"The online world lends itself to the human tendencies of confession and concealment of sin, yet does so ineffectually, as one cannot truly gain the freedoms of confession by incriminating oneself online, nor can human flaw really be kept from the ever-reaching arms of the internet."
What is a thesis without some research, though? Here are some helpful sources that I've found throughout my online research:
- McEntyre, Marilyn Chandler. Reading like a Serpent: What the Scarlet a Is about. Eugene, Or.: Wipf and Stock, 2012. Web. This scholarly monograph outlines a possible Christian lens with which to read The Scarlet Letter, addressing specific doctrinal topics like faith, forgiveness, and... (drumroll please) confession! I contacted Dr. McEntyre (who has a website, blog, etc.) with questions about how she might connect the idea to the digital age. We'll see if she responds! I found a review of the book using Google blogs.
- Rasgussis, Michael. Family Discourse and Fiction in The Scarlet Letter. ELH 49.4. Pg 863-88. 1982. Though that citation belongs to the original publication in a journal, this scholarly addition to my novel, contained in a chapter called "The Critical Background", discusses how Hester, Arthur, and Roger refuse to verbalize the truth about the origin of the A, therefore denying Pearl of personal identity and family connections. Essentially, it describes an effect of concealment.
- Bercovitch, Sacvan. Hawthorne's A-Morality of Compromise. 1988. Another citation fail... this scholarly addition in my edition of the novel focuses on the implications of The Scarlet Letter, and Hester's decision to take it back up even after her return to Puritan society. It basically analyzes the efficacy of the A as a punishment, and can therfore tie to my argument that online confession/concealment serves as an inefectual form of relief.
