Question

Which feature of Gothic writing does this passage from Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet letter most illustrate?

They averred that the symbol was not mere Scarlet cloth tinged in an earthly dye pot, but was red hot with infernal fire, and could be seen glowing all alight whenever Hester prynne walked aboard in the night time and we must needs say it seared Hester bosom so deeply that perhaps there was more truth in the rumor than our modern incredulity may be inclined to admit
A the supernatural
B human madness
C Death and mortality
D nature's power

Answer 1

A : the supernatural “they averred that the symbol was not mere Scarlet cloth tinged in an earthly dye pot, but was red hot with infernal fire”.

Answer 2

The correct answer is A. The supernatural

Step-by-step explanation:

Gothic writing is a type of literary genre that mixes fiction with elements such as death, horror, and supernatural events and creatures. This type of writing can be identified for the dark and unusual settings in which the story takes place; the evil or supernatural characters and the existence of events that cannot be explained. In the case of the excerpt presented from "The Scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne" the narrator describes the way in which the symbol of the Scarlet letter Hester Prynne should use "was not mere Scarlet cloth tinged in an earthly dye pot, but was red hot with infernal fire" which suggest the symbol was not only a Scarlett letter but a representation of the hell or the devil also the narrator emphasizes the symbol "could be seen glowing all alight whenever Hester Prynne walked aboard in the night time" which suggest the symbol has supernatural features. Thus, the feature of Gothic writing this excerpt illustrates is the supernatural as the symbol glows in a supernatural way and is linked to the devil and the hell, which is also a common feature in gothic literature.