Name symbolism in Hawthorne's five finished novels

Because of the allegorical nature of much of Hawthorne’s work, it is appropriate to discover symbolism in the author's selection of given names and surnames for his characters. Name symbolism includes both sound and meaning of names or parts of names. Symbolic naming is defined as that technique through which a character's name, straightforwardly or ironically, reveals his inner nature and his relationship to other characters. This revelation, in turn, serves to underscore thematic points in the works. In Hawthorne’s five finished novels, there are at least four distinct sources for the symbolic names of characters; there are actual historical names, Biblical, classic, or literary names, common foreign or provincial names, and names probably original with Hawthorne. There are, of course, frequent combinations of these sources.

In this investigation into Hawthorne’s use of name symbolism in the five finished novels, it will be noted that the technique is closely related to the degree of development of a character. The closer a character comes to being a purely symbolic character, the more obvious is the name; conversely, the more individualized the character, the more subtle and ambiguous is the name.

This thesis analyzes the names of all the characters in Fanshawe, The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and The Marble Faun, in that order, and attempts to show that an understanding of the symbolic meaning of characters’ names can be helpful in leading the reader to a more thorough comprehension of Hawthorne's characters and themes.