Essay: Public Humiliation and The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter deals with the controversial issue of adultery in puritan society. ... In the Scarlet Letter, Hester was forced to live her life with a symbol of shame on her chest, although that symbol eventually took on other meanings. Hester sees the scarlet letter as a representation of her character. ... To remove the scarlet letter would be like denying a part of her identity. ... Therefore, the scarlet letter was ineffective in changing the way either character felt. ...

• Word Count: 402
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

One of the recurring themes is the story of The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is that of identity and society. ... She is not physically imprisoned, and leaving the colony would allow her to remove the scarlet letter and resume a normal life elsewhere. ... Hester's refusal to remove the Scarlet letter and instead embrace is significant in a way that it shows Hester's strong will in not allowing it to deciding who she is. ... Instead, Hester reconfigures the scarlet letter as a symbol of her own experiences and character. ... She creates a life in which the scarlet letter is...

• Word Count: 1049
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Symbolism is very evident throughout The Scarlet Letter. The most apparent use of symbolism is the scarlet letter itself. ... Hester then takes off her scarlet letter and takes down her hair as a symbol of her freedom. ... The scarlet letter is a symbol of shame and punishment for Hester. ... She is the human version of the scarlet letter, representing Hester's transgression. ...

• Word Count: 361
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

Hester Prynne could mean a number of things when she says that the scarlet letter has been too deeply branded. She responded in this manner, when she was told that if she were to tell of the baby's father, her letter would be removed. ... If this were true, then she felt that it didn't matter if she were to wear the scarlet letter or to have it taken off, for the people would still remember who she was with or without the mark of shame and disgrace. ... Hester might have intended to express that the scarlet letter affected, or will affect others lives too, no matter what the offici...

• Word Count: 326
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the great novels in American Literature. ... "The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. ... The scarlet letter "A" becomes synonymous with Hester and she is not to be without it. ... Instead of signaling sin the scarlet letter now expresses Hester's kind existence. ... The synopsis of the scarlet letter is quite ambiguous. ...

• Word Count: 661
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

One work of literature that I feel truly does illuminate several of these great quests is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. ... This woman has committed the sin of adultery and is forced to wear a scarlet A upon her bosom to constantly remind her and the rest of the community of her terrible sin. ... After Dimmesdale's death, he was thought of as a strong and honorable man, while Hester , still adorning the scarlet letter was looked upon with sorrow, as someone who has gone through tough times. ... The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is undeniably one of the best novel...

• Word Count: 566
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

In The Scarlet Letter Hester is convicted for a crime she never committed. ... She wears the scarlet letter with no shame. The scarlet letter is extravagantly sewn and placed on her bosom. "That Scarlet Letter, fantastically embroidered and illuminated on her bosom" (p. 47). ... The book persistently repeats how Pearl is the embodiment of the scarlet letter. ...

• Word Count: 694
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many different objects and people as symbols to express his message throughout the book. ... Perhaps the most complex symbol in the book is the most obvious and prevalent one, the books namesake, The Scarlet Letter itself. At its first entrance, the letter is used as a symbol of shame, or grief. ... A third symbol Hawthorne uses in The Scarlet Letter is Pearl, Hester's daughter. ... In Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, there are many more than just these four prevalent symbols. ...

• Word Count: 777
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Protagonist role in The Scarlet Letter " But (Hester) is not the protagonist, the chief actor, and the tragedy of The Scarlet Letter is not her tragedy but Arthur's. ... The argument over the protagonist role in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne runs undeniably deep. ... He waited with open arms and Hester, the protagonist, initiated the building of the infrastructure of The Scarlet Letter. ... All qualities of a protagonist, who initiates the action in a story and allows for forward movement, As Hester Prynn does in The Scarlet Letter. ...

• Word Count: 855
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• Grade Level: High School

The letter "A" in the Scarlet Letter is not just a letter, it is a symbol in which the whole book revolves around and establishes a theme that develops throughout the story. ... The town decides to punish her by making her wear a scarlet letter on her chest, which she has to wear everyday for the rest of her life, to symbolize that she is an "adulterer." ... Although the letter is supposed to bring shame to Hester, she sees the letter as a mark, which represents her for who she is. ... At first the letter serves its purpose, but over time people don't seem to care about the letter, and ac...

• Word Count: 1035
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

In the novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale has committed the sin of adultery with Hester Prynne. ... She is made an outcast and to show this he was forced to wear the letter "A" for adulterer upon her chest which forced her to live with the guilt and shame openly. ... Pearl first points to the scarlet letter on Hester's chest then she points to the reverend's chest. ...

• Word Count: 735
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

She is sentenced to the scarlet letter 'A' which is known for "adulterer." ... The scarlet letter "was her passport into regions where other woman dared not to tread. ... Through his internal suffering, it is believed that his own scarlet letter is formed. ... She portrays this when she sees that Hester has removed her scarlet letter. ... The novel, The Scarlet Letter, provides numerous examples that demonstrates issues of American identity. ...

• Word Count: 1053
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

(p. 59) The scarlet letter and Pearl, Hester's child, are daily reminders of the sin she has committed. ... The scarlet letter, which Hester has to wear, signifies the town's view of her sin. ... People now interpret the scarlet letter "A- meaning able instead of adultery. "The scarlet letter had the effect of a cross on a nun's bosom. ... -(p.185) She then undoes the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter and tosses it away from her. ...

• Word Count: 764
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The first few chapters introduce the theme of sin, when they tell the reader about the prison, the scaffold, and how Hester is being publicly condemned for adultery. These chapters also show the reader that the society is depicting the political reality of Hester's World, the Puritan society. The...

• Word Count: 295
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

Character Analysis: Hester Prynne The novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was an objective description of the life of Hester Prynne, who is an adulteress. ... From the moment Hester Prynne is introduced into the plot of The Scarlet Letter in chapter 2, "The Marketplace", the reader realizes she is very prideful and strong. ... Hester exhibits great courage all throughout The Scarlet Letter. ... From the outside, the scarlet A on her chest would seem like it did not do anything to hurt her pride. ... It is apparent that Hester did indeed feel the brand the letter put on her deep in...

• Word Count: 912
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Devin McNamara American Lit 10/30/03 Character Analysis: Hester Prynne The novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was an objective description of the life of Hester Prynne, who is an adulteress. ... From the moment Hester Prynne is introduced into the plot of The Scarlet Letter in chapter 2, "The Marketplace", the reader realizes she is very prideful and strong. ... Hester exhibits great courage all throughout The Scarlet Letter. ... From the outside, the scarlet A on her chest would seem like it did not do anything to hurt her pride. ... It is apparent that Hester did indeed feel...

• Word Count: 909
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School