“A” is for Ambiguity: Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter and Selected Short Stories

Nathaniel Hawthorne hid in plain sight. So do the multiple symbols of his works, as we will discover in his masterpiece The Scarlet Letter as well as in his short stories, “Young Goodman Brown,” “The Minister’s Black Veil,” and “Ethan Brand.” In these works, Hawthorne’s symbols pulse with contradictory effects so that his symbols are more ambiguous than focused. In other words, does he mean this, or does he mean that? And, to what purpose is his ambiguity, whether deliberate or unintentional? We will try to arrive at unambiguous conclusions.

Any editions the student has available will be fine. Required short stories will be available for downloading on the course website. For those who wish to purchase anew: Nathanial Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, ISBN 978-1519425591; Hawthorne’s Short Stories, edited by Newton Arvin, Vintage, ISBN 978-0307741219.

Leona Dufour has an MA in English Literature and before retiring taught AP and Regents classes in an upstate New York high school. She has previously taught four classes with Janet Kehl and has taught solo for two others.