...In the novels, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hathorne, and The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, committing a sin was frowned upon and anyone who was to commit a sin would be punished. With society being as strict as it was, those who had committed a sin would try and keep it hidden to save themselves from being punished or have their reputation ruined. Over time, society views and social views have changed in becoming more accepting of this sin. In the novel, The Crucible, John Proctor had an affair with Abigail Williams. This action was taking because of the jealousy that Abigail had built up towards John´s wife. ¨Abigail: She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her¨ (Miller 23). Although Elizabeth, John´s wife, had done nothing wrong, Abigail plots her revenge by trying to get the town to believe that Elizabeth is a witch. This being said, Elizabeth would be hanged and Abigail would have John all to herself. In Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne had an affair with Reverend Dimmesdale. Chillingworth decides to plot revenge as well by prying through Dimmesdale´s guilty conscious. ¨It was the constant shadow of my presence! The closest propinquity of the man whom he most vilely wronged! And who had grown to exist...
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...of punishments for many things. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter, he sets the tone of his book in the old English Puritan days. Hawthorne describes one of the multiple puritan punishments that took place, he mainly focuses on the punishment for committing adultery. He ties it all together with the puritans’ beliefs, the effects it had on his life, modes of punishment, and crimes related to some in his book. Puritanism is a powerful political movement in the late 16th and 17th century that strived to “purify” the Church of England and thought they were pursuing God’s work (Gao 176). They believed that sinners could not...
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...While some countries do not bat an eye at someone engaging in adultery, others have and still sentence people to horrendous deaths for committing it. 17th century Massachusetts opposed what they considered to be the "sin" of adultery. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, the main character, Hester Prynne, is punished for committing adultery. Hester is made to wear a scarlet letter A upon her bosom, so everyone is aware of the sin she committed . If Hester had committed her same crime in the modern-day Sudan, she could have faced crude punishments for doing so, such as death by stoning. The society in which Hester lives had a large involvement in religion, which had a large impact on their laws, "...as befitted a people whom...
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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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...The novel,The Scarlet Letter,by Nathaniel Hawthorne, tells the story of a young woman named Hester Prynne, who must wear a scarlet A to mark her unforsaken crime of adultery. As a consequence she was forced to stand upon a scaffold while the townspeople were insulting her without knowing her side of the story and the fact that her husband has disappeared for a full two years. As the story continues, she's back in prison, when her husband who is known as a physician named Roger Chillingworth shows up after so many years and orders her to keep her mouth shut so he can carry out his plan of seeking revenge on her lover, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Chillingworth tortured Dimmesdale mentally and physically so harshly because he seeked the truth...
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...The Scarlet Letter Critical Reading Journal This novel is written in Historical context and is under the genre of fiction. It is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and was published in 1896. It is intended for an audience of readers who are quick to critique a person for a mistake they have made, and consider it “unforgiveable”, or grand enough of a cause to consider them an outcast, when in reality the people they look up to the most can be guilty of mistakes as severe as theirs. The message the story conveys is that when people are disapproving and judgmental of a person right away, they can easily influence others to join them in their criticism and they become ignorant to consider how their actions and words might affect their victim. At an early point, the neglect and feelings of shame Hester Prynne received from the town caused her to go as far as wanting to end her own life, had it not been for her baby being the only thing stopping her from doing so. For all of her life Hester is rejected and looked upon as an example of sin and temptation to evil by ministers and society for her commitment of adultery. The scarlet letter she has to wear as a part of the Puritan government’s punishment comes to be a part of her that she never removes, and even when she can remove it she continues to wear it because the guilt she holds within makes her feel that she should live that way for the rest of her life for what she did. After a while, a previous beautiful Hester Prynne becomes a...
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...The Scarlet Letter ====================================================== Book by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay by Landen Stroh In The Scarlet Letter, Hester made a scarlet letter, "A" which she had to wear on her chest. This was the Puritan way of treating her as a criminal, for the crime of adultery. The Puritan treatment continued, and as Hester would walk through the streets, she would be looked down upon as if she were some sort of demon from Hell, that committed a bad crime. This would make her very self piteous and sad. On the other hand, God's punishment for Hester for her sin was different than the puritan’s. He gave Hester the punishment of a very unique child which she named Pearl. This punishment from God was a reminder to Hester of what she had done wrong, and she could not escape it. Pearl symbolized God's way of punishing Hester for adultery. Pearl symbolized the torture of Hester's life and mind. Although Hester had so much trouble with Pearl, she still felt that Pearl was her treasure. Pearl was really the only thing that Hester had in life, and if Pearl wasn't in Hester's life, Hester would have committed suicide. Once in a while, Pearl would bring joy to Hester's life, and that helped her to keep on living. Pearl really symbolized a rose to her mother. At times she could be bright and vibrant, and really love her mother, but at other times, when...
