Question

What can you infer about Hawthorne’s attitude towards his puritan ancestors?

Answer 1

If The Scarlett Letter is any indication, Hawthorne likely sees his puritan ancestors to hold a mob mentality.

Answer 2

Answer:

Explanation:Hawthorne had very profound connect with his puritan ancestors and thus crafted a work especially "The Scarlett Letter" where he had both admired the strengths and criticized the follies of puritan belief system. He fulfilled both his duties, as a descendent of puritans he highlighted their values of perseverance, integrity, moral courage, inner strength and beliefs in detail and as a writer foregrounded the shallowness of their rigid and prejudicial norms which had split the society not merely based on religion but gender too. He had strictly opposed the stern and repressive nature of the puritans as it left no space for "Individual freedom". Through Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, he represents the firmness and hard work of puritans and through Hester contradicts the very belief system of them. Even after an attempt to fulfill both his responsibilities, Hawthorne keeps the conflict alive as both Dimmesdale and Chillingworth were "sinners" as per their deeds but still considered to be the respectable part of the society while Hester was an "outcast".