Close Reading

Today, we learned yet another way to break down a text called close reading, and it’s a bit confusing. I am not really sure what I am supposed to be looking for when asked to utilize this technique. I am not sure if I should put on my formalist perspective shades and look at diction, or if I should put on my biographical perspective shades and look at the author’s past. Maybe it is a combination of all the critical perspectives? I am just unsure.

Despite my confusion about close reading, I jumped right in when we were asked to look at symbols in the first chapter of The Scarlet Letter. When I read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel in the summer, I picked up on some of the symbols in the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, but looking it back over today really highlighted all the symbolic foreshadowing within the first few paragraphs. I was able to realize all of Hawthorne’s hints the second time around because I already knew the plot of the story. This allowed me to draw connections between Hester and the rosebush, the overgrown weeds to the town’s ideals, and the prison to the Puritan society. Discussing my thoughts with Jordyn and Connor further emphasized these parallels and it honestly made me appreciate the book in a whole new light. The metaphors Hawthorne used to foreshadow The Scarlet Letter were awesome. I wish I could craft my writing that beautifully. Now that I look back on what I just wrote, I pretty much just answered the question I posed in the first paragraph. Close reading is just deeply analyzing small portions of literary works. Funny how that kind of stuff happens.

While talking about symbols in The Scarlet Letter, I made a real life connection to Hester, the prison, and the whole idea of attempting to suppress mankind’s inner demons. I have a 30-year-old cousin who has been in and out of the prison system for various marijuana and hallucinogenic mushroom offenses. He was once in a prison for a one and a half year period.  He is currently on parole for the next two years. Despite his record, he is a very pleasant person, very existential, and witty. He often reminds me a philosopher and I always love when I get to spend time with him. While the offenses are drastically different, I believe both him and Hester share a similar ideology. Hester does not really care about what the Puritan society thinks about her. She wears her “A” with pride and learns to live on her own and not depend on people’s thoughts. My cousin is the same way. He is one of those people who does not trust the government and is very eco friendly. He’s basically a hippy. He doesn’t care what society labels him as, he does what makes him happy, and he is self -sufficient. This attitude reflects Hester’s ideology in The Scarlet Letter and is why she and my cousin are such interesting characters.