...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 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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...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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...business in hand.”(page.43) [certain things flicker on and off in the reader’s mind]. The specific use of the unknown word draws attention to what's being said. Most people reading the book in modern times would have never heard of “physiognomies” which is a sophisticated way of say a person’s facial feature but reading that sentence you wonder what in the world that is. It would have been easier for Hawthorne to simply say, “ People from/in other places or people from earlier generations would have been less problematic” but that would defeat the purpose of showing how extreme the sternness that was in the air of the community. But, the use “grim rigidity” and “petrified’ indict to how high of an extent of lack of love or compassion shown to Hester from her...
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...according to Sigmund Freud, is the repression of several archaic and primitive desires. Females have 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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...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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...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 of gold thread, appeared the letter 'A.' It was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore; and which was of a splendor in accordance with the taste of the age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony” (Cain 630). By embroidering the "A" so finely, Hester takes control of her own punishment. She acknowledges her punishment and owns up to it. The letter showcases her talent and artistry, skills that allow her to make a living as a single parent in Puritan Boston. These qualities of strength and independence set her apart, as does her love of beauty, since we meet the Puritans as a crowd of "bearded men, in sad-colored garments and grey steeple-crowned hats” (Cain 626). As Hester Prynne builds a new life, her hard work and charity end up altering the letter's meaning. Some people even "refused to interpret the scarlet...
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...The Puritan “A” Essay Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” tells the story of a woman, Hester Prynne, who conceived a child through an adulterous affair. As punishment for her sin she must wear a scarlet letter “A” on her dress. This story took place in the Puritan town of Boston; in the Puritan society “A” is a symbol of adultery or affair. Hester was forced to wear this letter as a constant reminder of her shame and so that everyone would know what she has done. The townspeople automatically began to mistreat her and her daughter so that they would leave and their society could remain pure. Although the original Puritan meaning of the letter “A” is adultery, throughout the story “A” takes on different meanings such as able and angel. Initially the Puritan society sees the “A” as a mark of punishment for sin but over time their outlook changes. In spite of all Hester endured throughout her years of being labeled as an adulterer she still remained strong. “Such helpfulness was found in her,—so much power to do, and power to sympathize,—that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” stated a member of society (13.3). She worked to redeem herself of the wrong she had done; she was a helper to those that were in need, sick, or poor. Her actions caused many members of society to change their viewpoint and no longer view her as an adulterer but as someone...
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...Foster, discussed in chapter 12 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, symbols don’t have a set clarification and can represent different things for different people. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, various characters goes through experiences that allow them to look at things differently than the rest of the town and therefore, changes their whole outlook on life. This is shown from the beginning of The Scarlet Letter with the embroidered “A” on Hester Prynne’s chest. The town folks view this symbol as a mark of shame, having grown up puritan, and lacking sympathy since they have never personally...
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...Because of this guilt, Hawthorne creates characters that face the scrutiny of their peers for their action in the Puritan society. Hester Prynne has an extramarital affair that results in a child; her punishment because of the specific circumstances of the crime cause her to have to stand on a pedestal for hours, being judged by those in her community. Hawthorne shows the effect of public shame and sin in forming a person’s opinion on others while Prynne is being judged by her peers: Had there been a Papist among the crowd of Puritans, he might have seen in this beautiful woman, so picturesque in her attire and mien, and with the infant at her bosom, and object to remind him of the image of Divine Maternity, which so many illustrious painters have vied with one another to represent; something which should remind him, indeed, but only by contrast of that sacred image of sinless motherhood, whose infant was to...
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...developed their own voice in society similar to the main character Hester Prynne. Hester is a strong independent female and we could learn from her courage. Hester Prynne is forced by the Puritan people to wear a letter A on her chest, which symbolizes the sin of adultery that she has committed. The local citizens were not fond of Hester due to her independence and confidence. Even though she is reminded about her sin every day by wearing the letter A, she wears the symbol to show the strength and courage she has for her daughter Pearl and for herself. Hester takes the responsibility of the sin she that she has committed even though Reverend Dimmesdale is partially to blame. Reverend Dimmesdale speaking to Hester Prynne says, "I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life” (Hawthorne, 79). Reverend Dimmesdale is speaking to Hester Prynne hoping that she would confess that she committed adultery with him so the Reverend would no longer suffer the guilt he faces. The Reverend is deomonstrating cowardly acts by wanting Hester to confess his sin so he can suffer the pain with her. When he could easily confess his bad actions himself. Hester is not a shamed of her...
