...Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter, some of the major characters are isolated from the other Puritans and from Puritan society. One of the main characters, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter A on her chest for committing the sin of adultery. The Puritans during this time period were known as unforgiving and would often judge others for their sins instead of themselves. In the book Hawthorne reveals that Pearl’s true father is the minister Dimmesdale, while everyone else in town thinks it is Hester’s husband who is not in the town. The people in the town shame Hester for her sin and humiliate her in the streets - making her tell what the scarlet letter A represents on her chest. Hester is isolated because of her sin, Dimmesdale is isolated by hiding his sin, and Pearl as well has been isolated because of her parents’ sin. In the book Hester Prynne has been isolated from the other Puritans around her. She has been forced to wear a scarlet letter A on her chest for her sin and the people in town shame her. Hester is often stopped in the streets, as shown by a quote in the book. The quote states, “Clergymen paused in the street to address words of exhortation that brought a crowd,” (38.) This however is not the only way Hester is isolated in the book - she chooses to isolate herself even further. She felt as if she...
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...Alyissa Li Brown Mrs. Dick American Literature October 19, 2012 The Many Shades of Red The color red: it is beautiful, rich, and full of meaning. It represents many different things in today’s world such as love, danger, and revenge. Similarly, in the novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the color red is especially prominent. Color is important in this novel because every color has symbolic meaning behind it. This device of symbolism is used well in the novel, especially through the color red. It is the most important color because it is used the most, in the title of the book, and the color of the ‘A’. The color red symbolizes passion, shame and ultimately love. In The Scarlet Letter, it begins with a detailed description of a rose bush which symbolizes Hester and her passion. Roses are obviously red so immediately, red is going to be a very important color. In the following quote, it describes the rose bush and how it represents Hester: “This rose bush by a strange chance, has been kept alive in history; but whether it had merely survived out of the stern old wilderness, so long after the fall of the gigantic pines and oaks that originally overshadowed it, - or whether, as there is fair authority for believing, it had sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Ann Hutchinson, as she entered the prison-door, - we shall not take upon us to determine” (50). This is the first encounter with red. It is the description of a wild red rosebush growing outside...
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...Title of Work: The Scarlet Letter Author’s Name: Nathaniel Hawthorne Date of Publication: Genre: Fiction Setting: The Scarlett Letter is set in the middle of the seventeenth century, in a time where there were strict religious values. Major Characters: Hester Prynne is the main character or this book, and hence the book’s title she wears a scarlet on her clothing which is a large letter “A”. This letter means that she is an adulterer, which means that she cheated on her husband. Her husband, an old man named Chillingworth had sent her to America to start a life for them, but when there she had an affair with a young stud named Dimmesdale, and with him she had a daughter named Pearl. Hester is a strong willed woman as she deals with years of shame from her past actions, and as the continues to live in her community she notices their way of treating women and makes good observations. Pearl is Hester’s daughter that she had with Dimmesdale. She has an unique ability to see things that others do not, for example she finds out the truth about her mother and Dimmesdale, and the townspeople say that’s is devil’s spawn since her father was unknown. She is a smart girl that has a wild imagination. Arthur Dimmesdale is the man friend of Hester Prynne, and the father of Pearl. As a pastor he is tormented by what he has done with Hester, as it goes against what he has been studying and teaching to the masses. To try and overcome this he continuously beats himself mentally...
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...Things are not always what they seem. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter uses the central idea of duality to exemplify this. A key symbol of duality Hawthorne presents in The Scarlet Letter is Hester Prynne's embodiment of her sin: the beautifully embroidered scarlet letter. Forcibly placed upon Hester's bosom, the letter punishes her for committing adultery with the town reverend, Arthur Dimmesdale. The badge also intends to outcast her and her daughter, Pearl, from the Puritan society of Boston. Although the "A" originally acted as Hester's punishment, the interpretation of the scarlet letter varies for Dimmesdale and Pearl to juxtapose Hester's unwavering perspective. Besides Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale has the biggest personal...
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...let others judge and make their own assumptions. However, in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main character, Hester Prynne does the exact opposite as she openly shows her acceptance of her sin through the scarlet “A”, and Pearl. Pearl symbolizes Hester’s wrong doing. She is a constant and permanent punishment for Hester’s sin. A quote that shows Pearl’s symbolization is on page 74. “A lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion.” This quote basically is saying that Pearl is like a beautiful, eternal flower, from the foul indulgence of her mother’s guilty passion. The scarlet “A” is also a symbol of Hester’s wrong doing. Hester is forced to wear the “A” on her chest for the rest of her life to stand as a reminder to her, and the rest of the community of her sin, adultery, which is what the “A” stands for. “On the breast of her gown, its fine red cloth, surrounded with elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread” (46) describes what the “A” looks like. By wearing the scarlet letter every day, Hester has full and complete control of her sin. Removing the letter would mean society has power over her. Most people would move away after their sentence, if they were allowed so they could have a fresh start and meet new people and start a new life. However Prynne decided to stay in town and wear the scarlet “A” she made while she was in prison. The letter shows her acceptance and proves to everyone that she doesn’t care...
