Since early times, Puritans have had the reputation for strong discipline, their religious beliefs, and harsh punishment for those defying their beliefs. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel that portrays the Puritans as cold and unfeeling.
Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne goes to detail on how revenge can be a powerful force. .
In "The Scarlet Letter" Nathaniel Hawthorne presents three main characters that commit evil and sinful acts, where each act is at a different degree of sinfulness. These three sinners (in the eyes of the Puritan community) are: the beautiful Hester Prynne, the esteemed Reverend Dimmesdale, and the cold-hearted doctor Roger Chillingworth. Hawthorn believes that evil is the nature of man but that there are different magnitudes of evil- some choose to fight it, like Hester, and some choose to give in, like Chillingworth.
Hester Prynn, a strong willed and brave women, in respect to the two additional people, has committed the least amount of sin in the novel. However, in the eyes of the Puritan community, she has committed one of the worst possible sins that can be imagined: adultery. .
Though, in their eyes, she is horrendously corrupt, it is not her fault in fact; Hester is the victim of her husband, Roger Chillingworth's stupidity by sending her to New England by herself, while he remained in Europe. She is also a victim of fate- when Chillingworth is captured by the Indians when he arrives in North America, Hester has no way of knowing if he is alive or dead. But in fact, she still goes against the strict Puritan rules, and breaks commandment seven, which was often punished by death.
Arthur Dimmesdale, a strong pillar of the community, and a very devoted Puritan, goes a little further into the same sin. First of all, he commits adultery with the abandoned Hester, and instead of admitting his sin to the public, he keeps his dark secret in his heart, much like an unwanted reminder of the past that someone of this nature would lock up but would know its still there.
When he picks up the letter and unrolls it he holds it up to his chest. ... Hawthorne finds that the scarlet letter was wrapped up around a letter, after he drops it, written by a Surveyor detailing the whole affair of the scarlet letter. ... A letter "the letter A "but freshly green instead of scarlet.""... The Scarlet Letter. ... "The Scarlet Letter, Nathanial Hawthorne 1850."" ...
When Hawthorne finds the old faded letter in the customhouse he has no idea what the history of the letter really is. When he picks up the letter and unrolls it he holds it up to his chest. ... Hawthorne finds that the scarlet letter was wrapped up around a letter, after he drops it, written by a Surveyor detailing the whole affair of the scarlet letter. ... A letter "the letter A "but freshly green instead of scarlet.""... Once he gets up there he asks Hester and pearl to join him. ...
In the book, "The Scarlet Letter," Nathaniel Hawthorne creates a character who is so loving, passionate, and mistreated that the reader cannot help but feel badly for her. ... She is reminded of her sin every day with her child, Pearl, and the scarlet letter. ... Throughout the story of "The Scarlet Letter," Hawthorne tips off the reader that Hester Prynne is destined for a downfall because her character is written a classic tragic heroine. ... It is evident that "Hester's story will not and cannot end happily" (Guy-A Critical Review of The Scarlet Letter-Website), because her tragedy is ...
Scarlet Letter's Use Of Symbolism To Show Psychological Effects Of Sin "The act gross and brief, and brings loathing after it." ... She wears her scarlet letter among the solemnly dressed Puritans as this rosebush wears its scarlet blossoms amidst a small plot of grass and weeds. ... Hester has already been discovered and is receiving her punishment by wearing the scarlet letter branding her as an adulteress and keeping her socially isolated. ... In a moment of joy, Hester removes the scarlet letter and tosses it away from herself. ... We later see this is true as she lives...
The Scarlet Letter In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, he uses many symbols that tie into the character's lives. Hester has the scarlet letter as punishment of her sin. ... The scarlet letter becomes something known to Pearl. ... She becomes the living version of the scarlet letter. ... The scarlet letter has its two meanings for Hester. ...
The Scarlet Letter, pearl, and sunshine are examples of symbolism. ... A final example of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter is the behavior of the sunshine. ... In addition, Hawthorne uses irony a great deal in The Scarlet Letter. ... The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story about sin and punishment. ... Dimmesdale, is punishing himself heavily for his sin and once he reveals to the public he is in fact Hester's partner, Dimmesdale cannot handle the pain and dies. ...
THEME The Scarlet Letter centers round the consequences of sin, especially shame and guilt. ... She also tells her mother that someday she will have her own scarlet letter. ... 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. ...
Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne embeds a variety of signs and symbols in the letter "A." ... Since Hawthorne had a personal interest in Maine, he could have come across this piece of information and incorporated it in his book, The Scarlet Letter (Hawthorne 332). ... Pearl is the "the animate letter, the child dressed in gold-embroidered scarlet" and "the scarlet letter in another form, the scarlet letter endowed with life.... Pearl's attire of the same deep, scarlet color and its same stitching, very much alike Hester Prynne's own scarlet let...
The Scarlet Letter Part two: Formal Literary Response 1.a. Identify and describe both the time and place of The Scarlet Letter. ... In Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter Hester, the main character has to live with a scarlet letter on her bosom, which lets others know about her sin. ... Identify a major theme of The Scarlet Letter. ... Discuss how you feel about the novel, The Scarlet Letter. ...
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. ... The general aspects of characters are also similar in both The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible. ... In The Scarlet Letter, there is a minister, Dimmesdale, a political! ... However, more parishoners like Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter than Parris in The Crucible. ...
