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There are many important ideas and themes behind a true gothic novel such as The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel hawthorn, The House Of The Seven Gables also by Nathaniel Hawthorn, and The Crucible by Arthur Miller. A few of the themes are very obvious in these novels such as imagery which is the setting and emotions expressed through colors and symbols, and the supernatural or magic where curses or spells are flagrantly used to intimidate the characters. On the other hand are the defiantly more subtle of the themes of the gothic novel, like “ the Other” which is a character or group of the that are considered the outsiders or harshly effect the situation of the novel. Another subtle theme to the gothic novel is morality; this is a crucial part of the gothic novel and how the story unfolds in the long run. Morality can be the cause of many changes of emotion and feelings that coincide with the plot and the other themes and motifs of the gothic novel.
In the gothic novel The Scarlet Letter morality plays an almost unparalleled roll in the way the story unfolds. In the first portion of the novel morality is the driving force behind Hester’s choice to not reveal the identity of the father of her child. Her morality caused he to chose the banishment and exile than to confess the father of pearl. At the time where she is giving the opportunity to confess and reveal the secret she was told, “that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation”(5). This is also ironic considering the circumstances of the birth of he child.
Morality does not only affect someone personally and it can be positive or negative. Hester’s morality is a blessing to the father of the baby because it saves him from shame. On the other side of the equation the reverend Dimmesdale’s lack of moral fiber only effects Hester in the negative way. This is because the good reverend Dimmesdale is the father of pearl, the little devil child. Dimmesdale’s choice reflects the constitution of his moral being, and it is obvious that he is not that proud at all of his choices and he let this secret hide in a closet for a long time. Morality does affect more than one person but it is a sensitive ideal that to save ones morals it can have effect on other closely intermingled characters.
You can see that Dimmesdale was not the epitome of morality but later in the novel he has a change of heart about his peculiar situation. After a heart to heart with Hester in the forest they decide to run off to England together. To execute there plan they feel that secrecy is the best route to run, however this changes while the reverend is giving a sermon in the market place on the sanctity of the puritan holiday they are celebrating. During the sermon he states, “at last! - I stand upon the spot where, seven years since, I should have stood; here with this woman”(209). The revelation left the plan in ruins but the reverend Dimmesdale cleared his conscience and his massive morality shift left the story of the scarlet latter complete.
It would be very hard to make a valid argument that morality has no effect on the gothic novels. Morality comes in many forms it can make someone’s day or the lack of it can come back to bite you in the butt as in the house of the seven gables when after the death of the unmoral old man dies holding his secret and the Pyncheons leave the house of the seven gables to live on the old mans property. Try to think of The Scarlet Letter without any form of morality and you can only imagine how horrible of a novel you would have.
In the gothic novel The Scarlet Letter morality plays an almost unparalleled roll in the way the story unfolds. In the first portion of the novel morality is the driving force behind Hester’s choice to not reveal the identity of the father of her child. Her morality caused he to chose the banishment and exile than to confess the father of pearl. At the time where she is giving the opportunity to confess and reveal the secret she was told, “that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation”(5). This is also ironic considering the circumstances of the birth of he child.
Morality does not only affect someone personally and it can be positive or negative. Hester’s morality is a blessing to the father of the baby because it saves him from shame. On the other side of the equation the reverend Dimmesdale’s lack of moral fiber only effects Hester in the negative way. This is because the good reverend Dimmesdale is the father of pearl, the little devil child. Dimmesdale’s choice reflects the constitution of his moral being, and it is obvious that he is not that proud at all of his choices and he let this secret hide in a closet for a long time. Morality does affect more than one person but it is a sensitive ideal that to save ones morals it can have effect on other closely intermingled characters.
You can see that Dimmesdale was not the epitome of morality but later in the novel he has a change of heart about his peculiar situation. After a heart to heart with Hester in the forest they decide to run off to England together. To execute there plan they feel that secrecy is the best route to run, however this changes while the reverend is giving a sermon in the market place on the sanctity of the puritan holiday they are celebrating. During the sermon he states, “at last! - I stand upon the spot where, seven years since, I should have stood; here with this woman”(209). The revelation left the plan in ruins but the reverend Dimmesdale cleared his conscience and his massive morality shift left the story of the scarlet latter complete.
It would be very hard to make a valid argument that morality has no effect on the gothic novels. Morality comes in many forms it can make someone’s day or the lack of it can come back to bite you in the butt as in the house of the seven gables when after the death of the unmoral old man dies holding his secret and the Pyncheons leave the house of the seven gables to live on the old mans property. Try to think of The Scarlet Letter without any form of morality and you can only imagine how horrible of a novel you would have.