should be prepared to meet the real and the unreal, the actual and the imaginary, the probable and the improbable, all seen in the moonlight with the warmer light of a coal fire changing their hues. What is Truth and what is Imagination? This is the Boston of the Puritans: Bible-reading, rule making, judgment framing. Surrounding it is the forest of the Devil, dark, shadowy, momentarily filled with sunlight, but always the home of those who would break the rules and those who listen to their passions. Enter this setting with Hawthorne and ample imagination, and the reader will find a story difficult to forget.
