1. Irony of the Scarlet Letter
Reverend Dimmesdale would not have any sin to hide that would almost cause him death by not admitting to the sin. ... Lastly, Roger Chillingsworth would not have caused himself an early death by making it his sole purpose in life to seek revenge on Reverend Dimmesdale for inpregnating Hester. ...
"It is a testimony at once to Hawthorne's ambivalence, his seeking to cover with one hand what he uncovers with the other, and to the persuasive sexism of our culture that most readers would describe "The Birthmark" as a story of failure rather than the success story it really is--the demonstration of how to murder your wife and get away with it" (Fetterley, 164). ... Hooper wears the black veil over his face to hide his sin from the world. ... "Beloved and respected as you are, there may be whispers that you hide your face under the consciousness of secret sin" (Hawthorne, 14). ...
Reverend Parris, one of characters who seek power within all the hysteria that has swept the town, is a prime example of a Puritan. ... For example Hester and Dimmesdale prove to the townspeople that they don't always have to be perfect in a sense where they must hide how they really feel and live false lives. ...
But never wrong that he would seek revenge. ... Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life." ...
Hester first appears in the story emerging from her jail cell with her bastard child, at first she clutches the child to conceal the A on her chest but then "In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbors." (50) She is not proud of what she has done, but refuses to be belittled by the gossiping people of the village. ... And my child must seek a heavenly father; she sha...
The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, clearly shows the different ways a society and its members face sin. His work also shows how hidden sin can cause a man to perish, as well as the possibility of redemption. This is a story of Hester Prynne, who is the main character, and he...
Although he has done many great things as a scientist, he refuses to recognize "the truth "against which all seekers sooner or later stumble "that our great creative Mother . . . is yet severely careful to keep her own secrets . . . ... He has the means to hide it cosmetically, but wants to go deeper to be rid of it for good. ...
Her silent and brazen act of rebellion proves that Hester can keep her pride even through the toughest trials; she confronts the crowd with defiance rather than hide from it. ... Because she cannot undo the past, Hester seeks to refine the future. ...
When she walked down the street from the prison to the scaffold, the narrator talks about her realization of how foolish and cowardly she would be if she were to try to hide her mark with the product of her sin, her baby girl. ... At first I thought that Chillingworth might have tried to seek revenge against Hester, but then came to the conclusion that he viewed her public disgrace as more punishment than he could ever have managed. ...