...Section #1: The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, starts off by introducing how the book was written. The anonymous narrator stumbled upon some manuscripts labeled with a red “A”, all of which happened some 200 years before his time. He decided to write a fictional story about the facts he found in the manuscripts and thus, The Scarlet Letter was born. The story begins in a Boston Puritan Settlement in the 17th century. Hester Prynne and her young daughter, Pearl, are being led from the town prison, bearing the infamous “scarlet letter”. A man in the crowd said she was being tried for adultery, after her husband left and was supposed to be “lost at sea”, and gave birth to a child. She will not, however, give the identity of her lover, and the red “A”, along with her public shame, is punishment for her sin and secrecy. The man in the crowd turns out to be Hester’s long lost husband, who is now practicing medicine and is going by the name Roger Chillingworth. Several years pass and, being banished by the town, Hester and Pearl live in a small cottage on the outskirts of Boston. The town repeatedly tries to take Pearl away from Hester, but with the help of the young minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, the two manage to stay together. Chillingworth has his suspicions about Dimmesdale’s health and the fact he may be hiding a secret, so he decided to move in with him to give him constant care. One afternoon, while the minister sleeps, Chillingworth discovers a mark on the man’s chest...
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...Journal #4 (Revised) Throughout the course of “The Scarlet Letter,” Hawthorne hints towards the fact that Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father without ever really giving it away. For example, in Dimmesdale’s first description, Hawthorne says “The young pastor's voice was tremulously sweet, rich, deep, and broken. The feeling that it so evidently manifested, rather than the direct purport of the words, caused it to vibrate within all hearts, and brought the listeners into one accord of sympathy. Even the poor baby, at Hester's bosom, was affected by the same influence; for it directed its hitherto vacant gaze towards Mr. Dimmesdale, and held up its little arms, with a half pleased, half plaintive murmur.” (Page 63) This is one of the first hints that the Reverend is Pearl’s father. When Dimmesdale talks, his voice sounds so sweet that even Pearl was affected by it and holds up her arms as if to show happiness. The other Puritans (and the reader) think that Pearl is affected by Dimmesdale’s voice because he is so pure and holy. However, it affects her in a different way than the rest of the crowd because she is his daughter. Nobody realizes it at first, but Pearl recognizes from a very young age who her father is. The second hint was in the chapter of The Leech and the Patient. Roger Chillingworth is talking to Rev. Dimmesdale and says “Why should not the guilty ones sooner avail themselves of this unutterable. ” "They mostly do," said the clergyman, griping hard at his breast, as...
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...Lawrence: The Devil in Hester’s Hell D. H. Lawrence’s On The Scarlet Letter critically analyzes Hester Prynne, the protagonist of The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. While deconstructing Prynne’s character, he uses a variety of literary techniques. In this critique, Lawrence voices his disapproval of Prynne, for he sees her as a horrible role model for women. Lawrence’s sarcastic tone, relevant allusions, and short, choppy diction are effective in evaluating Hester Prynne. Lawrence’s mocking tone reinforces his beliefs that Hester Prynne should not be regarded as a standard that anybody should live by. After calling Prynne a demon, Lawrence stated, “A man must be pure, just that you can seduce him to a fall.” Lawrence’s...
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...Chapter 22, “The Procession” of The Scarlet Letter configures all the components into place to reveal the conclusion of the novel. The entire chapter is committed to the foreshadowing of events that expose the true relationship between Dimmesdale and Hester to the entire Puritan community. Therefore, Hawthorne makes great efforts to depict the atmosphere of the procession. To present the reader with a general comprehension of the era, Hawthorne sets the scene with a thorough analysis of monarchy power. He extensively describes how the of flaunt of strength from the monarchy overpowers almost everything. This exhibits his aversion to those who receive power without working for it. Hawthorne elaborates on how primitive statement were elected by power rather than qualities- “elevated to power by the early choice of the people, seem to...
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...The novel, The Scarlet Letter is a novel that contains a lot of rhetorical devices. It contains metaphors, allusions, rhetorical questions, parallel structure, alliteration, etc. In chapter 11, Dimmesdale is having so much conflict with him hiding the sin that he had committed and the guilt is eating him inside. In this chapter the writer uses Parallel structure, Hyperboles, metaphors, and similes. The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne used some rhetorical questions,hyperbole, personification, and parallel structure, “ Then, what was he?—a substance?—or the dimmest of all shadows? ...from his own pulpit, at the full height of his voice, and tell the people what he was. “I, whom you …, I, who ascend the sacred desk...I, in whose daily.. I, whose footsteps, as you suppose, leave a gleam along my earthly track...—I, who have laid the hand of baptism upon your children,—I, who have, to whom the Amen sounded faintly from a world which they had quitted,—I, your pastor, whom you so reverence and trust, am utterly a pollution and a lie!” (Page 132) The author is showing how Dimmesdale feels internally over this situation, he ( dimmesdale) has repeated themselves over and...
