Inspired by the desire to push away European influences and establish American literature, the American Romanticism period was a literary revolution that thrived during the 18th century. Romantic writers embraced fundamental elements such as strong emotion, intuition, individualism, and personality over rationalism in their literature. Several Romantic novelists, essayists, and poets, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne, emphasized the importance of remaining true to one’s moral ethics. Emerson’s essay, “Self-Reliance,” stresses the ideology of following one’s individual will and voice rather than conforming with societal norms. Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter centers around Hester Prynne who commits adultery and undergoes punishment in the strict Puritan society. Utilizing metaphors and the symbolism of the letter “A”, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne criticize social conformity by emphasizing the value of individualism and idealism of nonconformity, to demonstrate that while society causes individuals to fear their own judgment, individuals should stand up for their own convictions; ultimately, both authors suggest that one’s own moral values should be the basis of one’s thoughts, choices, and actions.
In “Self-Reliance,” Emerson employs metaphors to underscore how society’s perception of morality distorts an individual’s potential for originality to urge the importance of embracing one’s the value of individualism and resist the practice of conformity. The virtue of individualism is to openly express one’s individual freedom and stray away from accepting the popular opinion. As society strives in its attachment to the rules of conformity, individuals insist on holding back their own tendencies and judgment as they are afraid to disrupt the pattern of society’s expectations to emulate past ideas. Emerson exhorts, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do” (Emerson 14). He metaphorically depicts conforming to social standards as a “foolish consistency,” emphasizing how individuals blindly conform to social norms fueled by their fear of personal inconsistency. Not only are individuals portrayed as imprudent followers, but as “hobgoblin[s] of little minds.” As hobgoblins refer to small and childish creatures, Emerson implies how individuals are small minded and tend to conform like children. Consequently, individuals are unable to recognize that the past ideas of the “little statesmen and philosophers and divines,” the originators of those revisited ideas, are the only ones appreciated as they are mindlessly emulated by “hobgoblins.” He suggests that no matter how “great [one’s] soul” can be, the inability to adhere to one’s moral ethics results in great minds having “simply nothing to do” and unappreciated for their potential of ingenuity. As one filters their own originality because of their fear of judgment, Emerson strongly advocates the philosophy of personal freedom to trust the individual will and resist the decorum of society. Moreover, Emerson urges the concept of self-reliance —for one to identify oneself for truth and disregard the likelihood of being condemned— declaring, “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string” (Emerson 3). He reiterates the importance of experiencing and perceiving life from one’s own heart by “trus[ting] thyself” and one’s inner thoughts and intuitions. This metaphor further indicates that one should not be swayed by what others believe is valid. As “every heart vibrates” because of one’s own moral ethics and determination, it is implied that individuals exist because part of human nature is to obtain individual confidence and a sense of morality. By concealing one’s independent thoughts, it ultimately defies the means of one’s uniqueness and existence. The metaphor of an “iron string” from a musical instrument represents the independence and truth of an individual and signifies how the heart responds to the vibrations of the iron string. Emerson depicts the string as “iron” rather than an ordinary string to demonstrate the strength and power of the originality of one’s beliefs. By playing the iron string, the truth is open and the heart is able to believe one’s own convictions to carry out judgments and desires. Through Emerson’s notion of self-reference in “Self-Reliance”, he advises individuals to oppose sacrificing one’s moral sense to fulfill the social criteria for moral rightness.
Likewise to Emerson’s ideology, by altering the symbol of the letter “A”, Hawthorne reveals the exploitation of the Puritan society through the development of the townspeople’s attitude towards Hester, urging the devotion of accepting one’s conscience and adhering to it. As Hester committed adultery, she is forced to wear an embroidered scarlet letter “A” on her chest at all times and is publicly shunned by all members of her Puritan community. However, Hester makes the unforeseen decision to not escape from the ignominy. As Hester continues to live in the town, “the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast […] as the figure, the body, the reality of sin” (Hawthorne 76). Hawthorne implies that the “scarlet letter flaming on her breast” has transformed into Hester Prynne’s identity, “the body […] of sin,” resembling a negative transformation. The letter “A” “flaming” on Hester’s chest clarifies that Hester’s identity as a regular citizen is incinerated by the letter “A” and she is only recognized as the symbol of sin. The public, aware of Hester’s crime due to the “scarlet letter” on her chest, expects Hester to flee from the humiliation that she has to endure. This demonstrates how society corrupts the individual by forcing them, such as Hester, to doubt their own impulses and conform to social expectations. However, Hester defies these expectations and instead withstands public humiliation, proving she would rather seek for her natural essence to benefit her own well-being as opposed to depending on others’ opinions. To even further shun Hester, the Puritans stress educating the younger generation about their cultural ethics; thus, “the young and pure would be taught to look at” Hester as an infamy, instead of as an ordinary woman, and recognize the letter “A” as the symbol of sin. Hawthorne criticizes the systematic structure of the society, through the Puritans’ attempt of permanently labeling Hester as a fallen woman and proselytizing the young innocent generation by corrupting their sense of morality. Despite the negative connotations that were inflicted on Hester by society, she was able to stay true to herself and differentiate her own moral values by filtering out social standards. Subsequently, over the years, the townspeople no longer view the letter “A” as a symbol of adultery, but as a symbol of Hester’s craftsmanship with her embroidery. Hawthorne asserts, ‘“Her breast, with its badge of shame, […] many people refused to interpret the scarlet “A” by its original signification. They said it meant “Able”’ (Hawthorne 158). The letter “A”, once perceived as a “badge of shame” by the ones who condemned her, is now recognized as “Able.” Hawthorne signifies the shift in the meaning of the letter “A” to illustrate Hester’s redemption of her individualistic mind that differentiated her true self from the identity that was imposed on her by society. Hawthorne implies that Hester is able to overrule society’s power to interfere with her ethical motives, such as refusing to flee from ignominy and managing to redeem acceptance from her community. Hester’s redemption was merely an action to benefit her well-being, staying true to herself to alter society’s image of her As Emerson reasoned, Hester is not captivated by the “foolish consistency” of blindly conforming to social customs, unlike the townspeople, who Emerson referred to as the “hobgoblin[s].” Hester is represented as the musical instrument whereas her inner conscience is the “iron string” on that musical instrument; by playing the “iron string,” Hester’s “heart vibrates” to it, allowing her heart to trust her own tendencies. Hester is able to “trust thyself” and accept her conscience, and accordingly, the letter “A” no longer symbolizes a negative connotation but instead the redemption of Hester’s standing in her community. The new identity of the letter “A” was acquired through one’s commitment to independent thinking and pushing aside the concern of interrupting the routine of conformity. Through the alteration of the symbolization of the letter “A” in The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne strongly implies, like Hester Prynne, that one’s true morals should be the foundation of one’s choices and actions.
Emerson and Hawthorne’s true purpose of propagating the value of individualism in their commentaries in “Self-Reliance” and The Scarlet Letter are not to provoke inconvenience, but instead to encourage individuals to embrace their decisions and contradictions for their own independence and integrity. The idealism of nonconformity is that individuals should live by their respective human nature as the basis of dictating their desires and instincts. Self-responsibility is a key factor to a one’s everyday life, as humans cannot sufficiently live if they constantly depend on others and rely on one’s own resources instead. A wide range of varied inputs allows a society to progress faster in comparison to a society that has developed only on the same past ideals. Therefore, through their commentaries, Hawthorne and Emerson advocate that the sincerity of expression is always preferable as the basis one’s behavior and interpretations.