The Holder of
the World by Bharati Mukherjee adopts many elements of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s,
The Scarlet Letter. In this blog, I will discuss a few of the
main points that Mukherjee emulates in his novel.
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| King Phillip |
In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is a strong female individual
that is made an example of in front of the whole community. She is ostracized, ridiculed, and punished
for having pre-marital sex. Hester is
forced to have the A branded upon her chest and there it remains. Hester suffers because of the community’s
perception of her. In The Holder of the World, Hannah Easton
is punished and ostracized. I see her
mother’s death as a punishment of some sort from King Phillip. The author does not really give an
explanation for why her mother was killed.
It is as if King Phillip is asserting his dominance in America by having
a massacre. Mukherjee writes about the
impact on Hannah, “Has any child been so burdened? She has witnessed the Fall, not Adam’s Fall,
Rebecca’s Fall. Her mother’s Fall,
infinitely more sinful than the Fall of man” (30). Hannah witnesses the execution of her mother
and is then raised with her neighbor.
There is a connection between Hannah and Hester Prynne. They both suffer from an outsider’s
perspective.
Another key connection that I see
between the books is the naming.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s main characters are reflected in The Holder of the World as well. Mukherjee chooses the names of Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s characters in The Scarlet
Letter. Hester, Prynne, and even
John Hathorne are utilized in The Holder
of the World. Mukherjee is
commenting on The Scarlet Letter
through these characters. Mukherjee is
also commenting on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s past because of the mentioning of
Hawthorne’s ancestor, John Hathorne. I think
that Mukherjee is commenting on the reasons why Hawthorne added the “w” to his
name. John Hathorne is known for his
participation in the Salem Witch Trials.
Nathaniel is ashamed of this and changed his name because of it. I believe that Mukherjee is commenting on how
the injustice is something that Hawthorne needed to conceal because it is a
very dismal appearance toward his family line.
There are a lot of key features of The Scarlet Letter that Mukherjee reflects
on in his novel. The Holder of the World is a reflection on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.
I don't think Hannah's mother dies. She runs away with a Native American lover and another woman brings Hannah to be raised by other people. Hannah never talks to anyone about this because it would be bad for her and she would be "tainted" in the eyes of others if they knew what her mother had done. In the end of the novel, when she becomes the Salem Bibi, she finally understands her mother and I believe she does find her doesn't she? But without her Native American guy because he died? I'm not completely sure about my last two questions, but I know for sure that she wasn't murdered in front of Hannah and didn't die as far as we know of.
ReplyDeleteThank you for pointing that out to me. I re read the section and realized that I had misread it the first time.
ReplyDeleteBeyond these partially superficial aspects of the text which you bring up, what connections can be made between the thematic elements of the novel and its relationship to literary history and the agency of literature? What does Mukherjee have to say about literary history, and how does what she seems to say reflect upon the agency of literature?
ReplyDeleteMarissa is right, and yes she does find her mother in the end of the novel. The mother's relation to Hester is made blatantly clear at the end of the novel-She continues to wear the letter "I", and if I recall correctly, she chooses to do so. I wonder what the significance of the "black" Pearl and the "white" Pearl (Hannah) is. I also think that there is something significant to Hannah's return to America. It reminds me of Hester's return, at the end of The Scarlet Letter. I also, think it is important to point out the return of Hannah's mother to society (also, similar to Hester).
ReplyDeleteI have finally finished the book and I will express my opinions more thoroughly now instead of my "superficial" remarks earlier. Yes, I only posted this blog just because it was due.
ReplyDeleteTo answer Mike's question, I believe that Mukherjee utilizes a fluid timeline in order to show the importance of literary history. The novel frequently changes between Beigh and Hannah's centuries. I believe that Mukherjee thinks that the specific time of an individual makes all the difference when considering the meaning or the agency of a text. Mukherjee wrote specifically in the 16th century and modern times to critique The Scarlet Letter (which just happened to be a critique on what Nathaniel Hawthorne shies away from because of his personal lineage). I believe she is trying to say that the space, geography, and time will all dictate together the meaning of the message. By the meaning of the message, I mean the reflection of how the audience will perceive it.
I liked how you brought up specific connections to The Scarlet Letter in your blog (and more recent comments). From a few of the other blogs and what we talked about a bit in class, I was wondering—do you think that the only reason Mukherjee wrote this novel was to comment on the Scarlet Letter and provide the same message, only this time more global? Or do you think Mukherjee used the Scarlet Letter as a reference to get across a completely different message altogether?
ReplyDelete