The World of the Fathers
Hawthorne in “The Custom-House”
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8894896 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marty Roth (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 83-91 |
| Publication date | 2019-05-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Canadian Review of American Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-7720 • E-ISSN: 1710-114X |
| Publisher | University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.3138/cras.2018.017 |
| OpenAlex | W2946190096 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s essay “The Custom-House” takes the form of a classic nekuia, a descent into the underworld to confront the dead but commanding father and redeem a saving cultural message or vision. The custom house is the setting for this journey, which takes the form of a series of spectral encounters. Hawthorne refuses to acknowledge the initial supplicants (King Derby, and John and William Hathorne) but acquiesces to the demands of a third, Surveyor Pue. As is well-known, the essay has a problematic relationship with the romance that follows it. For one thing, the Hawthorne of “The Custom-House” is a spent force, a failed romancer. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne both defies his Puritan ancestors and accedes to their wishes
Art · Art history · Descent (aeronautics · Literature · Romance · Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality Studies · History · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Religion, Gender, and Enlightenment
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |