The Frailty of Dimmesdale Nathaniel Hawthorne displays a deep understanding of the complexity of human 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
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Sophocles uses Greek allusions to display conflict in love between family members. After Antigone is told she is given a death sentence, the Chorus attempts to comfort her, for example, as they relate her situation to “the terrible blinding wound dealt by [Phineus’] savage wife on Phineus’ two sons” (Sophocles 1027). This quote refers to the myth in which Phineus’ wife, Idaea, gives an “impairment” to his children by physically blinding them (“Phineas"). A similar tragedy happens in the backstory
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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
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Fatomata Konteh In this passage, Hawthorne’s language clearly demonstrates nature’s positive reaction to Dimmesdale and Hester’s decision to leave Puritan society: “as if the gloom of the earth and sky had been but the effluence of these two mortal hearts, it vanished with their sorrows.” While nature’s reaction to their decision is positive, Hawthorne doesn’t quite seem to share these feelings. In fact, the author’s implication of Hawthorne’s use of pathetic fallacy contradicts his own argument
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The veil in "The Minister's Black Veil" holds many symbolic meanings, the first being a symbol of how judgmental and shallow society is. The people in this story judge Mr. Hooper based on his physical appearance rather than his character; "He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face" (937). Before the veil, Mr. Hooper seemed to be well liked and respected in this community, and this changed after he covered his face. Mr. Hooper never changed who he was as a person, but was
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The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible are two literary classics that portray excellence in expounding the importance of life. Both written works encompass striking similarities in aspects such as the setting, plot, and major conflicts. However, The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible bare conspicuous differences such as in The Scarlet Letter solid evidence for the crime of adultery is distinctly manifested while in The Crucible the court possesses no tangible evidence for the crime of witchcraft. In addition
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Phillip Gwynne’s 1998 novel “Deadly Unna?” takes place in the racially skewed 70’s. It focuses on a town divided by skin colour that is also cut off from city life. When the local junior football makes it into the grand final, everyone is out to attend what forms the most important passage in the novel. Gwynne uses a variety of literary techniques to portray the intensity of the emotion at the ground, namely; repetition and truncated sentences to create a sense of tension, and imagery to show the
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The Scarlet Letter: Dimmesdale’s Guilt In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale grows weaker, whilst dealing with the insufferable guilt brought on by his adulterous temptations. Dimmesdale’s sinful counterpart, Hester Prynne, faces her shame externally, while the reverend suffers from the inside. Dimmesdale, hypocritically, would rather be highly regarded by his peers than being truthful to himself, and in turn, God who would easily be able to see the transparent
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Sophocles, an ancient Greek believed, “Honor isn't about making the right choices. It's about dealing with the consequences.” The quote expresses how honor is more about accepting the mistakes made and standing up to fix them instead of living life to a perfect image. In the classic playwright, The Crucibles, Arthur Miller demonstrates the chivalrous actions of others due to the witch trials. This quote can be applied to the protagonist, John Proctor who shows honor when he confesses of being an
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influential leader of the public but knowing deep down you disappointed them. Imagine walking through town knowing that you are a hypocrite. Imagine being the parent that gave birth to a “demon.” Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts these situations in The Scarlett Letter. He utilizes Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne, to demonstrate how owning one’s sin can positively impact one physically or mentally. Dimmesdale commits a sin by impregnating Hester. Unlike Hester, Dimmesdale never openly admits to his mistake.
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