American Gothic Literature: An Illustration of the Identity Crises at Hand

Anuszkiewicz, Brad
ERH 206
1 May 2015
Reflective Essay
Help Received:
Anuszkiewicz, Brad
ERH 206
1 May 2015
Reflective Essay
Help Received: peer evaluations; writing center

American Gothic Literature: An Illustration of the Identity Crises at Hand
This semester has reinforced a lot of themes and analyses that I was subjected to during high school. I always found authors such as Poe and Hawthorne to be intriguing, so the works that we read and discussed had an uncanny effect on me as I was able to compare and contrast my views on such works based on what I have experienced these past 4 years. More importantly though, this course guided me into looking deeper at the impact that these works had on US culture using their gothic and romantic characteristics.
As I referred to in my previous work, “the intellectual historian Louis Dupré claims that, in literature, ‘what is uniquely romantic…is that the person has become a question to himself’” (The Mystery in the Mirror). American society was an open, unwritten book eager for the pen after the Revolution, but more importantly, every individual had to write his or her own piece. Gothic literature used several conventions in order to express the importance of self-awareness and uncovering one’s identity, which conveyed the struggle that American culture as a whole enthralled upon.
Beginning with the author analyses project presentation, I was able to depict this need and process for self-actualization through Hawthorne’s quotes and works. Though often romantic and characterizing guilt, sin, and evil as natural qualities of humanity, I introduced a more motivating quote from Hawthorne that put a spotlight on an individual’s importance and purpose, “Every individual has a place to fill in the world and is important in some respect whether he chooses to be so or not” (“Nathaniel Hawthorne”). Furthermore, Hawthorne expressed the path to self-actualization as a “coming of age theme” that he tagged the protagonist with in “Young Goodman Brown” or “My Kinsman, Major Molineux”. Similarly, the young American culture was struggling to find an identity—often looking into the past with Great Britain and trying to pull away from it and create something new and unique.
Interestingly enough, Frederick Douglass used similar conventions in his autobiography in order to convey the significance of self-actualization and knowing one’s identity. In my previous work, I referred to Douglass’s self-analysis as such a convention: “In the beginning, he sets a tone with his story that illustrates ignorance as a slave—with the lack of communication and literacy, slave-owners could oppress the way their slaves viewed the world and themselves, creating a mystery into one’s identity on both ends. His transformation occurs when he becomes aware of the reality of slavery and the specific position he’s in, but at first it is viewed as a bad thing…” (Mystery in the Mirror). Throughout the course, I drew a similar action for American society—one’s identity was shaped by others rather than self-actualization. More importantly, this reflects our culture’s issues in today’s society as well. People often judge others based off of social groupings and cliques—a high-school throwback that turns into Baltimore riots and controversial issues regarding race and religion. In addition, society’s standards have crippled freedom and abstract, unique thoughts tend to fade away in order to blend into such a social world in order to not feel isolated.
In the same manner, Poe depicts self-actualization as a “necessary evil” in order live. Poe uses unreliable narrators as a convention to allow readers to question their own motives and trust. In addition, in “The Pit and the Pendulum”, “Poe illustrates that a better sense of self leads to true resolve, even in that which may be deemed impossible” (Mystery in the Mirror). Comparatively, one must be able to trust oneself and define his or her own motives and aspirations in order to succeed. In a sense, this refers to “Stonewall” Jackson’s “You may be whatever you resolve to be” quote that hangs like a banner in barracks, greeting and reminding us that the “American dream” is just within our grasp. Throughout the semester, this concept took a more defined meaning as I approach graduation and work towards fulfilling my purpose. As a matter of fact, the action of creating this identity and it’s significance also refers back to one of my first essays regarding Winthrop’s sermon that paralleled the “Sermon on the Mount”, “Winthrop simply understood the gravity of the situation: the world was looking at those establishing themselves in the New World. A new standard would be set that would create ripples in the waters of the world for generations” (A Deeper Look into Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity”).
Analyzing Gothic literature this year was more than about entertaining, uncanny conventions that dealt with cultural fears. I gained wisdom and insight through the text analyses and assignments regarding societal identity crises, but more importantly the significance of self-actualization. As I approach graduation, I reflect on the past year in order to redefine values and remember the wisdom I’ve gained. This course facilitated what it means to look deeper into oneself—realizing the evils and loss of innocence, but also the passions and virtues—in order to unlock the potential to fulfill a greater purpose and contribute to society and paint a more defined identity.

Works Cited
Anuszkiewicz, BP. A Deeper Look into Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity”. 2015.
Anuszkiewicz, BP. A Deeper Understanding into Oneself: The Mystery in the Mirror. 2015.
Anuszkiewicz, BP. Nathaniel Hawthrone (ppt). 2015.