The "damsel in distress" who is saved by her "knight in shining armor" seems to have been a theme in most stories. Nathaniel Hawthorne strayed from this redundant theme in his story The Scarlet Letter. ... Despite being troublesome and quite a handful, Hester manages to give Pearl what most girls at her time never caught a glimpse of the freedom to be herself. ... Even Dimmesdale himself refers to Hester's strength when he says, "Thy strength Hester support me up yonder scaffold" (Hawthorne, 194). ... Never did it occur to me that Hester wanted to keep Pearl from her father though it ...

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

Because of Hawthorne's emphasis on the Puritans, and the time period in which he lived in, many of his themes are conveyed by some element of the setting. ... The adult passions are also removed by making many of the characters much younger In this way Hawthorne was able to avoid discussing the sexual themes often found (Stott 280). ... Whether the plots of his works contain stories of the Puritans, descriptions of witchcraft, or thoughts on Salem, the setting is usually critical to Hawthorne's themes, especially the Puritan aspect. ... Most of the smaller elements he used ...

• Word Count: 3188
• Approx Pages: 13
• 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. Because of this, she claims that "when things started coming to me, they came to me as voices. ... A dominant theme in this series is "the belief in the supernatural [as being] part of the human soul..."24 These books are romantic, realistic, and supposedly written by various vampires to the mortal world. ... King's readers are fascinated by the mind that can produce such horrifying stories, and they see him as a sort of preternatural being. ... She is also another unnatural link to...

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

Some of them aim to convey American romantic themes and features. ... In the story, Rappaccini, the corrupted scientist, stands for this rejection. ... He places her in an enclosed garden where she is surrounded by poisonous plants; those provide her with breath and give her life. ... This act leads to her death at the end of the story. ... This conflict is obvious from the beginning of the story. ...

• Word Count: 9442
• Approx Pages: 38
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School