Egotism; or, The Bosom-Serpent by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1843): A Review
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publication Year: 1843
Pages: 15
Rating: ⭐⭐
Genre: Allegory
Source: eBook
“Egotism; or, The Bosom-Serpent” is another allegorical work by Hawthorne, a genre that I am not particularly fond of. To clarify, I do have a bias against this type of literature. That said, it is interesting to note that Hawthorne himself seemed to question his own allegorical works. He wrote to publisher James T. Fields in 1854: "Upon my honor, I am not quite sure that I entirely comprehend my own meaning in some of these blasted allegories" (Wikipedia). But I am proud to say I comprehended his meaning here, or did I?
The story centers on a character named Roderick Elliston, who suffers from a peculiar condition known as the bosom-serpent. This condition symbolizes egotism—there's no hidden meaning to decode here. Hawthorne himself reveals it in the title. Here, I was particularly fascinated by how the narrator explores this condition from various perspectives: medicine, psychology, philosophy, religion, and literature. The bosom-serpent can also be interpreted as the psychological effects of guilt or shame and the tendency to overthink. Ultimately, the message seems to be that one must learn to silence the mind or the self.
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