Popular Romantic writers of the 1800s focus on many facets of human nature in their works, both benevolent and malevolent. However, three aspects of human nature are key to Romantic literature: those being madness, the forces of good and evil, and the result of guilt after sin. Hawethorn’s The Scarlet Letter incorporates all of those aspects, and various works of Poe’s do as well, creating clear parallels in their stories. The first comparison of their works is in Usher in “The Fall of the House of Usher” and Chillingworth, the second is with the narrator of “The Tell Tale Heart” and Dimmesdale, and the third is with Montresor from “The Cask of Amontillado” and Puritan society. These associations reveal the authors’ bleak view of human nature.
