University of Mostar and Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar
Abstract
With his Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne really wanted to unfetter the New English Puritan scions, or at least make them think what has morally degraded the “Iron Men” and destroyed a steadfast faith of the primogenitors. Hawthorne’s answer is that they have forgotten to express emotions. The Scarlet Letter thus responds to the hypothetical questions raised by the Puritan Community of the seventeenth-century New England; however, the novel is not directed against the positive traits of the Puritan New Englandism, e.g., discipline, home life, education, etc. Moreover, Hawthorne’s opus has a universal philosophical and moral sense, although its tone is usually mildened by his humanity and subtle humor. All of that enabled Hawthorne’s voice to be keenly heard in the twenty-first century as well.Svojim je Grimiznim slovom Nathaniel Hawthorne doista želio otkovati novoengleske puritanske potomke ili ih barem nagnati na razmišljanje o tome što je ćudoredno ponizilo te „željezne ljude“ i uništilo čvrstu vjeru pradjedova. Hawthorneov je odgovor da su zaboravili izraziti osjećaje. Grimizno slovo stoga odgovara na pretpostavljena pitanja puritanske zajednice sedamnaestostoljetne Nove Engleske; međutim, ova pripovijest nije usmjerena protiv prihvatljivih osobina puritanskoga novoengleštva, npr. stege, domaćega života, obrazovanja itd. Štoviše, Hawthorneovo stvaralaštvo ima opći mislilački i ćudoredni smisao, iako je njegov prizvuk često ublažen njegovim čovještvom i istančanom duhovitošću. Sve to omogućilo je da se Hawthorneov glas jasno čuje i u 21. stoljeću
