It was a bit of a change of mindset to read these stories right after analyzing the images of The Scarlet Letter. I thought these two stories from Meville sat as a surprising contrast to the Puritan ideals and values that Hawthorne used in his imagery and themes of his novel. In comparing and contrasting the two stories of Melville, it becomes clear that the narrator associates indulgence as a positive aspect of life and (literally and metaphorically) runs away from images of purity and denial of luxury. 

In “Paradise of Bachelors,” the narrator immediately finds themselves in the lap of luxury and comfort as they see men indulging in an endless parade of “glorious dinners,” snuff, Champagne and other vices. Instead of being offended by the endless supply of luxuries, the narrator repeats a sense of “comfort,” and they reflect that “it was the very perfection of quiet absorption of good living, good drinking, good feeling and good talk (1501).” In fact, it’s entirely ironic that the narrator claims that it is a “quiet absorption” when in the very next paragraph, the host plays the bugle. Whereas in the Scarlet Letter, indulgence of vices is seen as sin and related to hell, the narrator here goes so far as to declare the scene as a sign of “Paradise” (like Heaven). 

In the “Tartarus of Maids,” the narrator quickly shifts their perspective and immediately begins to describe their version of Tartarus (hell) even thought the images closely align with a Puritan vision of life. The narrator focuses on images of women focusing on hard work without any sort of adornments. Additionally, the scene is focused on “white” to describe everything which the Scarlet Letter would have seen as heavenly and pure. Instead, the narrator is clearly unsettled and declares the scene a “Tartarus of Maids!”