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...SCENE: 17TH CENTURY BOSTON, then a Puritan settlement. CHARACTER OVERVIEW: Hester Prynne: Heroine • passionate and strong—she endures years of shame and scorn (due to adultery) • protagonist and the wearer of the scarlet letter (a patch of fabric in the shape of an “A,” signifies that Hester is an “adulterer.”) • married an elderly scholar, Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live never followed her • waiting then had an affair with a Puritan minister named Dimmesdale o then gave birth to Pearl. • She equals both her husband and her lover in her intelligence and thoughtfulness. • alienation causes her to make acute observations about her community, particularly about its treatment of women Pearl : Hester’s illegitimate daughter • young girl with a moody, mischievous spirit and an ability to perceive things that others do not o EX: quickly finds out the truth about her mother and Dimmesdale (the lover). • The townspeople say that she barely seems human and spread rumors that her unknown father is actually the Devil(how ironic). • wise far beyond her years, frequently engaging in ironic play having to do with her mother’s scarlet letter Roger Chillingworth: Hester’s Husband • self-absorbed and both physically and psychologically monstrous o single-minded pursuit of retribution reveals him to be the most malevolent character in the novel • ACTUALLY Hester’s husband in disguise. o much older than Hester is and had sent her to America...
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...flowers…whispered.., “Adorn thyself with me, thou beautiful child, adorn thyself with me!” In this passage we see Pearl embrace who she is- a product of sin. “With these[twigs, flowers, she decorated her hair, and her young waist, and became a nymph-child, or an infant dryad , or whatever else was in closest sympathy with the antique wood. In such guise had Pearl adorned herself, when she heard her mother’s voice, and came slowly back.” In the forest Pearl can be who she is, when suddenly her mother interrupts her. This may be a symbol representing Pearl’s willingness to embrace her physical embodiment of sin and her mother’s desire to abandon the very reminder of it by escaping Puritan society and “[undoing] the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter.” Given the fact that Hawthorne’s language demonstrates nature’s positive reaction to both Hester and Pearl, it is impossible to assume that nature is used to resemble Hawthorne’s feelings about Hester and Dimmesdale’s decision. Instead, we must assess Hawthorne’s language to get a better understanding of his stance on their decision. Furthermore, Hawthorne’s language suggests that Hester and Dimmesdale’s decision to leave Puritan society is just as “wild,” and “heathen,” as nature; this negative image seems to represent Hawthorne’s reproach of Hester and Dimmesdale’s choice. After Dimmesdale’s decision to accept Hester’s invitation to leave Puritan society behind, Hawthorne describes Dimmesdale’s emotional state as, “the exhilarating...
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...Hester would comfort them as best she could, telling them that their are brighter times that will come and that the truth would be revealed on it is own, and that the scarlet letter that used to represent Adultery now meant Angle instead. Although Prynne was a figurehead for helping the poor and aiding the sick she is still marked by the letter A and the Puritans will never forgive her for that, on her tombstone it is written “On A Field, Sable, The Letter A, Gules.” (Hawkthorne 235) this represents the hypocrisy of the Puritans, they think of Hester as their own, a kind woman who helps the people and sought for her help, yet they cannot look past her sin and declare her as a disgrace, they go to her in secrecy but they do not want people to know that she helped...
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...In the first chapter of Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many words to convey that the tone is gloomy, depressing, and towards the end it is somewhat hopeful. Right at the beginning of the chapter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses words like sad and gray to describe what the men are wearing. Sad and gray are depressing and gloomy words because the definition of sad is the feeling of being unhappy and gray is often associate with rain and rain is like the people up above crying. Following paragraph 1, the first thing that Hawthorne states is that a cemetery and prison must be built as it is a necessity, despite coming to the new world for a utopia like home, which would not need a cemetery or prison. Even though the prison is just 15 to 20...
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...The Scarlet Letter: The Feminist Approach The Scarlet Letter tells the story of a woman labeled by the Puritan society due to her actions and vows of silence to not explain herself.When looking at the feminist approach to literature, the reader must know the three premises and principles. First, language, institutions, social power structures have impacted throughout history reflected particular interest. Second, woman have always resisted or subvert, and at the last but now least, patriarchal dominance and feminine subversion is evident in literary and cultural text. In Bentuck's analysis of The Scarlet Letter, she uses the statement “ Hester Prynne, however, subverts the Puritan- patriarchal laws of meaning in two ways. First, she embroiders and embellishes the community's representational codes, thereby confusing them. Second, Hester refuses to name child's father.(pg.397)”as one of her primary arguments. In addition to Hester's ability to subvert, Benstuck's argument and statement that The Scarlet Letter“focuses attention on representations of womanhood, with special emphasis on Puritan efforts to regulate female sexuality within religious, legal, and economic structures.(pg398)” is her thesis for her analysis. The people of the society Hester Prynne lived in were strictly judgmental on one if they had not chose to take the “proper” and “righteous” way to reproduce. Benstuck speaks on the biology and religious aspects of man and woman to support her idea gender issues...
