Comparison Of Nathaniel Hawthrone’S

Comparison of Nathaniel Hawthrone’s

Book The Scarlet Letter

vs.

The Film (1995)

During period of 1840-1855, there are two distinct literature movements: Transcendentalism and Anti-Transcendentalism. Both movements had influential authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson (Transcendentalist) and Nathaniel Hawthrone (Anti-Transcendentalist). The Transcendentalists believed in the pure goodness of humanity and in individual intuition as the highest source of knowledge, rather than sensory experience. The Anti вЂ"Transcendentalists believed in the darkness of the human soul, existence of sin and evil, which made their literary pieces very dark.1

„Nathaniel Hawthorne has been recognized as one of America's most important writers. He was born in Massachusetts on the Fourth of July, 1804. After his father, ship's captain, died at sea in 1808, his mother then brought her son and two daughters to live with her family. In 1821 Hawthorne was accepted to Bowdoin College. He graduated in 1925.

Twelve years later, when Twice-told Tales was published with Hawthorne's name on the cover, he received much recognition from already well-established critics. In 1837 Hawthorne met Sophia Peabody, a frail amateur artist to whom he became engaged the following year. He left the Custom House in November 1840. Two years later, in July 1842, Hawthorne married Sophia and moved into the Old Manse in Concord. His daughter Una was born in 1844.

In April 1846, Hawthorne became Surveyor of the Salem Custom House and returned to his birthplace. There, anguished by his mother's death, he wrote The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne moved to Berkshires in the spring of 1850, where he soon produced his second novel, The House of the Seven Gables.

Hawthorne's third child, Rose, was born in 1851. Then, Hawthorne was appointed Consul to Liverpool, serving from 1853 to 1857. When he returned to Concord in 1860, his health was broken. He died on May 19, 1864.” 2

In my study I compare Hawthrone’s book to the Movie which directed by Roland Joffe3, the film is based on this book. I wonder how the screenplayer interpret the Hawthrone’s book. I examine the each scenes of the play are same as the chapters of the book. The film’s screenplay written by Douglas Day Stewart2.

The movie begins with appearing of an Indian camp. We are in a funeral while three white men negotiate with the chief of the Indians. The older white man tells the chief to try to live together - the white people and the Indians вЂ" in peace. The chief suspects them and the white nation of killing his father. The Chief only speaks to the younger man вЂ" he is Arthur вЂ" that he always respects his frankness.

The next scene вЂ" Pearl tells the story about her mother, she is a narrator вЂ" Hester Prynne (Demi Moore) arrives on the ship at the Promised Land, exactly at Massachusetts hoping to find her religous freedom and her home. The play’s setting time is 1666. We know Governor Bellingham (Edward Hardwicke) who welcomes just arriving Reverend Chilworth from England. Hester’s husband send her to America to settle, buy house and land. The towspeople start to talk about Hester as a stranger who doesn’t take seriously their traditional and strict rules. She buys a house, a servant-girl, Mituba, and she works on her land alone, she behaves like a man.

On once a day Hester perceives a man who is swimming nude in her lake. As there is Sunday, Hester is hurrying on her cart to the God service, when her cart is stuck on the mud. Suddenly, a man appears вЂ" who is swimming nude in her lake вЂ" and helps to Hester. They ride a horse to the God service. Hester realizes the man вЂ" who helped to her вЂ" is a clergyman. His name is Arthur Dimmesdale (Gary Oldman). Hester feels attreacted to the passionate clergyman and Arthur feels attracted to the independent Hester, too. Later they confess their love for each other. We know Harriet Hibbins (Joan Plowright) as Hester’s neighbour, Mary Rollings who just escaped from the Indians’ capture and Mathoda who doesn’t trust in the English people.

A few days later, Arthur goes to Hester to tell her the news. The Indians captured an English ship and killed everybody. Hester’s husband Roger Prynne was on this ship, too. Hester is glad to lose her husband, and Arthur and Hester are having sex in the wheat. But they have to keep their secret because Hester may be punished, may be hanged. A few months later, Hester is imprisoned because she is pregnant and doesn’t reveal identity of her baby’s father. Hester gives birth a girl in the prison, Mistress Hibbins helps her. She gives the Pearl name to her daughter.

The next scene - which is known from the book вЂ" takes place in front of the prison door. Hester stands on the scaffold. The scarlet letter „A” is put on her chest. „A” means adulterer. In the crowd that surrounds the scaffold, Hester’s husband, Roger Prynne emerges. He has just escaped from the Indians’ capture. He goes to Hester’s house and see her with illegitimate child, but she refuses to tell him her child’s father’s name. Roger promises to Hester sooner or later, he finds out who the father is, and he will revenge himself on father. Roger Prynne introduce himself to the society as a doctor and his name is Chillingsworth.

A couple of years later, when Pearl is five-year-old вЂ" she is daughter of Demi Moore4, by the way вЂ" the distance is biger between Hester and Arthur. They correspond with each other and Mituba takes the letter to Arthur that Chillingsworth soon realizes it.

The town’s fathers suspect mistress Hibbins of witchcraft who has good contact with Hester. Mistress Hibbins is cauhgt and imprisoned by soldiers.