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...AnnaLeis Dibert Mrs. Eron English 2330 April 9, 2014 Each Sin Letter Humans are naturally sinful. With that being said, just because every human being knows he or she is sinful does not mean the entire human race needs to know of our sins; however, in “The Scarlet Letter” the reader learns the importance of his or her sin coming forth in ways they did not expect. The letter represents the ways our sins come forth in the world. Reverend Dimmesdale lives in constant fear of his letter being exposed for the entire world to see. Yet, Hester Prynne tries countless times to hide her letter from the world but cannot because her letter is pinned on the outside for the world to see and judge. In “The Scarlet Letter”, Hawthorne’s choice of characters and their sinful nature is a perfect example of human’s sinful nature and the ways we try to hide. Hawthorne chooses the character of Reverend Dimmesdale to represent the humans who are prideful, and “too perfect to sin”. In the religious community, the reverend is someone the citizens look up to; someone they want to follow and in their footsteps to mirror. After all, a reverend or outspoken religious leader should be someone who mirrors Christ’s image on a consistent basis. With that being said, hypocrisy plays a major role is Dimmesdale’s sins. He realizes he is being watched by the citizens and takes pride in knowing the town is looking to him for religious advice or encouragement; however, Dimmesdale’s sin could never be found...
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...Mr. Wilson compares Pearl to a bird when he states, “What little bird of scarlet plumage may this be? Methinks I have seen just such figures, when the sun has been shining through a richly painted window, and tracing out the golden and crimson images across the floor.” (Hawthorne 105-106). This comparison draws the connection between Pearl and the scarlet letter closer due to Wilson’s comment on the extravagantness of her scarlet colored dress. The dress she wears was sew by Hester to be elaborate and finely made like the scarlet letter, which made her representation of the letter extend farther and make her even appear similar to it. Later she is compared to the a bird again by the narrator, stating, “The old minister seated himself in an...
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...In both the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Ted Talk by Monica Lewinsky, both authors highlight how the effects of humiliation by society towards an individual only have the desired negative impact for a short time. Even though the sin becomes part of the individual’s identity, the negative impacts of trying to reform the guilty wears off, and the character of the person is strengthened. However, the culture created by the genesis of humiliation is everlasting, and it creates a harmful society that condones humiliation and shaming, while lacking compassion. Humiliation and shaming does more harm to the society than to the individual. In the Scarlet Letter, the main character Hester Prynne, is subjected to public humiliation by having to wear a scarlet “A” to show she has committed...
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...The Scarlet Letter – politics vs. religion. The book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, readers can see how confusing religion with politics can affect the life of the people. The author shows this through the laws and punishments due to sins that can be so cruel, how the beliefs of the President can affect their society and by creating a character that is accepting and being strong to her own behavior and the changes in the story makes her the character with the highest qualities. Hawthorne criticizes people that are misusing the religion and interfering with politics to show the audience that Hester’s punishment was too harsh. According to Hawthorne, “The penalty therefore is death…” (Hawthorne 32). This quote means that they went into an agreement that Hester would not only experience public shame everyday, but she had to wear the letter “A” in her bosom, presenting her sin. She should have been punished for her sin, but wearing the Scarlet Letter “A” for the rest of her life and having a penalty of death was too harsh of a punishment. “The torture of her daily shame would at length purge her soul, and work out another purity than that which she had lost: more saint-like, because the result martyrdom” (Hawthorne 40). The letter A doesn’t represent a possibility for forgiveness or recognition of a lifestyle change. Hester deserved to be punished for committing adultery, but wearing the Scarlet Letter everyday for the rest of her life was too much punitive. In...
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...Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter includes many profound and important symbols. This device of symbolism is portrayed well in the novel, especially through the scarlet letter "A". The "A" is the best example because of the changes in the meaning throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, the scarlet letter "A" is viewed as a symbol of sin. The middle of the novel is a transition period, where the scarlet letter "A" is viewed differently. In the commencement of the novel, the letter is taken as a label of punishment and sin. Hester Prynne bears the label of the letter upon her chest. She stands as a label of an outcast in front of society. She is wearing this symbol to burden her with punishment throughout her life. She stands on a plank where her punishment is given, "'Thus she will be a living sermon against sin, until the ignominious letter be engraved upon her tombstone'"(59). Society places its blames upon this woman. It is because of this one letter that Hester's life is changed. The letter's meaning in Puritan society banishes her from her normal life. The Puritans view this letter as a symbol of the devil. The letter also put Hester through torture: "Of an impulse and passionate nature. She had fortified herself to encounter the stings and venomous stabs of public contumely wreaking itself in every variety of insult but there was a quality so much more terrible in the...
