Ethan Brand

“Ethan Brand,” like many of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s stories, explores ambiguous supernatural phenomena and Puritan ideology. The story is an example of Dark Romanticism, using its natural Massachusetts setting, dark, suspenseful mood, and internal and external conflicts to establish an atmosphere of foreboding. Hawthorne uses the setting of Massachusetts in many of his stories due to its rich history as a former Puritan colony. The era in which “Ethan Brand” is set is later than in many of Hawthorne’s works, but the story has a folkloric quality. The lime-kiln, mountain, and forest provide an isolated atmosphere that alternates between peaceful and threatening. The Puritans believed that forests were the domain of dangerous spirits and witches. Similarly, the mountains and forests of pre-industrial Massachusetts provide both a lonely, isolated environment for the tormented figure Ethan Brand and an ominous background for Bartram and the villagers, who are wary of Ethan Brand and his strange behavior.

The mood of “Ethan Brand” is somber and suspenseful, implying that if Ethan Brand has truly committed the Unpardonable Sin, he is condemned to spiritual damnation and the torment of hell. His presence has an unsettling effect as the villagers instinctively know that there is something terribly wrong with him. Before he even appears, Joe identifies that there is something unnatural about Ethan Brand’s laugh, which does not sound “like a man that is glad” (Paragraph 4). On seeing the protagonist, Joe also fearfully notes that “there was something in the man’s face which he was afraid to look at, yet could not look away from” (Paragraph 16). The implication of the frightening yet compelling presence of evil heightens the ominous mood, incorporating an element of horror also found in Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil.”

Another important literary device in “Ethan Brand” is its use of third-person omniscient narration. The narrator provides insight into the minds of Ethan Brand, Bartram, and Joe and even reveals facts and details about the minor characters such as Lawyer Giles, the doctor, Humphrey, Esther, and the German Jew.

Most of the focus, however, is on Ethan Brand’s inner world and the quest that has defined his life. Hawthorne shrouds the protagonist in ambiguity as a character who may or may not have committed the Unpardonable Sin. The theme of Spiritual Damnation and Pride is introduced as Ethan Brand recounts the magnitude of his sin and seems to embrace the condemnation of his soul to hell. The protagonist presents himself as an isolated figure, alienated from both human connection and the possibility of salvation. However, readers cannot be certain whether his claims stem from guilt for his immoral actions or hubris. His insistence throughout the story that he is damned borders on eagerness, suggesting that the prospect of eternal torment is preferable to the admission that his quest for the Unpardonable Sin was unsuccessful.

The narrative utilizes three symbols to represent The Dangers of Amoral Intellectualism, as embodied by Ethan Brand. The fire of the lime-kiln represents the hellish fate that he believes awaits him. The marble symbolizes the hardened state of Ethan Brand’s heart as his intellectualism gives way to hubris and a lack of compassion toward others. Finally, the dog chasing its tail represents the futility of the protagonist’s quest to find the Unpardonable Sin.

A major conflict in the story is the clash of perspectives between Ethan Brand and the villagers, illustrating the Loneliness of Social Detachment and Rejection. The dialogue between them demonstrates how Ethan Brand’s internal retreat into extreme intellectualism makes meaningful connections with others impossible. He adds to his psychological torment by preventing anyone from getting close to him, thus causing others to reject him in turn. Ethan Brand exacerbates the villagers’ wariness of him by declaring: “Leave me […] ye brute beasts, that have made yourselves so, shrivelling up your souls with fiery liquors!” (Paragraph 44). By defining them as “brute beasts,” the protagonist makes his belief in his own intellectual superiority clear. Paradoxically, Ethan Brand also seems to suggest that he is morally superior to the villagers, in the sense that their sin of abusing alcohol is trivial in comparison to the severity of his own corrupt behavior. Consequently, the village doctor concludes that Ethan Brand is insane and antisocial. Only Bartram’s sensitive son Joe feels sympathy for the protagonist, recognizing his loneliness. Ethan Brand ends this social conflict by jumping into the lime-kiln, never bridging the gap between himself and others.

The conclusion of the story maintains the narrative’s overall ambiguity, allowing for more than one interpretation. After Ethan Brand’s death, the ominous description of the setting significantly shifts to one of peace and serenity. Earlier fiery images associated with hell give way to heavenly imagery as the village is bathed in the light of “Providence” and the mountain is “glorified with a golden cloud upon his head” (Paragraph 75). By evoking associations of divinity, Hawthorne establishes that the world is a better place without Ethan Brand in it. However, the ultimate destination of his soul remains unclear. While he may be condemned to spiritual damnation, as he believed, Hawthorne’s images of blessed light may also suggest God’s forgiveness of the protagonist’s sins. The latter interpretation would confirm that, despite his claims, Ethan Brand did not find the Unpardonable Sin.