...Symbols in the Scarlet Letter Colors can represent many things; for example it can represent the emotions someone is feeling or to describe something or to simply determine whether a food is going to be eaten. Another example would be a funeral; everyone knows that it’s appropriate to wear black because it’s a time to mourn and sorrow for a lost loved one, but if someone were to wear black to a wedding it would portray to be inappropriate because weddings are created to be a time full of joy and new beginnings. Colors are used in present day to represent things, yet they were just as useful hundreds of years ago, for instance; the 1600’s. In the 1600’s, the Puritan society represented a community that was 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 chest. This scarlet letter stood out in front of people’s eyes whenever she was around. Now as a Puritan, it was forbidden to sin. They believed that sinners were working with the devil to finish any undone business he had left. It was a rule with the Puritans to have an...
Words: 1006 - Pages: 5
...extremely vague in different societies. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Puritan-era novel The Scarlet Letter intensely presents the contradicting representations of individualism and its effect on not only the individuals themselves but also on the entire society. In Puritan society, individualism is abhorred, yet many influential characters are strikingly different individuals. The Scarlet Letter presents individualism as an integral part of society due to the diversity of human personalities and passions, yet the strict society that Hawthorne depicts limits the true potential of individualism. Hester Prynne, an adulterer and supposed widow, mostly thrives on being an individual, yet is compelled...
Words: 1050 - Pages: 5
...Within Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, there are elements such as irony and truth that present themselves through deliberate syntactic manipulation. Hawthorne expresses his truth through irony, whether that be with situational, dramatic, and/or verbal. This novel was written with the intentional purpose of analysis. It’s essential to first ascertain the simple truth mentioned in the previous paragraph, and that would be desire. The desire the “godly” Reverend Dimmesdale feels contrasts to his reverential title. Such an ascetic man had been so hypocritical regarding abstinence, yet when he “confessed” his sin, he was praised. He had had sexual intercourse with a married woman, but the people related to his sermon. “...I, your...
Words: 417 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 1023 - Pages: 5
...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”....
Words: 1285 - Pages: 6
...Essay 1 Arthur Dimmesdale was a leader and pillar in the Boston community but he concealed a major sin from his congregation. Dimmesdale was the father of Pearl, meaning that he had an extramarital relationship with Hester Prynne. Hiding his affair from his church caused Dimmesdale massive amounts of guilt and internal suffering. He was emotionally tortured and driven to the verge of insanity to preserve his place in society. When Hester Prynne was publicly shamed in chapters one and two the entire town found out about her sin. Dimmesdale was extremely guilty that Hester went through the humiliation alone. He wanted Boston to know his part in the affair but also did not want his parish to reject his teachings. Reverend Dimmesdale was...
Words: 1434 - Pages: 6
...At the turn of the 17th century, a new group of settlers arrived in America, resolving to establish a “city upon a hill” that would be the focal point for God’s grace in the New World and would serve as a model for the waves of pilgrims to come. In subsequent decades, the Puritans formed communities across New England; communities governed by and revolving around a strict interpretation of the Christian religion. Essentially, Puritan society was controlled and influenced by the relationship between sin and consequent punishment. Inevitably, this led to conflict over the actual definition of “sin” and if certain acts of “sin” are more severe than others. During the 18th century, the perpetual oppression of the Puritan lifestyle led to major regime changes across the New World as settlers strayed away from the harsh reality of Puritan ideals....
Words: 542 - Pages: 3
...Similarities and Differences between Anne Hutchinson and Hester Prynne While many people may feel that Anne Hutchinson has nothing in common with Hester Pyrnne they actually more alike than most people would think. Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of “The Scarlet Letter,” used many references to Anne Hutchinson in his book. During his life, he wrote a sketch of Hutchinson thus portraying his interest towards her and the characteristics of her life. It could be accurate to say that Anne Hutchinson was used as a guide to make the character of Hester Prynne. Therefore, Hawthorne creates Hester’s character to resemble and to differ from Hutchinson. Hester Prynne and Anne Hutchinson show their similarities and differences through those who influenced them, their religious beliefs, leadership, and personalities. In the beginning of each of their lives Hutchinson and Pyrnne both started at a divergent road. Hester had an impulsive behavior. Her parents had to always keep an eye on her because she was oblivious and incautious. She married at smart man while she was young and tried to convince herself she was happy. Anne, on the hand, was forced into a life that made her strong and intelligent. Her father had been imprisoned for preaching against English ministers. Later, Anne was taught by her father of his religious views. She read many of his theology and religion books. This influenced her religious views and made her into the strong minded female. Both of these women show differences...
Words: 1615 - Pages: 7
...In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne explored the superficially-Christian ideals of Boston's Puritan society by revealing the sins committed by many individuals in the community. In this novel, Hester Prynne was an obvious sinner, forced by the community to forever harbor the scarlet letter on her chest as a reminder of her sin. Roger Chillingworth could also be considered a sinner for lying about his identity and mentally torturing his patient, Arthur Dimmesdale. However, one would be surprised to find that the worst sinner in this novel was one of the most pious men in the community. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale was the most sinful in this novel, because he committed adultery with Hester, lived a hypocritical life, and doubted God's ability...
Words: 810 - Pages: 4
...The Scarlet Letter Study Guide Published in 1850, 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 New England in contemporary society. The Scarlet Letter was an immediate success for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the United States was still a relatively new society, less than one hundred years old at the time of the novel’s publication. Indeed, still tied to Britain in its cultural formation, Hawthorne's novel offered a uniquely American style, language, set of characters, and--most importantly--a uniquely American central dilemma. Besides entertainment, then, Hawthorne's novel had the possibility of goading change, since it addressed a topic that was still relatively controversial, even taboo. Certainly Puritan values had eased somewhat by 1850, but not enough to make the novel completely welcome. It was to some degree a career-threatening decision to center his novel around an adulterous affair (but compare the plot of Fielding's Tom Jones). But Hawthorne was not concerned with a prurient affair here, though the novel’s...