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...In the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne uses many symbols throughout the book that help give a contrast to the outside world. One of the symbols that he uses is the woods that represent a place of evil but also privacy. When Hester enters into the woods with Pearl, Pearl mentions a story about a Black Man who “ haunts the forest and carries a book with him... this ugly Black Man offers this book and an iron pen to everybody that meets him here among the trees; and they are to write their names with their own blood” (p. 161). When hearing this quote, it sounds as if the devil is living in the woods and that is the man that Pearl is talking about. Whenever people think about the devil their minds immediately go to thinking...
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...often had to repress these desires more than males. Males have been the dominating species throughout history and have expected women to repress their nature. For the most part, females kept their place in society and played their role but there were some who broke the norm. There have been serious consequences for females who have attempted to liberate themselves, especially when they attempt to do so sexually. Females have the ability to achieve their sexual liberation despite the patriarchal societies in which they live. Two females which have attempted to achieve sexual liberation are Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter and Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar named Desire. Both Hester Prynne and Blanche Dubois’s attempts to achieve sexual liberation were hindered by the patriarchal societies in which they lived in; making only one of them successful. The Scarlet Letter, written in 1850, takes place in the late 17th century in Massachusetts. At this time Massachusetts is a Puritan colony. A Puritan, according to Oxford Dictionaries, is a member of a group of English Protestants of the late 16th and 17th century who regarded the Reformation of the Church of England under Elizabeth as incomplete and sought to simplify and...
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...Is Roger Chillingworth the embodiment of evil or is he misunderstood, was he always like this? Today I will talk about why he is mistaken for an evil man, leach and or the devil. In the book it is shown that Roger was an older, studious man who was ok despite that he ignored her when he married to Hester in Europe. When he arrives to Ssalem he sees his wife has cheated on him and has a child while he was on his way to salem. Then later in the story he is called a physician for Hester showing he still cares. Lastly the town did not know the relationship he had with Hester nor why he acted this way without knowing that he was the real husband. First Cchillingworth sends his wife out on a ship to salem ahead of him while he attends to his business...
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...The Scarlet Letter Death…the common punishment in Puritan America. Puritans were people who lived in a time of fear; fear of sin and a fear of God. Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman of the sixteen hundreds, committed a sin that would leave her with a life of ridicule and guilt. Her life is narrated by a dweller of the eighteenth century, two hundred years after her lifetime. Hester Prynne’s life is told in the novel, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathanial Hawthorne and is stationed in the Puritan town of Boston during the sixteenth century. Prynne, who was sent to America by her husband, was left alone by him for two years. Soon, she became attracted to another man, committed adultery, and bore a daughter whom she named Pearl. Due to this child, her fellow Puritans became aware of her deadly sin, and Prynne was sentenced to prison for a short time, public ridicule on a scaffold, and a life of recognition wearing the “Scarlet A,” which stood for her sin of adultery. In Nathanial Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne’s punishments were fair to her crime. For the crime of adultery that Hester Prynne committed, the punishment of staying in prison was fair. Prynne, living in Puritan Boston in the sixteenth century, was seen as someone as deadly as a murderer. During this time, adultery was known as a horrid sin which would send a person to Hell upon death. Therefore, the usual punishment for this crime during this time was death, which Prynne narrowly...
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...On Wednesday, October 21st, I went to go see The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, at Stillwell Theater. I am going to write how The Scarlet Letter and Ruined compare to the quote, “Traveling to some one’s world is a way of identifying with them…because by traveling to their “world” we can understand what it is to them and what it is to be ourselves in their eyes”, by Maria Lugones. These two works have many characteristics that are similar to one another; however, the two stories also have many different characteristics as well. The Scarlet Letter had many powerful moments that made me think about the characters’ world. One moment that particularly stood out was when Reverend Dimmesdale was reflecting on the fact that he lied to all of the people in the village. He was the one who committed adultery with Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale was very torn over the fact that he had been corrupted. From this guilt he whipped himself profusely, this moment was extremely powerful. It gave me a great insight on really how bad he felt for hiding his secret. Ruined, written by Lynn Nottage, was a story also filled with many memorable moments that construed an unforgettable “world”....
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