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...North American Literature 2014-2015. Individual Freedom restricted by Puritans. Analysis of Hester, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale. [Nathaniel Hawthorne; The Scarlet Letter] ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper is to analyze how Nathaniel Hawthorne deals with the theme of freedom focusing on the major characters such as Hester, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale. I argue that, there is a sign of individual freedom due to the fact that all the characters have the right to act in the way they do it but they will be always suppressed by the decisions of the Puritans. I also argue that, there is no collective freedom in terms of society because Puritanism restricts, punishes and judges individual actions. Key words: major characters, individual freedom, suppressed, no collective freedom. The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, is constructed by the main themes of isolation and suffering. Moreover, sin and the Puritan law are narrowly connected, making the wish of freedom almost an impossible achievement. Over the course of the novel, Hester is the only one who truly manifests her right of individual freedom. However, she has been punished by the Puritan law, which considers her attitude as a threat to the Puritan community and its religion. Hester’s freedom starts since the moment she decides to carry her punishment in New England and not going back to England, where she could have lived a new life without feeling guilty. Furthermore, her self-determination...
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...Sin can alienate an individual. Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates this concept in his novel “The Scarlet Letter” by involving the three main characters Hester, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale. The sin in which Hester, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale have done excludes them from society, self, and God. Hester Prynne is a lady who committed the crime of adultery. She was pointed out by society with a scarlet A on her chest so when people looked at her, they seen her sin and isolated her. In “The Scarlet Letter” it quotes “But the point which drew all eyes and, as it were, transfigured the wearer- so that both men and women, who had been familiarly acquainted with Hester Prynne, were now impressed as if they beheld her for the first time- was that...
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...FINAL WORD TRACK ANALYSIS- THE BLACK MAN In The scarlet letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne has used “Black Man “to signify evil and darkness. The Scarlet letter is based on the sins of the puritan society. The word “Black Man” refers to the “Satan” who is the devil. Many religions believe it to be an incarnation of God in a human or animal. Puritans and Christians believed it to be a devil dressed in black, who haunts the forest and tempts people into signing their name in his book with their own blood as ink. The word “Black Man” is used for the first time by Hester Prynne in chapter 4 while conversing with Roger Chillingworth. She says “art thou like the Black man that haunts the forest round about us? Hast thou enticed me into a bond that will prove the ruin of my soul?” .Hester Prynne doesn’t trusts Roger Chillingworth and believes he is trying to take his revenge. Roger Chillingworth has asked Hester to keep his identity a secret. Hester Prynne knows something will be wrong because of this bond but still she makes the deal because she has no choice. This is said in chapter 14 in another conversation between Hester and Roger. The bond here is referred to the Black man’s bond where Roger Chillingworth has been compared to the Black man and has made a deal with Hester. The word Black man is used once again by Mistress Hibbins in chapter 8. Mistress Hibbins has been suspected of being a witch. She says, “There will be a...
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...The Scarlet Letter Study Guide Published in 1850, The Scarlet Letter is considered Nathaniel Hawthorne's most famous novel--and the first quintessentially American novel in style, theme, and language. Set in seventeenth-century Puritan Massachusetts, the novel centers around the travails of Hester Prynne, who gives birth to a daughter Pearl after an adulterous affair. Hawthorne's novel is concerned with the effects of the affair rather than the affair itself, using Hester's public shaming as a springboard to explore the lingering taboos of Puritan New England in contemporary society. The Scarlet Letter was an immediate success for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the United States was still a relatively new society, less than one hundred years old at the time of the novel’s publication. Indeed, still tied to Britain in its cultural formation, Hawthorne's novel offered a uniquely American style, language, set of characters, and--most importantly--a uniquely American central dilemma. Besides entertainment, then, Hawthorne's novel had the possibility of goading change, since it addressed a topic that was still relatively controversial, even taboo. Certainly Puritan values had eased somewhat by 1850, but not enough to make the novel completely welcome. It was to some degree a career-threatening decision to center his novel around an adulterous affair (but compare the plot of Fielding's Tom Jones). But Hawthorne was not concerned with a prurient affair here, though the novel’s...
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...Similarities and Differences between Anne Hutchinson and Hester Prynne While many people may feel that Anne Hutchinson has nothing in common with Hester Pyrnne they actually more alike than most people would think. Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of “The Scarlet Letter,” used many references to Anne Hutchinson in his book. During his life, he wrote a sketch of Hutchinson thus portraying his interest towards her and the characteristics of her life. It could be accurate to say that Anne Hutchinson was used as a guide to make the character of Hester Prynne. Therefore, Hawthorne creates Hester’s character to resemble and to differ from Hutchinson. Hester Prynne and Anne Hutchinson show their similarities and differences through those who influenced them, their religious beliefs, leadership, and personalities. In the beginning of each of their lives Hutchinson and Pyrnne both started at a divergent road. Hester had an impulsive behavior. Her parents had to always keep an eye on her because she was oblivious and incautious. She married at smart man while she was young and tried to convince herself she was happy. Anne, on the hand, was forced into a life that made her strong and intelligent. Her father had been imprisoned for preaching against English ministers. Later, Anne was taught by her father of his religious views. She read many of his theology and religion books. This influenced her religious views and made her into the strong minded female. Both of these women show differences...
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