With apologies to my high school teachers who made this a part of my curriculum years ago, I did not have a good memory of attempting to read this "classic" piece of literature. I found it talky, judgmental and infuriating, which my teacher explained to me was the point. However, in just over an hour I can see what I missed, not having to imagine the hateful prudes in my minds eye, and laugh at the gossip, who in the opening scene, has her tongue clipped in punishment.
But for alleged widow Colleen Moore be publicly humiliated for having a baby out of wedlock, I wanted to see the townswomen all get their tongues clipped, especially the one six years later who tried to get the Puritan church to take her child (Cora Sue Collins) away from her. Of course, the father is in their midst, him being the well respected minister Henry B. Walthall. Her husband pulls an Enoch Arden and returns from the dead, vowing out of pride, not love, to get revenge. As the years go by, he obviously suspects Albright, but he keeps silent at Moore's pleading request.
There don't seem to have been very many versions of the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel, and I am hard pressed to avoid the Demi Moore version. Like other "cliff notes" versions of novels at the time ("Oliver Twist ", "Jane Eyre", "A Christmas Carol", among others), this is obviously missing important details. But one thing that stands out for me is the obvious truth that the religious freedom that most Europeans came to a new world for is proved hypocritical. A narration in the titles indicates that it was necessary to form a new nation, but the sinning and gossipy nature of these puritanical old biddies proves otherwise. As I heard in a quote recently, there are two kinds of people: those who judge and those who mind their own business.
But for alleged widow Colleen Moore be publicly humiliated for having a baby out of wedlock, I wanted to see the townswomen all get their tongues clipped, especially the one six years later who tried to get the Puritan church to take her child (Cora Sue Collins) away from her. Of course, the father is in their midst, him being the well respected minister Henry B. Walthall. Her husband pulls an Enoch Arden and returns from the dead, vowing out of pride, not love, to get revenge. As the years go by, he obviously suspects Albright, but he keeps silent at Moore's pleading request.
There don't seem to have been very many versions of the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel, and I am hard pressed to avoid the Demi Moore version. Like other "cliff notes" versions of novels at the time ("Oliver Twist ", "Jane Eyre", "A Christmas Carol", among others), this is obviously missing important details. But one thing that stands out for me is the obvious truth that the religious freedom that most Europeans came to a new world for is proved hypocritical. A narration in the titles indicates that it was necessary to form a new nation, but the sinning and gossipy nature of these puritanical old biddies proves otherwise. As I heard in a quote recently, there are two kinds of people: those who judge and those who mind their own business.