Essay Questions

In The Marble Faun Nathanial Hawthorne uses Ancient Art as a main theme. Which effects does this have on the narrative?

The novel relies heavily on the description of individual art pieces. These descriptions are then used to transfer some of the meaning of the art piece onto one or more of the characters. The novel uses art to symbolize some sort of human behavior. A good example of this can be found in titular statue. Donatello, the Italian count, is compared to it on more than just a physical level. He is the embodiment of the mythological creature, even though his true nature is left unknown by the author.

The Marble Faun is often said to resemble a travel guide. How is this view supported in the novel?

The premise of the novel is that the three American characters travel to Italy to see the Ancient Art. This original aim moves them through the city, intricately describing individual art pieces on their way. The travel guide nature of the book goes as far as that some modern readers and fans of Hawthorn use it as a travel guide for Rome. The writing style and descriptive nature of the novel strongly support that it is, at least partly, a travel guide.

The two female characters in The Marble Faun are often described as polar opposites. How can this view be supported?

The two characters, Miriam and Hilda, are both depictions of two strong moral stances in the world. Hilda is the Puritanical and innocent creature that does not allow any other world view to be valid next to hers. Miriam is the mysterious woman with a shrouded past whose actions have brought her to where she is now. Similarly to the characters she is compared to, she often defies the laws of man and lives by her own will, which causes her trouble as in her stalker. The two women could not be more different and it is easy to see how Hawthorne chose these characters for this highly metaphorical novel.