Passion in Literature the Theme

Passion in Literature

The Theme of Passion in the Literary Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Emily Dickinson, Herman Melville, and Edgar Allan Poe

In his essay Hawthorne and His Mosses, Herman Melville expresses his own interpretation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's writing and literary works as having a "great power of blackness." By this, he means that within Hawthorne's writings lies an aspect unknown to the readers themselves -- that is, a pursuit for a particular kind of passion that makes up the "soul" or meaning of the text. In Hawthorne's writings, it is shown that beneath his central theme of human morality, he also talks about the human sin, and this is expressed in his novel, the Scarlet Letter.

In the novel, passion to avoid sinfulness is an important theme reflected in the character of Hester, the woman who was branded with the scarlet letter "A" as a reminder of her committing adultery. In this instance, passion to avoid sinfulness is represented by her rigidly conservative society, people who try very hard to cover up their own misgivings and shortcomings as humans by putting the burden of sinfulness to Hester's already tarnished reputation and character. As the story progresses, readers learn that Hawthorne's "great power of blackness" is this passion itself, a 'blackness' that is created by society as their own way of releasing their suppressed desires in life. Passion against sinfulness is embodied by Hester's character, and the people's hatred of her is their conscious way of saying that they are not immoral like her; yet, it is ironic that the society identifies with her as well, a symbol of every individual's passion that was not fulfilled or realized. Hester, in effect, is a 'forbidden fruit' that humanity so passionately wanted, yet cannot have because of the moral laws of humankind.

Passion for death is also present in Melville's novel, Moby Dick. The character Ahab's pursuit for Moby Dick is similar to society's pursuit for Hester's as a symbol of their passion for (and against) sinfulness. For Ahab, Moby Dick is a desire that has turned into a passion because its elusiveness; his not being able to capture the great whale became a source of frustration from him. Passion eventually develops as a result, where Ahab does not care anymore whether he lives or not, just as long as he lives long enough to capture Moby Dick. As Ahab tells Starbuck, his pursuit for Moby Dick is guided by his own passion, claiming that he is "Fates' lieutenant."

Poe in the Imp of the Perverse is perhaps the perfect example of Hawthorne's and Melville's interpretation of the "great blackness" embedded within works of literature. In Imp, the narrator talks about his passion for secrecy, death, and insanity, forbidden concepts and behavior that society would not talk about and tolerate, yet, take great interest into. What makes death and insanity objects of humanity's passion are, like Melville's Moby Dick and Hawthorne's Hester, their elusiveness. It is only through courageous disclosures such as Poe's Imp that human society knows the true nature of experiencing death and/or insanity.