The Scarlet Letter (The Custom House)

1) In the "Custom House," written as an introduction to The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne gives an autobiographical description of his life and times. The detailed descriptions of the scenes and people prepare the reader for the author's style. The preface concentrates on the author's period of service at the Custom House during which time he came into contact with several people and had the opportunity to study human behavior. The description of his co-employees and others shows the author's deft hand at characterization, which is revealed during the novel. Further, the preface serves the purpose of giving a background to the novel and introduces America's Puritanical ancestors. This preface is only semi-fictional because Hawthorne himself became a surveyor of the Salem custom house in 1846.



2) Nathaniel Hawthorne did not exactly change his writing style, but it did seem to be easier to read when he entered the diary section of the introduction. When he got into the section of the diary, he did not talk about the Custom House anymore. He focused primarily on the diary, his own personal descriptions, and his ancestors. Hawthorne gave the reader a more visual image allowing the reader to visualize a poorly lit room, which was a perfect setting for the caliginous secrets that were revealed.

In the section of the diary, I could not help but to feel a dim and obscure presence. It may have been the word choice that Nathaniel Hawthorne used. “Cold spirituality of the moonbeams” was one of the things that made me feel this along with when he said that his imagination was like “a tainted mirror.” If that was the pathos that Nathaniel Hawthorne wanted the reader to fell, he did suceeded.

3) The impact that this has on the story is that the readers can now enter the story without any awkwardness as to what is going on, and how did everything just change all at once. If Nathaniel Hawthorne decides to have some kind of unexpected change, the reader will be more prepared for it because we have got a better sense as to where Hawthorne is coming from and his writing style. This creates a steady flow when reading "The Scarlet Letter" and less confusion.