3.2 Conflicting sentiments 

After his marriage，he is so happy and makes many friends in the same camp, but we can see more loneliness in his novel, especially in The Scarlet Letter. He tries to criticize the Puritan when Hawthorne witnesses the oppression and destruction of Puritanism on the humanity. The authoritarian governance of Puritanism caused the reflection of Hawthorne. Besides, the Transcendentalism came to American at later time. Because of the good relationship with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, both of whom are the creator of the Transcendentalism, he is also affected by these ideas. He is attracted by this new mind. However, he thinks Transcendentalism is too positive to the analysis of humanity, which is not as profound as Puritanism. Although he is skeptical on the Puritanism, he still thinks that the inner darkness of humanity is ubiquitous. 

Therefore, he attends to reveal the darkness of humanity in his works. He is doubted on the religious fanaticism and religious dogma in the Puritanism. However, he is deeply influenced by Puritanism. All of these complicated sentiments cause his ambivalence to Puritanism. It is just because of this complicated sentiment that arouses his reflection and rethinking on the Puritanism. So the religious ideas of Hawthorne are more focused on the care for the humanity, the reflection on the morality and the thinking on the relationship between human and regions. Besides, he advocates liberate the freedom of the humanity and thinks that people should get freedom by themselves rather than depending on others. All of these views are affected by the Transcendentalism. Some also think that “Many characters in The Scarlet Letter can be found the prototype in the Bible” (Dai 53). The Transcendentalism advocates that the independence of soul, the self-help of people and to realize the harmony between human and nature. Hawthorne put these views into characters in his novel. Moreover, the wife of Hawthorne is the fan of Ralph Waldo Emerson. So Hawthorne is inevitably affected by the views of Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

Although Hawthorne lives in the Transcendentalism stage, he is not constrained to this age. Hawthorne also said that “He just admired Ralph Waldo Emerson because of his poets and his talents in literary rather than all of his opinions” (Harold 72). Their intercourse is more about social contact while in some philosophical opinions, outlook on life, and their other views are different or almost paradoxical. Of course, it is also because that the optical angel of philosopher is different from the optical angel of novelist. The special experience of Hawthorne is also a cause.