Article Summary: The Biblical Context of “Ethan Brand”
This article by Stock (1965) discusses the short story “Ethan Brand: A Chapter from an Abortive Romance” by Hawthorne (1850, 1852), specifically considering the Biblical context. He states that the story’s primary source is the Bible, and that whilst the most obvious biblical allusion is “to the concept of the Unpardonable Sin”, closer perusal of the tale shows that there are other, more complex allusions, the main one associated with the narrative of Cain and his character as encapsulated in legend (p.115). Stock also notes that Hawthorne’s choice of the name Ethan positions the character in a ...