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...Throughout The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, readers are introduced to multiple characters in order to fully comprehend Hester Prynne’s peculiar situation. As Hester stands on the scaffold with her daughter in her arms, the public stares and judges her actions, considering her a sinner and transgressor. Through the use of rhetorical devices, readers are able to determine Hawthorne’s differing attitude towards each character and view Hester and Roger Chillingworth in a different light. Hester Prynne, a woman being punished for her adultery- a betrayal of the ten commandments- is forced to stand on a scaffold for three hours while the public stares. Bystanders comment as to whether the extent of Hester’s punishment is not harsh enough....
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...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 novel The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne portrays his belief in the significance of personal strength through the contrasting personalities of Hester Prynne, who portrays strength as she faces the sin with dignity, and her lover Arthur Dimmesdale, who portrays weakness as he continues to hide from the sin. Hester Prynne’s personal strength is important, as well as necessary, for her redemption in life. At the beginning of the novel, Hester is condemned for her sin and forced to stand on the scaffold, she remains strong and dignified despite constant disapprovals from the town. The townspeople are shocked as “Hester Prynne appeared more ladylike… than as she issued from the prison,” and when Hester’s beauty “shone out and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy” despite her dreadful sin (49). Although at times Hester feels weak and alone, in public she continuously displays immense personal strength. Instead of running away, Hester faces her punishment and wears her scarlet letter with pride. When she is released from the prison, despite her “tension of nerves”, Hester believes...
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...Minister” Arthur Dimmesdale’s personality is developing. Throughout the chapter the readers get a glimpse of Dimmesdale’s perspective on the Puritan Child Proactive Services and forms a theory on why Dimmesdale goes against the high court and defends Hester Prynne. Hawthorn uses other characters, especially Roger Chillingworth to develop Dimmesdale’s personality. In order to limit the readers point of view of the story. Hawthorn develops dialogue and imagery to highlight Dimmesdale intelligence and his affection for Hester and Pearl. Not only does he care for Hester, but he cares for Pearl as well. These techniques help the reader learn more about Arthur Dimmesdale and how it is safe to say he is Pearl’s father. Roger Chillingworth has an influential impact towards Dimmesdale. Not only is Roger his personal doctor but he also has the ability to manipulate Dimmesdale. Roger’s goal is to trick Dimmesdale into telling him his personal connection with Hester. Recently, the readers now know that Dimmesdale’s health is not in the best condition and that Roger has become less attractive. While in the governor’s home, Roger and Dimmesdale encounter Hester in the...
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...Hawthorne’s Judgment of Sin and Punishment Based on the Puritan Belief As Seen in “Scarlet Letter” Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Puritan background and his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts strongly influenced his stories and writing style. Many of Hawthorne’s stories hold ties to the past and characterize the Puritan society, including Scarlet Letter. Puritans followed “their own rigorous moral and religious strictures…” , which led many Puritans to believe most people are inherently evil and deserve punishment (Hunt 26). Puritans believed sin’s “penalty thereof is death” (Hawthorne 59). In Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne characterized the Puritan view of sin, the punishment of sin, and how the punishment of sin revealed Hester’s courage, but led to Dimmesdale’s demise. Hester and Dimmesdale committed the same sin and “while Hester’s sin is noticeable to all, Dimmesdale’s sin is hidden”(Londhe 2). The sin itself does not alter Hester and Dimmesdale as much as it altered how the individual copes with sin and the punishment that follows the sin. The Puritan belief system influenced Hawthorne’s writing even though he “took Puritan doctrine and psychologized it”(Barna 3). Hawthorne felt the Puritan belief lacked a tolerance for sin, and “he dwelt on the cruelty of Puritans in his works” (Barna 2). Puritan’s believed everyone sinned and Hawthorne’s Puritan background led him to address sin in his writing. The common belief of the time states that “man is born into his world basically...
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