The story displays some of the darkest elements of the human soul: guilt, revenge, and evil. ... They proclaim her sin and pressure her to reveal the identity of her illegal child's father. Hester stubbornly refuses to let the people know who her child's father is. ... Reverend Dimmesdale pleads to Hester to reveal the father's identity, but still, she refuses. ... Hester's daughter Pearl grows up into a capricious, precocious, and very observant child. ...

• Word Count: 3653
• Approx Pages: 15
• Grade Level: High School

She is the hero, or heroine, of this story in more than just a single way. ... Matthiessen talks of Hester clinging "to the hope that her girl has capacity for strong affection, which needs only to be awakened by sympathy" (4) but Hester wants so much more for her daughter. Never did it occur to me that Hester wanted to keep Pearl from her father though it may appear that way at times during the novel. ... Not only would she witness the ridicule and social downscale of her mother but her father's persecution would have also taken its toll on her. ... Any woman who can provide that fo...

• Word Count: 3565
• Approx Pages: 14
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Richards relates the story of how, when she was young, she always said she wanted to talk to God. ... Another famous author with a large cult following is Stephen King.29 His works have gained a great audience not because of their characters or stories, but because of King himself. King's readers are fascinated by the mind that can produce such horrifying stories, and they see him as a sort of preternatural being. ... They believe that the forest was "the Devil's last preserve."33 Hence, when the Salem minister, Reverend Parris, discovers a group of girls from the town, in...

• Word Count: 3126
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Hawthorne's Portrayal of Puritanical Hypocrisy Throughout time, there have been many great American novelists and short story writers. ... From writing several successful novels, and many short stories, Hawthorne has introduced the way of life in Puritanical America to many readers. ... Her daughter, who was born as a result of the adulterous relationship, is treaded with the same disrespect. ... The father of her child has also deserted her and never even speaks to her concerning their child. ... "Young Goodman Brown" is a short story that demonstrates hypocrisy in a different way...

• Word Count: 3188
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

He then plucks one of the roses and offers it to the reader as a "moral blossom" to be found later in the story. ... She clutches her three month old daughter, Pearl. ... She looks at her daughter and then fingers the scarlet letter which will remain a part of her from now on. At the thought of her future, she squeezes her daughter so hard that the child cries out in pain. ... He asks Hester who the father of Pearl is, but she refuses to tell him. ...

• Word Count: 5572
• Approx Pages: 22
• Grade Level: High School