Hawthorne himself may not be able to tell a person the exact point of his story, but that is the beauty of it. ... In reality it is hard to tell; some will claim he is and others will claim he is not. ... Therefore, despite Hawthorne's true feelings about women he was able to write a tale in which the hero is a heroine. Hester Prynne proves her heroinism more than once in the tale of The Scarlet Letter and to more than one person. ... In the conclusion of Hawthorne's tale he impresses upon the reader another way Hester betters the world. ...

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

The narrator uses this rosebush to symbolize a "sweet moral blossom" in his story, and to provide some relief in the "tale of human frailty and sorrow."   ... The old man, who calls himself Roger Chillingworth, tells her he would not poison her. ... Meanwhile, venerable Reverend Dimmesdale's body starts to waste away from a mysterious heart condition. ... Dimmesdale clutches his heart instinctively and admits to Hester that he hates Chillingworth. ... The next morning one of the townsman tells Dimmesdale, at church, that one of the minister's gloves was found near the scaffold. ...

• Word Count: 3653
• Approx Pages: 15
• Grade Level: High School

Along with his views on this culture, Hawthorne uses irony, tales of witchcraft, and the concepts of guilt, confession, and hypocrisy to show his feelings on the Puritanical society and the way they treat other people. ...

• Word Count: 3188
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School