Dark Romanticism And Transcendentalism

Dark Romanticism Romanticism took over American literature for a brief time, but changed the country in a significant way. Romantic literature gave Americans insight, imagination, and individualism. Within the works of this genre interest in the common man, strong emotions, love of nature, imagination, and celebration of the individual can be found. Romanticism can be sorted into two groups: dark romantic and transcendentalism. Transcendentalism influenced many dark romantics, but when comparing the two genres they are extremely dissimilar. Dark romanticism had themes of horror, tragedy, sin, fear, and the supernatural. Authors of this time took themes that are ordinarily looked at as revolting and created literature that was beautiful and …show more content…
In the beginning of the story Hawthorne makes it known that young Goodman Brown loves his wife, “she’s a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night, I’ll cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven” (Hawthorne). Hawthorne also expresses a strong sense of feeling when he describes young Goodman Brown feeling the need to carry out this duty. As much as he wants to stay with his young newlywedded wife he must accomplish this task, “My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must be done ‘twixt now and sunrise.” Hawthorne also told this story from Goodman Brown’s eyes only. The celebration of the individual is seen when Hawthorne makes it all about the protagonist and how he reacts and thinks to all the craziness that is constantly unfolding before his eyes. He shows the dark physiological torment that is thrust upon Goodman Brown, Hawthorne also uses symbols and imagery that strikes fear into the readers. Another story by Hawthorne that consists of dark romanticism themes is “The Birth-Mark” Hawthorne uses the main character Aylmer as an antagonist of his wife Georgina and her human flaws. Hawthorne uses strong sense of emotion to describe Georgina, who was looked upon by almost all the men as “one living specimen of ideal loveliness” (Hawthorne). But on her cheek, was a small red birthmark that her husband Aylmer believed made her imperfect. As the days went on in their marriage he saw the birthmark as more and more hideous. Hawthorne uses this to describe how lowly humans really are, “It was the fatal flaw of humanity, which Nature, in one shape or another, stamps ineffaceably on all her productions, either to imply that they are temporary and finite, or that their perfection must be wrought by toil and pain.” Hawthorne takes the idea of romanticism and the