Ethan Brand

The fire of the lime-kiln at Mount Graylock is a physical embodiment of God’s justice. Ethan Brand’s production of the Unpardonable Sin and his rejection of his heart have made him guilt-ridden and accepting of eternal punishment. As a result, he embraces the fire and by his death, embraces the fire as his “familiar friend” (Paragraph 72). The fire consumes him when he jumps into the kiln, representing his presumed descent to hell as God’s righteous judgment for him. Ethan Brand’s readiness to enter the flames furthers the theme of The Dangers of Amoral Intellectualism, with his grievous actions, and his spiritual and psychological inability to atone for them, resulting in the lime-kiln’s fire killing him.

Fire is also a purifier in that it can purify certain matter, especially marble and lime, and even reveal their true nature. The morning after Ethan Brand’s death, Bartram and Joe find a skeleton with a heart of pure marble. The fire had destroyed Ethan Brand’s physical body and shown the heart that he had long neglected.

Marble represents the impenetrable nature of Ethan Brand’s heart after he has found the Unpardonable Sin. When Bartram and Joe discover his skeleton the morning after his death, Bartram remarks, “Was the fellow’s heart made of marble?” (Paragraph 83).