The Custom - House

Bebe Oguntade
Ap EnglishIII
Period 2

The Custom House
John Fransoza’s Customhouse is basically criticism as well as an in depth analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorn’s work. With the use of various opinions, literary terms and examples, he gives readers a better understanding of the introductory chapter of The Scarlet Letter. John explains the origin of the story, as well as why Hawthorne decided to recreate it, and turn it into what it is today. He also analyzed some of the major characters like Hester Prynne, Chillingsworth, Dimmesdale and Pearl. In John’s opinion, this article is the first criticism, which does not only demonstrate the unity of the sketch and the narrative of the custom house, but also identifies the psychological themes, operating in the Scarlet Letter. The most significant thing about this passage is that it gives readers a clue of what they will be reading, as they progress with the Scarlet Letter.
In the beginning of the article John describes the attention getters of the book. “ A throng of bearded men … intermixed with women”. This quotes describe the first set of people that were introduced to the readers, in the very beginning of the original story. John also introduces Hester Prynne who is the protagonist of the story. “A throng of bearded men … intermixed with women is seen gathered outside the prison door from which Hester and her infant will emerge” John construes that this imagery is the figure of maternity, which immediately captures the interests of the readers.
Another main idea in this article is the way John view issues with psychoanalytic perspectives. When describing how Pearl might have been dealing with leaving with her single mother, and been deprived of things that other kids have, or even one of the most important things, which is the love of a father. “ According to psychoanalytic theory, the key relationship in the first year is a symbiotic dyad. Within weeks after its biological separation from the mother, the infant is seduced into a psychological symbiosis with a maternal figure. Words cannot adequately describe this relationship, since it predates the infants acquisition of language and the use of symbols, and the term relationship is misleading because in this experience, there is no differentiation between self and other. This quote explains how the separation from a biological parent can affect the life of a child.
Even if Hawthorne does not see things and interpret them the way John Franzosa did, because not all writers agree on the same opinion, there can be ways by which readers can connect both writers’ opinion, and let it make sense while trying to understand the story.