A young boys parents did not get the opportunity to attend college and they divorced when he was only seven. His father was addicted to crack cocaine and his mother began to sell herself as a source of income. He was tossed back and forth between the two houses and used as a way for the two parents to get back at each other. As a result, this boy grew up to be a criminal and was thrown in jail for selling drugs for his father. This life of crime and debauchery was all that he knew. He constantly paid for the mistakes of his parents and his parents parents.
This is a common event that has taken place in human society throughout time. Nathaniel Hawthorne recognized the fact that people have the burden of constantly dealing with the shortcomings and lack of opportunity that come with many mistakes that parents make. This theme and realization of Hawthornes is a prevalent theme in many of his stories. This theme and idea that one must pay for the mistakes of his or her forefathers is displayed not only in Hawthornes own history but in his stories Dr. Rappacinis Daughter, The Birthmark, and Young Goodman Brown as well.
Hawthorne had a family history which he was personally ashamed of. He was born in Salem Massachusetts in 1804 with the emotional burden of having a great-great grandfather that was the judge that presided over the Salem witch trials (Gollin 1). This man wrongfully convicted many women that were put to death as a result of his conviction. The blood of these women was on his hands and it was probably the thought in Hawthornes mind that his ancestor did the devils work . This family history is most prominently displayed in his story Young Goodman Brown as Goodman faces similar internal conflict during his journey (Gray 90).
Hawthorne thought that his sea captain father paid for these mistakes as he was killed on a voyage when Hawthorne was four years old (Nathaniel Hawthorne 259). Hawthorne could have conceived this idea directly from Gods own word. The Bible claims that God will inflict punishment for their fathers wickedness on the children of those who hate [him] down to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 20. 5). Hawthornes own personal family history imbedded this theme in his own theologies.
This theme is displayed in Hawthornes short story Dr. Rappacinis Daughter. It can first be displayed as Dr. Rappacinis lush garden is compared to the garden of Eden. The character Giovanni ponders over the questions was this garden, then, the Eden of the present world and was Dr. Rappacini the Adam (Hawthorne 259). This is an illusion to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, the first two humans created in the vision of God and ancestors to every human on earth. The mistakes and wickedness caused by the disobedience of Gods commands led to the destruction of the garden. The sins of our first ancestors is something that humans can never dispose of. The garden of Eden was thought to be the root of mans evil and sins by Hawthorne (Pattee 167).
Dr. Rappacini had a beautiful daughter, Beatrice, who was arrayed with as much richness of taste as the most splendid of the flowers in the garden (Hawthorne 259). Beatrice was her fathers creation, his sick and twisted way of trying to create a human that held the power of death like the beautiful purple flowers in the garden. Unfortunately, he did this to his own daughter so, she was forced to pay for his mistakes. She describes how at the hour when [she] first drew breath, this plant sprang from the soil, the offspring of [her fathers] science… ile [she] was but [her fathers] earthly child (Hawthorne 273).
She is the victim of her fathers experiment and she passes on to her death. She pays an immeasurable price. Hawthorne also imbeds this theme in another short story entitled The Birthmark. This story describes a doctor named Aylmers love for his dear wife named Georgiana. She is perfect except for an earthly imperfection described as a small crimson hand on her cheek, a birthmark. As Aylmer becomes more accustomed to her beauty and perfection, he becomes more repulsed by her one imperfection.
For the fact that if she did not have the birthmark, the world might possess one living specimen of ideal loveliness without the semblance of a flaw (Hawthorne 228). This one genetic flaw given to her by her parents leads to her downfall. Aylmer tries to idealize feminine beauty, therefore making Beatrice out to be a monster (Way 15). This goes back to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve. Eve is the one who consults with Satan and therefore deems women to be wicked. Also, men are believed to be created directly from Gods image, whereas women are created from men. This makes men holier than women.
As Aylmer tries to remove it with a potion, he is successful. However, this success is marked by her death as the gross fatality of earth exult[s] in its invariable triumph over the immortal essence (Hawthorne 238). As her earthly imperfection is removed, so is her spirit, that which is unearthly. This very touching story and Georgianas grief and misery is caused to something that was given to her by her parents even before her birth. She is another victim of this that has to pay with her life. Much like Beatrice and Georgiana had to pay for the mistakes of their forefathers, so did Goodman Brown in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown.
This story is describes Goodman Browns journey through the woods in early Puritanical America. At the beginning of his journey, he meets an older man. This older man is the devil himself in disguise and refers Goodman Brown as his friend. Goodman is not aware that this friendly man is the devil. The man informs Goodman that he has been as well acquainted with [his] family as with ever a one among the Puritans and goes on to claim that he aided Goodmans grandfather in the lashing of Quaker women and his father with the burning of an Indian village (Hawthorne 249-250).
Goodman is more than shocked to hear these things because neither his father or grandfather mentioned any of these horrible deeds. He was given the impression that he had come from a long line of good-hearted Christian people. Goodman was unfortunately living in a fantasy world. His heart was so deeply and quickly brought to the reality that wickedness is in the human heart as he progressed along his journey that he would never recover.
Goodman discovered that the source of evil is in the heart of man, not primarily in institutions (Waggoner 19). Goodman paid for the mistakes of his forefathers as the devil appeared to him because he felt that evil and wicked deeds were in this young mans heart by nature. A common truth has existed as long a humans have existed that comes from whatever driving force of life that is believed. Somehow nature, or God, has a way of punishing those whose ancestors were not Godly-like or that did harmful or destructive things during their lifetimes.
This might be explained as a way to encourage humans to do good in their lives as a test for the love of themselves and their children. However, this can place an almost unconquerable burden on those who are not wicked at heart and must pay and struggle because of the horrible deeds, reputation, or lack of success of their ancestors or relatives. This burden is placed in a theme common in Hawthornes short stories The Birthmark, Dr. Rappacinis Daughter, and in Young Goodman Brown. Hawthorne realized that this was something that was inescapable even in his own life.
