The scarlet letter is definitely the most pronounced symbol within this novel. ... Although, as the novel continues, it metamorphoses from an indication of deviation from Puritanism to a representation of good deeds and benevolence. ... It employs a blunt use of gore and violence to generate a theme, which is unfavorable compared to the subtle symbolisms and beauteous language used to generate a theme in the novel. The theme of the movie version is a bit skewed and divided, it can be said to carry the same themes as the novel or the themes of civilization versus the wilderness. ...

• Word Count: 397
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the novel, Hawthorne gradually releases information regarding the protagonist, Hester Prynne. He initially divulges that Prynne has committed an unspeakable sin, and not until the end of the novel does he fully disclose Prynne's sin. ... The theme of the novel which directly relates with the story may be interpreted as a moral lesson. The novel encourages honesty and emphasizes the point to listen to both sides of an argument, as opposed to following the beliefs of others without any individual judgements. However, the novels greater significance lies within its relation to the modern ...

• Word Count: 748
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Throughout the novel, Hawthorne portrays the tension between Dimmesdale's guilt and the fact that he cannot confess to his sin. ... The conclusion of the novel, however, is a striking deviance from the attitude Dimmesdale has cultivated throughout his internal battle with his guilt. ... The conclusion of the novel is a failure in comparison to the rest of the work, in that it undermines the deep-rooted philosophy Dimmesdale has held about his position. ... The Scarlet Letter is a novel that exemplifies the significance of adherence to Puritan tradition, and the fate of those who deviate...

• Word Count: 1174
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the novel "The Scarlet Letter", the author Nathaneil Hawthorn's depiction of the two male characters, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth, emphasizes the moral problems of the seventeenth century puritan society. Hence, their different characters contribute vitally to the plot of the novel. ... At his first appearance in the novel, Hawthorne describes his impressive and skilful preaching and calls to the reader's attention his physical features such as his eyes and his hair. ...

• Word Count: 328
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel that illustrates the importance of one person in the community and how that individual has the capability to alter the outcome of himself and the community. ... The "A" that Hester Prynne bears in The Scarlet Letter shifts in meaning at least two times to mirror the character changes of Hester throughout the progression of the novel and the town's acceptance of her. At the opening of the novel, Hester Prynne is portrayed as an adulterer that has the knowledge of her sin, but will not have her pride broken. ... Hester is a different...

• Word Count: 842
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

However, in The Scarlet Letter, a famous novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Dimmesdale carries the problem of confession and his wrongdoings are what makes him a far greater sinner than any other character in the novel. ... In the society's eyes, he remains as the most devout Puritan but according to himself and the readers of this novel, he is the same as any other sinner....

• Word Count: 557
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Literary symbols are seen throughout most novels, but are still hard to define or find because they mean more than what it is (Prinne 172). ... In Laurence Perrine's work on the "Symbol and Irony", and how symbols work, he finds that author's placement of symbols is parallel with details that are to be taken symbolically and with that detail the symbol will be established in the rest of the novel. ... If the steps and concept of symbolism are then applied to the Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, we would find a multitude of example of symbols in the char...

• Word Count: 1244
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Crucible by Arthur Miller portray characters committing sins throughout the novel. More importantly both novels incorporate the theme of sin as adultery throughout the sequence of the story. ... John Proctor demonstrates his strength of character throughout the novel by how he reacts to the problems that he is momentarily facing. ...

• Word Count: 689
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the novel The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne takes a very biased side against the Puritans he writes about. ... Hawthorne's presentation of the Puritans throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter is not much different from my own opinion, though he leaves out even the slightest amount of good characteristics that they might possess. ...

• Word Count: 513
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

"The Scarlet Letter," by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel in which a lonely woman, Hester Prynne, commits adultery with a preacher, Reverend Dimmesdale, while her husband is away. ... This eventually happens in the novel when Hester begins to help people in the town. ... In the end we find that in this novel, truth is an uncertain concept and it can shift to be anything anybody wants it to be....

• Word Count: 1123
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

As evidenced throughout the novel, the symbolism used with light is used by the author to give negative and positive connotations and attributes to the characters and their actions. Therefore, Hawthorne's depiction evidences an evolution in character with this simile referring to his searching in the darkness, adhering a menacing and evil characteristic to his traits as a character, giving a tailspin to his role in the novel. ...

• Word Count: 699
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Mankind has looked to the natural world for the answers to life since the beginning. From the days of the cavemen, to the transcendentalist movement of the Second Great Awakening, to modern day, mankind is finding comfort and closure in nature. In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, nature is...

• Word Count: 855
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Dimmesdale was shunned by all of Puritan society in the Massachusetts Bay colony. she was forced to stand on a scaffold in front of the townspeople for three hours wearing an embroided Scarlet letter "A" which stood for "Adultery" at that point in the novel. ... In comparison to Ray rice, a football player who was well liked by many people before the incident with his wife, Hester was described as beautiful and she even felt happier and different after removing her scarlet letter at one point in the novel when she was in the forest with Dimmesdale and her daughter Pearl. ... Although Hester a...

• Word Count: 1654
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Hawthorne's novel "The Scarlet Letter" was published in 1850 and when it was first released it did not do well. ... Although Hawthorne wrote many novels, none of them were as successful as "The Scarlet Letter". ...

• Word Count: 1003
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Literature, as a whole, would be much more appealing if authors let their readers make their own decisions about the events or characters in the story. The ambiguousness of The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne leaves many of the actions, events, and issues involving the characters up to the r...

• Word Count: 1146
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Due to the beauty and passion of Hester's character, the readers make a connection with her and even develop a feeling of sorrow and hopefulness for Hester throughout the novel, regardless of the sin she committed. ...

• Word Count: 1733
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate