Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne touches upon the progression of women's status in society. ... However, outside of that community, the scarlet letter on her chest does not have the same scandalous meaning. The author uses the scarlet letter as a symbol of the society's view of Hester. ... After she moves into the forest with Pearl and starts a new life, the scarlet letter on her chest has a new significance: The letter was a symbol of her calling. ... The city of Boston, where the novel takes place, recognizes her charity work and gives her scarlet letter a ...

• Word Count: 904
• Approx Pages: 4

The most symbolic piece of work in American Literature is Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne's use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter is one of the most significant contributions to the rise of American Literature. ... The most important symbol which is carried throughout the novel is undoubtedly the scarlet letter A. ... It also shows the pride an author takes in his work. Nathaniel Hawthorne's use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter shows his greatness to produce a novel of the highest possible caliber. ...

• Word Count: 502
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

The Scarlet Letter There is much dispute as to whether or not The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, can be a viable document used to understand the 1600s during the time of Puritanism. ... Author of Hawthorne's Conception of the Creative Process, Richard J. ... Morality and what is ethical also plays a necessary part to the development in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. ... As Gorman puts it, "The Scarlet Letter was a shadow of his own spiritual past" (Gorman pg. 144). ... In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne begins to explain the surrounding area of his Puritan town...

• Word Count: 1014
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The book entitled, The Scarlet Letter, revolves around three main scaffold scenes. ... This quote immediately tells the reader that Hester is wearing this scarlet letter because she did something she was not supposed to. ... The first scaffold scene acts as a simple but vital introduction to The Scarlet Letter. ... That, and thy repentance, may avail to take the scarlet letter off thy breast" (59). ... The Scarlet Letter is revolved around three main scaffold scenes, the most important is the first. ...

• Word Count: 711
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, "The Scarlet Letter," Hester Prynne is the protagonist who commits this sin. ... The punishment was to wear the letter "A" on her upper torso for her entire life, also known as the scarlet letter. ... He describes the scarlet letter as elaborate and ornate, almost like Hester Prynne herself. ... (The Scarlet Letter) The author describes the scarlet letter as elaborate and ornate, even though it's supposed to be punishment. ... The scarlet letter is a reflection upon her which makes her more beautiful. ...

• Word Count: 673
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The following pages will examine the way sin affected the Puritan Community in the Scarlet Letter. ... Hawthorne's sensitivity to guilt is clearly present in the Scarlet Letter, as well as some of his other works. ... Authors, and Critics over time have pondered the subject of the book; the most accurate response according to Richard Chase, the author of The Puritans and the Scarlet Letter, portrays the book to be a tale of sin and repentance with stress on the repentance. ... In Hawthorne's remembered novel, The Scarlet Letter, The community along with Hester Pryne, Author Dimmesd...

• Word Count: 1751
• Approx Pages: 7
• 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. ... 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. To display these, the author uses several literary elements and techniques including characterization and mood. The author thoroughly describes every aspect of the character's thoughts and feelings which makes it seem as if you really know the charact...

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

The Scarlet Letter is a wonderful piece of literary work. ... The various types of characters in The Scarlet Letter help create a dim feeling to readers. ... The details the author used to describe this setting was marvelous. The Scarlet Letter was a book that met all guidelines and does not require any editing. The Scarlet Letter was a novel that can be beneficial to students in the future. ...

• Word Count: 789
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The character of Hester Prynne changed significantly throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. ... Not only Hester, but the physical scarlet letter, a Puritanical sign of disownment, is shown through the author's tone and diction as a beautiful, gold and colorful piece. ... She is punished by Puritan society by wearing the scarlet letter "A" on the bosom of her dress and standing on the scaffold for three hours. ... Her vulnerability to the crowd of Puritan observers is challenging, and Hester holds the child to her heart, a symbolic comparison between the child an...

• Word Count: 461
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

From Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, One of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the book is Pearl, the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmsdale. ... At first, Pearl is curious of why her mother wears the scarlet letter on her chest. ... This being one of her abnormalities, the townspeople call her a demon child as the author describes, "Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world. ... Pearl's curiosity of the scarlet letter on Hestor's chest is unusual for a child her age. ... Her understanding of the scarlet increased. ...

• Word Count: 442
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

The novel The Scarlet Letter is mainly a gloomy, dark story because it is centered on sin in the puritan society. Through out The Scarlet Letter, light is used to show happiness and goodness. ... Pearl did not come and it was as if though Pearl did not recognize her own mother without the scarlet letter upon her chest. ... In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the literary theme light versus dark plays a very important role. ... The use of light and dark is what makes the story come alive and what makes The Scarlet Letter such a well-respected novel. ...

• Word Count: 1649
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• 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. ... Hawthorne's ultimate theme in The Scarlet Letter is vengeance amongst all of mankind. ... "It was whispered, by those who peered after her, that the scarlet letter threw a lurid gleam along the dark passage-way of the interior"(48). ... Pearl was just a smaller version of the scarlet letter. ...

