Art
The final novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne is often cited as his most interesting love story. He puts his characters into the city of Rome, the eternal city on a quest to discover the Ancient Arts. Throughout the novel, the characters are marveling at a range of artistic masterpieces. The marble statue of a faun becomes a central element and metaphor for the character of Donatello. The fact that all characters are somewhat connected to the art world can be seen as a plot device to allow the metaphors of art and human psyche to flow more naturally.
The effect of Crime
The book has a central crime that can be seen as the climax of the book. All the main characters are changed through this event, even though most of them are not personally connected to the crime itself. The perpetrator, Donatello, is completely changed, from a human depiction of a faun, a careless and conscienceless creature, to a mere shadow of himself. He is riddled with guilt and remorse. Miriam, the reason for the crime, is lost in depression and completely disappears. However, one of the more impressive changes takes place in Hilda, the innocent bystander, who cannot deal with what she has seen.
Innocence Lost
Connected to the theme before, the character of Hilda is the epitome of innocence lost. She witnesses the crime and is henceforth plagued by the visions that are in such a stark contrast to her Puritan upbringing that she cannot get rid of them. She is unable to keep it a secret but also unable to betray her friends. In her desperation she turns to the Catholic Church and later to marriage. In her connection to Kenyan she finally finds some of her mental stability again. However, the innocence of a Puritan lady is forever lost.
Transformation
The theme of transformation is even a central concept in the original title of the book, "The transformation of the Faun". Nathaniel Hawthorne plays with the metaphor of a faun, a creature of Ancient mythology that is the embodiment of carelessness and mischievousness. The character of Donatello is described as a human that has similar attributes and is even physically similar to a marble statue of a faun. The transformation, hinted at in the title, takes place after the climax of the novel. The flirtatious Donatello is transformed into a pile of human misery, riddled by guilt over his fatal decision. Interestingly, and as an allusion to the Ancient classics, the concept of transformation was always a central theme of mythological writing and the production of art. That the character is named after one of the greatest artists of all time is just another allusion to this tradition.
