Nostalgia of the past, individual uniqueness, whispers of wisdom on the wind, and horrible nightmares. These characteristics describe the Romantic time period. Romanticism distinguishes itself as an intellectual and artistic movement differentiated by a deeper interest in nature, the stress of emotional and imaginative expression of the individual, and the withdrawal of classicism. Whether the overall message appears as one of peace and prosper, or one of dark, devilish musings, the goal was to exercise self-awareness and the vision of a bigger picture; an idea very commonly found in literature of the time period. William Cullen Bryant’s “Thanatopsis,” Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil,” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the
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The belief in sin or evil develops through the following scene where Reverend Hooper’s wife confronts him concerning his new headdress. Reverend Hooper, of the small town Milford, faces intense internal conflict. He believes that his past wrongdoings and sin reflects through his eyes, so he hid his own face from the world with a black piece of cloth that must never come off his face. Many people in the town now fear the reverend due to the black veil, and his wife feels she must now address this issue. With kind words of removing the veil failing, she moves on to explaining that “although he is beloved and respected, there are whispers on the street that he hides his face under secret sin” (Hawthorne). By wearing this veil, Hooper creates a gloomy cloud of fear and confusion. Without any proper context as to why he wears it, the public must come to its own conclusion, this conclusion being that the reverend wears it to cover up secret sin or internal evil. In this romantic time period, it was common to believe in such sin or evil; a piece of evidence that explains how the belief in such darkness exists in the story. Sin and evil became a concern for these people because of their obsession with strange, gothic things, which sums up why they focused only on the grim details of their reverend. The romantic trait of gothic idea presents itself through symbolism …show more content…
Through the use of a symbol, such psychological exploration makes an appearance. The owner of the House of Usher, Roderick Usher, suffers from illness of the mind and writes to the unnamed narrator to visit and help him, for they were childhood friends. The narrator then journeys to the House of Usher on horseback. Upon arriving at the mansion, the narrator notes its corroded appearance, particularly that the “main feature is one of excessive antiquity; discoloration over many years, vegetation overspreads the entire exterior, and apart from extreme dilapidation, it still stands structurally sound” (Poe). Clearly, the mansion has lost all of its beauty throughout the years. This degradation of the mansion stands as a symbol that reflects the mental state of its owner. As a beautiful piece of art discolors or grows faint over the years, so does the human mind. As Roderick Usher progressively lost hold of his mental state, he also lost control of his estate and it too crumbled, but they both still stand. As the narrator enters the house later in the story, he notices that walking through the house simulates a physical depiction of the owners mind. The Fall of the House of Usher portrays psychological exploration through literary connection between the mansion and its owner. Emotion played a big role in the romanticism time period;
The belief in sin or evil develops through the following scene where Reverend Hooper’s wife confronts him concerning his new headdress. Reverend Hooper, of the small town Milford, faces intense internal conflict. He believes that his past wrongdoings and sin reflects through his eyes, so he hid his own face from the world with a black piece of cloth that must never come off his face. Many people in the town now fear the reverend due to the black veil, and his wife feels she must now address this issue. With kind words of removing the veil failing, she moves on to explaining that “although he is beloved and respected, there are whispers on the street that he hides his face under secret sin” (Hawthorne). By wearing this veil, Hooper creates a gloomy cloud of fear and confusion. Without any proper context as to why he wears it, the public must come to its own conclusion, this conclusion being that the reverend wears it to cover up secret sin or internal evil. In this romantic time period, it was common to believe in such sin or evil; a piece of evidence that explains how the belief in such darkness exists in the story. Sin and evil became a concern for these people because of their obsession with strange, gothic things, which sums up why they focused only on the grim details of their reverend. The romantic trait of gothic idea presents itself through symbolism …show more content…
Through the use of a symbol, such psychological exploration makes an appearance. The owner of the House of Usher, Roderick Usher, suffers from illness of the mind and writes to the unnamed narrator to visit and help him, for they were childhood friends. The narrator then journeys to the House of Usher on horseback. Upon arriving at the mansion, the narrator notes its corroded appearance, particularly that the “main feature is one of excessive antiquity; discoloration over many years, vegetation overspreads the entire exterior, and apart from extreme dilapidation, it still stands structurally sound” (Poe). Clearly, the mansion has lost all of its beauty throughout the years. This degradation of the mansion stands as a symbol that reflects the mental state of its owner. As a beautiful piece of art discolors or grows faint over the years, so does the human mind. As Roderick Usher progressively lost hold of his mental state, he also lost control of his estate and it too crumbled, but they both still stand. As the narrator enters the house later in the story, he notices that walking through the house simulates a physical depiction of the owners mind. The Fall of the House of Usher portrays psychological exploration through literary connection between the mansion and its owner. Emotion played a big role in the romanticism time period;