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

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. ... It [the letter] was revealed!" ... In doing this, I could see the uncertainty and the author's desire for the reader to decide. ...

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

The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne What do you think about when you hear The Scarlet Letter? ... Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of this superb novel, incorporated multiple well-known themes. ... In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the theme with the greatest amount of emotional meaning and importance is isolation. ... Hester tells her that " I met the Black Man [and] this scarlet letter is his mark!" ... In conclusion, the theme with the greatest magnitude of importance in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is isolation. ...

• Word Count: 979
• Approx Pages: 4
• 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. ... "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 along the pathway that lead town ward; and, discerning the scarlet letter on her breast, would scamper off with a strange, contag...

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

"The Scarlet Letter" Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote "The Scarlet Letter" in 1850 in the highly religious area of New England. ... "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne has many different themes contained in the novel, but the themes of Puritanism vs. ... The Scarlet Letter is chock full of symbolism. ... Not only Hester, but also the physical scarlet letter, the badge of shame, is shown through the author's tone and word choice as a beautiful, gold and colorful piece attached with gold thread, thus giving the scarlet letter A a majestic tone when Hester wears it. ... The Sca...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8

Characterization is a literary element used by the author to present qualities of characters in a literary piece, the purpose of characterization is to make characters credible and make them suitable for the role they play in the work. Authors present various characters possessing dissimilar qualities, to emphasize different aspects of the work. In the novel "The Scarlet Letter", the author Nathaneil Hawthorn's depiction of the two male characters, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth, emphasizes the moral problems of the seventeenth century puritan society. ...

• Word Count: 328
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, draws attention to the negative qualities pertaining to the Puritan lifestyles and beliefs of the 17th century. ... As a result of this, he wrote The Scarlet Letter to show that nothing benefited from puritan ideology. ...

• Word Count: 548
• Approx Pages: 2

The Scarlet Letter is a novel that's deals with the topic of sin in Puritan society. ... The Scarlet Letter is a novel that deals with the theme of sin. ... In The Scarlet Letter, the idea of sin and punishment is the main theme of the novel and how Hester Prynne, the main character, has been punished for her sin of adultery. ... When the townspeople become aware of what Hester has done, they forced her to wear an ultimate sign of punishment, the scarlet letter. ... However, at times in the novel, it seems that she has overcome her guilt and her love for Pearl is unmatched, yet the scarle...

• Word Count: 802
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Two literary works which support this quote are A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry and The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. By using different literary elements, the authors of these two works prove this quote to be true. ... Another work of literature which supports this quote is the novel, The Scarlet Letter. ... In conclusion, the quote, "The test of a courageous person is the ability to bear defeat without losing heart", is supported by two works of literature, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, and The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. ... In The Scarlet...

• Word Count: 830
• Approx Pages: 3
• 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. ... Hawthorne's ultimate theme in The Scarlet Letter is vengeance amongst all of mankind. ... "It was whispered, by those who peered after her, that the scarlet letter threw a lurid gleam along the dark passage-way of the interior"(48). ... Pearl was just a smaller version of the scarlet letter. ...

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

One aspect of scarlet letter which I found interesting was how Hester was not trying to hide her sin and she took full responsibility for it, by her self. ... "On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A. ... The scarlet letter "gave her a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts- Last, this is shown when Hester got out of prison even though she could go anywhere she stayed in Boston. ... This got to me and made me have compassion for her regardless of the sin which she had c...

• Word Count: 615
• Approx Pages: 2

Literature, as a whole, would be much more appealing if authors let their readers make their own decisions about the events or characters in the story. The ambiguousness of The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne leaves many of the actions, events, and issues involving the characters up to the reader's own assumption. ... A young woman, Hester Prynne, is led from the town prison with her infant daughter, Pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter "A" on her breast. ... Hawthorne's, The Scarlet Letter, is a means of presenting an issue on not taking responsibility. ...

• Word Count: 1146
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In an attempt to portray both the cause and the effects of committing a sin, Nathaniel Hawthorne writes the book The Scarlet Letter. ... The town does not give her much support either; instead, the town punishes her to wear the letter "A" on her chest for every person whom she meets will know that she has committed the grave sin and to feel "unutterably grievous to be borne"(65). ... Through The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne tells us how different people suffer differently after they have sinning. ... Finally, the author indicates, through Pearl, that a sin will not only hurt the sinner, but also ...

• Word Count: 1004
• Approx Pages: 4

Although the sense of the meaning "adulteress" is constant, the metaphoric, emotional, and moralistic meanings of the scarlet letter vary from positive to negative interpretations throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter. ... The symbolism of the scarlet letter is expanded in Chapter Five, Hester at Her Needle. ... The way Hawthorne chose to illustrate his character enables the reader to discern the author's attitude toward his subject. ... Hester and her scarlet letter never achieve simplicity. ... Another vision of Hester's letter is that of its color, scarlet. ...

• Word Count: 1352
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School