Dimmesdale and Hooper: Copy and Paste or Unique Characters?
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
English Literature
Minor
Information Studies
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Gina Claywell
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
Nathanial Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter and "The Minister's Black Veil," is known for his dynamic characters and complex symbols. Arthur Dimmesdale, with his self-inflicted scarlet letter, and Pastor Hooper, with his black veil, are two of Hawthorne's more well-known characters; Hooper is often thought to be a rough draft of what would become Dimmesdale. But are they really that similar? Although Dimmesdale and Hooper have significant similarities in their confusion of the doctrine of Christianity, their strong connection to symbol, their isolation from their own community, and their role as pastor over a congregation, the implementation of these elements in the two texts and the approaches of the two men are quite different.
Fall Scholars Week 2018 Event
Literature Research Presentations
Dimmesdale and Hooper: Copy and Paste or Unique Characters?
Nathanial Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter and "The Minister's Black Veil," is known for his dynamic characters and complex symbols. Arthur Dimmesdale, with his self-inflicted scarlet letter, and Pastor Hooper, with his black veil, are two of Hawthorne's more well-known characters; Hooper is often thought to be a rough draft of what would become Dimmesdale. But are they really that similar? Although Dimmesdale and Hooper have significant similarities in their confusion of the doctrine of Christianity, their strong connection to symbol, their isolation from their own community, and their role as pastor over a congregation, the implementation of these elements in the two texts and the approaches of the two men are quite different.