In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories “The Minister’s Black Veil,” “The Birthmark,” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” the common theme of pride were presented throughout these stories. In “The Minister Black Veil” was about a minister named Mr. Hooper who placed a black veil over his face to gain power over his congregation. “The Birthmark” was regarding a scientist named Alymer whose ultimate goal was to remove a birthmark off of his wife’s face. “Rappaccini’s Daughter” was about a scientist named Dr. Rappaccini who created a Garden of Eden, made his daughter poisonous, and lured a man in to be her husband. All of the stories illustrated the character’s desire for power over others and the consequences brought as a result of

Hawthorne would have most likely relied on Puritan educational history as a setting for the newly married Brown’s self-examination. In the setting of the tale, Brown would fall under the Half-Way Covenant, and his education under Goody Cloyse in part fosters the need within Brown to enter the forest at night and seek the true conversion experience that would allow him full membership. It was Puritan belief that man must be instructed to realize his own depravity, and therefore at childhood the education began for Hawthorne (Hull). As a Puritan Young Goodman Brown sought a true conversion experience (McCabe). Puritanism required their followers to doubt themselves and their community so much as a reality in which one could achieve grace (Moore). Hawthorne portrayed this in the story of “Young Goodman Brown.”

power. Mr. Hooper, Alymer, and Dr. Rappaccini all exhibited pride in what they were trying to achieve. Mr. Hooper intended to wear a black veil for one sermon, but after feeling the power that it imposed in him, he decided never to take it off. The power over the congregation gave him pride in what he was accomplishing. Mr. Hooper took pride in delivering the normal Sunday sermon, but the black veil brought on new powers over every member that left the minister even more gratified. Alymer first took pride in being a great scientist. After Alymer was wed, he took pride in combining his new love with his foremost passion of science in trying to remove a birthmark from her face. Although the potion he created was to kill his wife, Alymer nonetheless took pride in the science of creating a potion that did actually remove the birthmark. Rappaccini was prideful in the creation of his daughter and at the same time the creation of a new flower. He took pride of his plant experimentation and in trying to create the perfect Garden of Eden for his daughter. When Hawthorne wrote these stories he showed that the pride and coldness of these characters would leave readers outraged by their thoughtless actions a

Some topics in this essay:
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