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...concluded that the consequences of sin is the theme of Nathaniel Hawthorne's, The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne explored this theme by four distinctive levels of sin. Although each level was equally displayed throughout the novel, the communal sin of man's inhumanity to man outranked all else. The primary characters are each guilty of one or more of the following levels of sin; the sin of vengeance, the sin of hypocrisy, and the sin of adultery. In the beginning of the novel, it is revealed that Hester Prynne is guilty of adultery. One of the consequences for her sin is a prison term. Secondly, she had a child, a baby who was conceived from lust rather than love. Hester named this child Pearl, meaning of great value. Thirdly, Hester was condemned to wear the scarlet letter, upon her bosom, for all to recognize her as one who has met with the black man in the forest. Fourth, she was made to stand in public ignominy as the townsmen mocked her.(Bercovitch, S, 1991) Although the magistrates tried to make Hester Prynne reveal her accomplice, she kept his name unknown. As one may have guessed, from the hints given throughout the novel, Arthur Dimmesdale was also guilty of adultery. However, he did not confess his sin until it was too late. Dimmesdale continued his ministry in the church, as a hypocrite, concealing his sin. Nevertheless, his guilty conscience drove him to a manic-depressive state of mind. Dimmesdale became very ill, because the scarlet letter upon Hester's bosom seemingly burned...
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...In both The Minister’s Black Veil and The Scarlet Letter, there are many similarities between the two, portraying the views of Mr. Hawthorne. The stories are both centered around Puritan societies and how they view sins. In both stories the main characters, Hester in The Scarlet Letter and Mr. Hooper in The Minister’s Black Veil, wore symbols to show they committed sins. In The Scarlet Letter Hester was forced to wear a red A to show that she had committed the sin of adultery. “The scarlet letter burned on Hester Prynne's bosom. Here was another ruin, the responsibility of which came partly home to her” (14.9). Which is very similar to that of The Minister’s Black Veil, where Mr. Hooper voluntarily dons a black veil. In the story he tells his wife Elizabeth, "If it be a sign of mourning,...I, perhaps, like most other mortals, have sorrows dark enough to...
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...A Woman’s Example “The Scarlet Letter”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, illustrates the protagonist, Hester Prynne, being released from prison and then being shunned for committing adultery in the 1850s. She is forced to wear a scarlet A on all of her blouses so that the people of her town would be aware of the sin she has committed. Although this letter she is forced to wear is supposed to make her feel shame for what she has done, this character does not seem to express any sorrow for her actions and seems to be happy with the outcome, which is her beautiful daughter Pearl. This novel showcases a woman’s willingness and ability to support herself through Hester’s strong will not to lose hope despite the rest of the world’s views on her and her...
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...frailty in his novel The Scarlet Letter. In The Scarlet Letter he depicts a small Puritan town where law and religion are intertwined. This strict form of government places an immense amount of pressure on the community, and creates an environment of shame and secrecy. This environment almost forces people to hold on to their mistakes or risk being publicly shamed or possibly killed. A minister in the novel, Arthur Dimmesdale, finds himself drowning in self hate and shame after a sin because he is afraid of how society will punish him. Arthur Dimmesdale is one of the elect, the chosen people of God, in his town. He is revered by his community and is an excellent preacher whose very name carries honor and respect. Even with all his honor and respect, the minister was still vulnerable to temptations of sin and committed adultery with a beautiful, married woman named Hester. This is not only the start of Hester’s suffering, but Dimmesdale’s as well. The author...
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...Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth from Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter are no exception. These wrongdoings contribute to an overall theme of the novel. This theme is sin. There are many symbols in the novel that draw attention to this theme, such as color and the scarlet letter. There is more symbols that are present in the novel and have high importance, however these two stand out significantly. Through instances involving Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth, color and the mark of the scarlet letter drive the theme of sin within the novel. Hester’s relationship with her scarlet letter is a distinct example of how the symbol of the...
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...In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, it is considered by many timeless and universal, which makes his novel a work of classic literature. Determining what makes a classic taken from his novel Why Read the Classics? Italo Calvino defines: “A classic is a book which each rereading offers as much of a sense of discovery as the first reading.” Hester Prynne is first introduced with her infant daughter, Pearl, and she is being displayed by the onlookers of Boston as sinful because she has committed adultery. Later, it is revealed that Hester and the young minister Arthur Dimmesdale had an affair. Although Dimmesdale did not know that he befriended Hester’s once lost husband Roger Chillingworth, Dimmesdale is also punished for his sin. Themes...
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...“The Scarlet Letter”. Both characters go through trying to find how to live with themselves after committing adultery. John Proctor was a very well respected man throughout the town of Salem. He was known as a strong Christian man. He was married to Elizabeth Proctor and together they had three sons. His wife had been sick for quite a while after giving birth to their last son. She became distant for a little while and John started to lust after another woman named Abigail. John had an affair with Abigail. He soon later deeply regretted the affair and stopped his relationship with Abigail. Abigail did not want to end her relationship with John. She claimed that she had fallen in love with him and how he loved her, “You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet! John, pity me, pity me!”(24) John Proctor loved his wife and his family and he knew that he had made a mistake. Elizabeth does find out about the affair and forgives John, but there is still a part inside her that is still upset with him. Throughout the play, the reader can see John Proctor struggling with the guilt that he feels from committing adultery. Through most of the play John is...
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...English 4 Mrs. Almack- 2nd Period 1st Six Weeks The Scarlet Letter; Feminism Feminism is the social, political, and economic equality of women. There are many types of feminism but the three that I am going to talk about are Amazon Feminism, French Feminism, and Equality Feminism. The Feminist Literary Theory is the complex theory that combines all of the branches of feminism into one when analyzing a piece of text. This theory is what a lot of feminist authors; Nathaniel Hawthorne, use to appeal to the female population. Amazon feminism is a branch of feminism that strives to show the power of the women in reaching the ultimate goal of women equality to women. Some authors that use amazon feminism when writing would be...
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