Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, is a classic tale of human frailty and sin and the hardships that are caused by a single mistake. ... At the same time, The Scarlet Letter, tells the story of one woman's struggle to find meaning in living after disobeying the highly regarded word of God. ... The Scarlet Letter uses dark romanticism as Hawthorne attempts to explain the sinfulness of human nature and why people act as they do. ... Although Hawthorne writes that "The minister beheld there the appearance of an immense letter A (p.152)," one must consider and question ...

• Word Count: 1296
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Nathaniel Hawthorne used his writing skills to appropriately show the strict intolerant ways of the disciplined Puritan America of 1850, with his novel The Scarlet Letter. ... She continues to wear the scarlet letter there. ... The Scarlet Letter is overflowing with symbolism. Understanding Hawthorne's symbols by themselves is key to understanding The Scarlet Letter as a novel. The Scarlet Letter "A" is the central symbol of the novel. ...

• Word Count: 2338
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

Dimmesdale: The Bearer of the Scarlet letter Who should bear the stigma of sin? ... Hester cannot hide the consequences of her mistake, so she is exposed to public judgment and forced to wear the scarlet letter. ... Hawthorne uses character development to show how a person can change. ... They were degraded by everybody, starting at a young age children were taught to prevent contact with those sinners, "As the two wayfares came within the precincts of the town, the children of the puritans looked up from their play, - or wh...

• Word Count: 1627
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Symbolism in "The Scarlet Letter", whoa just gave one away! ... Sometimes referred to as "the first symbolic novel to be written in the United States", "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne contains many symbols that are apparent throughout the novel, and reoccur at many different places. ... Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" contains many symbols, including the forest, Pearl, and the scarlet letter itself, which all contribute to the main theme of sin and its consequences. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," life is in the center of a stiff Puritan ...

• Word Count: 2041
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes characterization techniques of morality throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter. ... This is apparent in The Scarlet Letter because Hester's life becomes unbearable through her trials as a sinner in the Puritan society. ... Hester takes the scarlet letter off her breast, and throws her ignominy into the dirt. ... Pearl has never seen Hester without the scarlet letter, and no matter how much Hester wants the letter to be her history, she knows that the scornful object will be her destiny. " I must bear its torture yet a little longer- (Hawthorne 207). ... Art...

• Word Count: 1429
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

This feeling stands as a prominent symbol in the novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. ... The children in the village are taught to look at the woman who bears the scarlet letter "as the figure, the body, the reality of sin" (Hawthorne 74). ... Pearl symbolizes the scarlet letter on Hester's chest. ... Pearl plays as a direct symbol of the scarlet letter, which is a way of penance. ... Hawthorne proves the universal belief that guilt endures until penance is made by using the characters Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne from the Novel, The Scarlet Letter....

• Word Count: 1253
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

THEME The Scarlet Letter centers round the consequences of sin, especially shame and guilt. ... PURITANISM IN THE NOVEL Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is set in the seventeenth century New England town of Boston, a staunch Puritanical town. ... To Pearl, the scarlet letter is simply part of her mother. ... The significance of the scarlet letter in the life of Dimmesdale, whose guilt remains hidden, is suggested by a hidden scarlet letter on his heart. ... She still wears the scarlet letter, even though it is not expected. ...

• Word Count: 1285
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

The use of light and dark is frequently used to represent good and evil, in the novel The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. ... Through out The Scarlet Letter, light is used to show happiness and goodness. ... Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the dark imagery many times in this novel. ... (Hawthorne, 1988) This scene emphasizes Hester's scarlet letter upon her chest, the punishment she has been given, which is making her a darker person as she strays from the light. ... In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the literary theme light versus dark plays a very importa...

• Word Count: 1649
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Symbolism in the Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne contains abundant symbolism, which is used to unify the novel and add deeper meaning. ... The most important symbol in the novel is the scarlet letter, which affects each character in a different way. ... (Hawthorne; Schneider) Arthur Dimmesdale is as much responsible for the creation of the scarlet letter as Hester. ... (Bloom 91-92) Pearl is also greatly affected by the scarlet letter, but in another way. ... (Novelguide) Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbols very well in his novel The Scarlet Letter. ...

• Word Count: 1366
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Two works of literature that display both aspects of this society very accurately are The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. ... Hawthorne illustrates how insensitive a Puritan society can be t! ... The settings in both The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible are similar in many ways. The Scarlet Letter takes place around the 1640s, as the The Crucible occurs in 1692. ... In The Scarlet Letter, there is a minister, Dimmesdale, a political! ...

• Word Count: 1327
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

The Scarlet Letter To the naked eye, the story of The Scarlet Letter appears to just be a well-written love story within a puritan society full of unexpected flips and turns. Upon closer examination, The Scarlet Letter is really filled with obsession, guilt, and morals. The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses a twisted physician, a minister, and a very independent character to express the theme of revenge among his three main characters. ... Hawthorne's ultimate theme in The Scarlet Letter is vengeance amongst all of mankind. ... Pearl was just a smaller version of the scarle...

• Word Count: 1589
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author attempts to show the way society casts out individuals simply because their ideas and deeds differ from the common values. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Hester Prynne to symbolize that those who challenge social conformities can benefit society as a whole. ... "Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast as the figure, the body, the reality of sin" (83). ... "Children to young to comprehend wherefore this women so be shut out from the sphere of human charities coming forth ...

• Word Count: 1521
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is an amazing story of Hester's strength in exposing and accepting her sin, choosing to wear bold apparel, and helping Dimmesdale deal with his inner conflict. ... The first thing her darling Pearl noticed when she was born was the scarlet letter on her mother's chest. ... "'Behold, verily, there is the woman of the scarlet letter; and, of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her side! ... Even the daughter she treasures more than anything considers the scarlet letter her second mother, if not...

• Word Count: 1678
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

The Scarlet Letter To the naked eye, the story of The Scarlet Letter appears to just be a well-written love story within a puritan society full of unexpected flips and turns. Upon closer examination, The Scarlet Letter is really filled with obsession, guilt, and morals. The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses a twisted physician, a minister, and a very independent character to express the theme of revenge among his three main characters. ... Hawthorne's ultimate theme in The Scarlet Letter is vengeance amongst all of mankind. ... Pearl was just a smaller version of the scarl...

• Word Count: 1480
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School