Abstract
Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville take up a common theme in their works, which is the protagonist’s personal dislike toward the newly-popular airtight stoves and the anger toward the people who naturally accept modern conveniences.
The paper begins with an overview of 19th century American ideas about fireplaces and discusses their psychological and social influences, before focusing on the psychological impacts that the airtight stoves had on American people in general. It then explores the authors’ views on fire by taking up several images of fire in their works.
Hawthorne’s views on fireplace are most vividly reflected in his “Fire Worship” (1843). Melville, influenced by Hawthrone’s portrayal of fire and open hearths, also depicted a father’s struggle to protect his old chimney and fireplace in “I and My Chimney” (1856). Both authors saw the old-fashioned open hearth as a symbol of communal warmth and family unity, under threat from the individualistic nature of the airtight stove which allowed separate heating of independent spaces. This technological shift, while providing personal comfort, had the psychological influence of fostering isolation and straining communal and familial bonds. Through their narrators and protagonists, this problematic aspect of modern fireplaces is emphasised.
In the modern American home, while central heating is installed, an open fireplace is sometimes added as an interior decoration, and people are happy to gather around it. This suggests that ideas similar to those of Hawthorne and Melville about fireplaces are still rooted in the contemporary
American mind.
