The Unpardonable Sin in Hawthorne: A Re-Examination

Abstract

According to James, Hawthorne chose this interest as the playground of his imagination, as one of his toys! The second error stems from more recent emphasis on Hawthorne's concern with the social consequences of sin, confusing sin merely grave with sin unpardonable. Thus some writers, in correcting the assumption that Hawthorne's relation to sin was not moral, have unduly minimized its necessary theological basis. The traditional Christianity of Hawthorne has been reaffirmed in timely studies which refocus emphasis on the theological content of his works. Although Henry G. Fairbanks is not concerned specifically with the unpardonable sin, his article does imply that it, of all sins, has no meaning unless considered against traditional backgrounds. Leonard J. Fick makes