The difference between Puritanism and Transcendentalism

Nathaniel hawthorne is regarded as one of the most outstanding American novelists in the19th century.

Puritanism is a very important part of Hawthorne's ideological system. In his masterpiece The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne refuted transcendentalism with the basic idea of Puritanism, which became a major theme of The Scarlet Letter.

First of all, regarding the relationship between man and God, Hawthorne insisted on the Puritan doctrines such as "absolute authority of God" and "inner depravity of man". Because of this, some views of Transcendentalism are totally unacceptable to Hawthorne, such as: human nature is good, human strength is infinite, and people rely on innate instinct to approach God. Hawthorne believes that only when people first realize their inner depravity can they have repentance, and only through repentance, repentance and atonement can they get close to God.

Secondly, regarding the relationship between man and society, Hawthorne never agreed with the individualism advocated by transcendentalists. In Hawthorne's view, an individualist immersed in self-appreciation and self-interest alienated from society and committed a crime. In addition, Hawthorne can't accept the radical argument of transcendentalists about transforming society.

Thirdly, Hawthorne's thought about the relationship between man and nature also reflects the great difference between him and transcendentalists. Transcendentalists believe that the face of nature is never ugly, and people can be integrated with nature and transcend the level of God. Hawthorne thinks that nature is a symbol of wilderness, barbarism and heresy, and it is the opposite of human civilization, which will keep people away from the road of God and civilized society.

Fourthly, in the relationship between people, Hawthorne thinks that transcendentalists overemphasize the importance and interests of individuals and ignore the relationship between people. Hawthorne, on the other hand, emphasizes the common destiny between people and advocates the sympathy between people based on this. In the relationship between men and women, Hawthorne believes that feminism advocated by transcendentalists and women's independence and freedom deviate from women's natural role and do not help to improve the relationship between men and women. In Hawthorne's view, the essence that God has given women to be women is the most important thing for women.