Words: 4546 - Pages: 19
...with guilt and sins are human creations. Guilt, the result of shameful mistakes, is associated with infirmity, cowardice, and self-centeredness due to the fear of exposure. These three mesmerizing works, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “The Pie” by Gary Soto and, “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, address the theme of guilt and the consequences of concealing one’s guilt. The Scarlet Letter considered one of the most famous of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, is set in the1850s in Boston, Massachusetts. The plot revolves around a Puritan community and a woman named Hester. “The Pie”, written in Fresno, California in 1991, is an autobiographical narrative that illustrates Soto’s sin when he steals a pie from the grocery store and experiences the feeling of guilt along with a few other consequences. “The Crucible” was written in 1953 and exposes the truths about the Salem Witchcraft trials, in Massachusetts. Ultimately, through their respective protagonists’ acts of aggression and violations of boundaries, authors Hawthorne, Soto, and Miller illustrate that the guilt derived from sin itself, especially if concealed from society, can cause emotional and mental torture, leading to everlasting internal punishment, and an increase in remorseful feelings. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne depicts the consequences of concealing transgression through Hester by showing the internal punishment she faces and overcomes. Hawthorne opens this novel with a depiction of Hester’s punishment...
Words: 1811 - Pages: 8
...In the novel, Scarlett Letter, the Puritans live in a community bent on conforming to the common beliefs and values set by their society. Those whose ideas and values diverge from the norm are criticized and despised for their individualism. Hawthorne portrays this ignorance and conformity through the Puritans' belief that the forest is evil and unruly. However, because the forest is secluded far from the influences of society, Hawthorne suggests that in the forest people are able to express the individuality they are deprived of in their Puritan settlement. Thus, the forest, an embodiment of freedom and individuality, is used as a symbol to contrast the harsh Puritan society with the free nature of the forest in order to convey the importance of isolation from society in being true to one's self. In the beginning of the novel, the forest is used to reveal the Puritan's ignorance through their fear of the unknown. The Puritans assume the forest to be a savage and evil place because it is uncontrolled by Puritan law, thus reflecting how centered the Puritans were around their rigid society. Just as Dimmsdale enters the scene of the scaffold coming from the forest, the rigid "settlement of Christian men" (Hawthorne, 66) is immediately put into comparison with the "vast and dismal forest" (66) that is feared by the puritans. The use of the adjectives to describe the forest imply its dark, obscure and boundless characteristics, in contrast to the very structured society of the...
Words: 962 - Pages: 4
...A novel that I personally found insightful on its critique of cultural identity/social change was Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. The book takes place in a mid-1600s Puritan Massachusetts community, where a young woman named Hester becomes demonized after accusations of her adultery leak through to the public. As a result, the community embroiders a large letter A on her chest, which Hester has to live with for the remainder of her days while she and her daughter reside in an exiled part of the town. Through a simple plot, Hawthorne manages to tackle our society's cultural identity by highlighting our similarities with our Puritan roots. Like the Puritans, not only do we take to anointing those who are the epitome of the American...
Words: 293 - Pages: 2
...experienced a huge discrimination in the USSR. All Soviet citizens had passports with a record of nationality in them. Some people had Russian nationality, some Ukranian nationality, and some, like me, had a Jewish record on the first page. We needed to show a passport when applying for jobs, getting housing, or entering University. And when you had a Jewish record it was like being a registered sex offender in the US today. Jews were pariahs in the USSR. You should not tell anybody you were a Jew. Some Russian people would beat you. Silently, the Soviet government supported this. When I was a child, some neighbors knew we were Jews, so they sent their kids to fight with me. I was beaten many times, just because of the Jewish Scarlett Letter. The Soviet Police were responsible for maintaining the passport system, and putting the Scarlett Jewish ID there. This looks just like the situation for sex offenders in many states today. When their neighbors learn a sex offender family has moved next door, the sex offenders and their families are hassled, possibly their houses attacked, and some sex offenders have even been killed. After graduating from high school I was going to Leningrad University. A University worker asked for my passport. He made a note about nationality, and told me there are too many Jews here. As a result I got an F on my first test, and could not enter University. I was an A+ student in high school. When I tried to go to a technical college, they again noted...
Words: 925 - Pages: 4
...The Allegorical Young Goodman Brown The story about Young Goodman Brown centers around the allegory of a man pitted against his past and his desires to reach beyond that which his benighted heaven would put before him. The allegory is Christian due to the references in Young Goodman Brown to the devil and Satan; it only seems logical that the crux of the story is based upon the religious imagery of Hawthorne's New England in the times of Salem and active religious strife. The beginning of the story mentions the goodman's wife, Faith. The names of the characters alone serve as an indication of what Hawthorne puts as an obvious religious allegory with the goodman and faith soon to be pitted against an unspeakable evil. The goodman even swears that after this night he will "cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven." The devil awaits Young Goodman Brown as he states that the clock of the old south was striking but a few minutes past (Hawthorne is stating how quickly the devil can move--intensifying the airs of the preternatural). Young Goodman Brown replies to the devil that faith was keeping him away--Hawthorne's play on words should not be overlooked as this also leads to the realization that a man (a good one) can deal with the devil and possibly win. At this stage in the story the reader still has hope for the goodman who must now deal with what he feels is his duty honor-bound. A "good man" in Hawthorne's day was a person who came from a proper lineage. This very...
Words: 649 - Pages: 3
