moral incentives (they don't want to do something they consider wrong) and social incentives (they don't want to be seen by others as doing something wrong). For certain types of misbehavior, social incentives are terribly powerful. In an echo of Hester Prynne's scarlet letter, many American cities now fight prostitution with a "shaming" offensive, posting pictures of convicted johns (and prostitutes) on websites or on local-access television. Which is a more horrifying deterrent: a $500 fine for
Words: 257 - Pages: 2
Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter is a hardworking symbol, it represents: adultery, sin, hard work, skill, charity, righteousness, sacredness, and, of course, grace. At first, there is no doubt that it symbolizes the sin of adultery, and Hester wears it as punishment. From the very beginning, she is not willing to let it dictate the terms of her punishment. “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes
Words: 395 - Pages: 2
Hester’s Dynamic Personality In the novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne undergoes both physical and emotional revelations. Hester is directly affected by the consequences of breaking moral and social codes of behavior. The novel is a story of a young woman who commits adultery, and has a child. She stays strong when the community harasses her by not revealing the identity of her daughter Pearl's father. Throughout the novel the reader learns that the father
Words: 666 - Pages: 3
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
Words: 4546 - Pages: 19
Finding out that your wife had an affair with another man by which a baby was conceived can drive a man crazy. Roger Chillingworth acts as such as he aggressively argues with Arthur Dimmesdale, the man who he suspects had an affair with his wife, Hester and fathered her child. The two men argue over the possible outcomes one might face when admitting past transgressions. Using a variety of ethos, pathos, and logos, Chillingworth successfully convinces Dimmesdale that the benefits of confessing his
Words: 820 - Pages: 4
cheated on her husband, even if the husband had been missing for two years,she had to be punished by law, by having to wear a big red "A" on her dress.In the book, Hester does wear the letter "A" on her dress, meaning "adultery". So scarlet letter, that's what the book talks about. 4.Which character in the book was your favorite and why? Hester of course, even thought she comitted
Words: 526 - Pages: 3
days of the Massachusetts colony, they are neither welcoming nor accepting of sin or different ideas and are suspicious of anything that may topple their perfect settlement. Evil should never be kept secret because it always leaves a deep mark. Hester Prynne hides a substantial amount of sin inside of herself, which only adds to sins that have been made an issue of public interest. Committing adultery is Hester’s sin, and all her secret sins are results of this one. Pearl’s father’s sin, which is closely
Words: 967 - Pages: 4
gloomy and dark while also being full of strict rules and “perfect” people who did not sin. In The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he uses the main character, Hester Prynne, as a representation of the Puritan society by using symbolism in two ways: the scarlet letter itself and the forest. To begin with, Hester Prynne was accused of adultery while her husband was gone from Massachusetts, her home town. Because of this accusation, she was forced to pin a bright red scarlet letter on her
Words: 1006 - Pages: 5
Sam Goodnough October 10, 2010 AP English 11 Period 1 Strength In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne endures a drastic life changing experience. Hester is convicted, in a Puritan New England town, of committing adultery and is scolded constantly by this town. Even though Hester is in an incredibly difficult circumstance that most of the people could not endure, Hester remains proud and unregretful while her lover hides in the shadows of the sinful act. Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s
Words: 720 - Pages: 3
settlement. The Scarlet Letter tells the life story of Hester Prynne who is a loving and passionate woman, but however gets mistreated because she sin. Although, Hester faces criticism and judgment throughout her community she decides to stay, deal with the hatred, and the feeling of being alone for the rest of her life. The scarlet letter takes place in the seventeenth century during the puritan settlement in Boston. Hester Prynne and her
Words: 1190 - Pages: 5
