Custom House Questions

1) I believe the primary purpose for the Custom House introduction of the Scarlet Letter, was to establish the fundamentals of the book. Fundamentals create the basic knowledge of the book. Throughout the book it will continue to expand on what was already established to the readers in the book’s introduction. In the introduction we learn about the nameless narrator, the custom house, and the time period for which it was set. Personally I enjoy prefaces and introductions to book, because I attain a better understanding of the literature that I will soon be reading. Prefaces are written exactly for this reason. This is also to the author’s advantage, by establishing the common facts before hand, it eliminates the need to have to re explain what was already stated before the story began. This gives the author time to focus solely on the proceeding literature disabling the need for the author to backtrack.

The preface for The Scarlet Letter is one I have to admit I did not enjoy reading. Despite the fact of my love for prefaces, this one read as a history book. The custom house in my opinion came off as just a sad doom and gloom place made solely for prisoners and or Goths. “It was sorrowful to think how many days and weeks and months and years of toil had been wasted on these musty papers, which were now only an encumbrance on earth, and were hidden away in this forgotten corner, never more to be glanced at by human eyes.”(Hawthorne 27) I do however applaud Hawthorne for the visual that was placed within my head as I read his descriptions. As sad as they may have been they were descriptive, vibrant, and mentally stimulating. This is what I call art in text.

2) The Scarlet Letter was written in a way that the writer’s opinions could be expressed through the narrator. Perhaps this is why he is nameless; by giving the narrator a name he is giving him his own identity. This is usually why authors name their characters, when the characters have their own identity they can stand freely from their authors’. Perhaps Hawthorne does not want his character to stand freely, at least not at this time. I believe the change that occurs happens whilst the narrator reads over the newly found document titled The Scarlet Letter. Upon discovering The Scarlet Letter, the introduction becomes more concise, meaning as an audience we were able to catch our breath if you will from reading so much detail of the custom house if only for a moment. I feel that the purpose for him being more concise is because he wanted to make sure his audience would be able to clearly follow along with what he had to say, which infers that it is important.

“I must not be understood as affirming, that, in the dressing up of the tale, and imagining the motives and modes of passion that influenced the characters who figure in it.”(Hawthorne 32) Here Hawthorne is stating that the Story of The Scarlet Letter will be rewritten, however it will be kept closely to the original document as possible. Despite his Puritan ancestors’ beliefs in writing, the narrator proceeds to write with encouragement from the ghost of Mr. Surveyor Pue. “But, I charge you, in this matter of old Mistress Prynne, give to your predecessor’s memory the credit which will be rightfully due!” (Hawthorne 33). Instead of the readers reading the story as is, we will be reading it as the narrator re writes it, so technically it will be a story within a story. A change such as this needs to be acknowledged to the readers. It’s only in the readers’ best interest.

3) The changing of facts will change the basis of the book. Prior to the discovery of this document, we were given a plethora of descriptive facts of the custom house, and its history. From these descriptive facts, I assumed that the entire book will be based around events and people of the custom house. After realizing the change that will be made my opinion differed, now I feel that the book will be based around the narrator rewriting the book, instead of life at the custom house. In a way this change somewhat angers me. The introduction was solely based on the background information of the custom house, if the book will not be solely based around the custom house; what was the purpose of retaining useless information? I would have much rather read an introduction on Ms. Hester Prynne, and Mr. Surveyor Pue.

Despite the fact that pointless information was read, it is a relief to know the main point of the story. If the two segments are divided into before the discovery of the document and after, you will notice that it is a little more comprehendible after the discovery of the document. This could possibly mean that the book will flow more easily knowing that it won’t read like a textbook (before the discovery of the document). Before the document, the book was mainly based on giving facts and historical knowledge and not so much of getting into the thoughts and actions of the narrator. After discovering the document the narrator, became more personable. Readers could see that he was sensitive to how people felt about his writing, and also how much thought and care went into rewriting the document.