I want to investigate why Hawthorne decided to make Hollingsworth so egotistical and so intolerant to other ideas. It seems that Hawthorne was trying to speak out against the efforts of reform / philanthropy in the 19th century. So, I want to research philanthropy & prison reform in the 19th century and compare the efforts and actions with those of Hollingsworth, and use this information to figure out what Hawthorne was trying to say about reform.
I actually found another copy of The Blithedale Romance which had at its beginning a great introduction about the various historical contexts. There were many reform movements going on at the time - such as abolitionism, the temperance movement, the women's rights movement, and prison reform. Most of the reform movements had extremists who, like Hollingsworth, only cared about their reform and did not give any one else a second thought. For example, William Lloyd Garrison of the abolitionist movement was described as "a fanatic" and was opposed by many people (8).
Prison reform had two new systems. The first system “stressed the total isolation of prisoners,” while the second system “enforced isolation at night…but allowed prisoners to work together” (10). There was another method of transforming criminals into moral citizens, as Hollingsworth exemplified.
Reform in Hawthorne’s age, while beneficial, also led to unforeseen consequences that Hawthorne did not like. He was against the radical-ness of some of the reform movements, because they would often lead to trouble for the group that was not getting directly affected by the reform. For example, some argued that while the abolitionist movement helped the slaves, white men who worked hard jobs for extremely low pay were worse off because they were not guaranteed safety (8). So, not everyone would benefit.
It seems I’ve gotten a somewhat generalization so far – that Hawthorne was disillusioned against some of the reform movements of his time, and thus showed Hollingsworth as a selfish philanthropist in order to criticize the reform movements. I originally was going to focus on philanthropic movements, but now after reading, I think I am going to concentrate more on reform movements – but still try to focus on prison reform.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Blithedale Romance. Bedford Cultural ed. Houndmilss: Macmillan P LTD., 1996. 1-506.
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3 comments:
Very cool research topic. I'm sure it'll lead you into really interesting research about a topic that doesn't get discussed too often.
Well, Hawthorne certainly did not seem to like social reform very much. He apparently hated being at Brook Farm, based on his accounts of his experience there and how he portrays Blithedale in the novel. It is interesting you bring up prison reform. Now that's two kinds of reform Hawthorne possibly opposed.
It is interesting how Hawthorne is so focused on reform. In the novel he touches on a lot of different movements. Hawthorne's novels are like the social commentary of the time. I think it is a good topic and good luck.
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