...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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...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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...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 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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...The Scarlet Letter, is far more complex than some simple morality tale about Hester Prynne's public shaming at the hands of the Puritan community in 1640's Massachusetts Bay. One of the big topics in this book is guilt. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of the scarlet letter, the scaffold, and Dimmesdale. Hawthorne shows us that the scarlet 'A', (which Hester wears to single her out as an adulteress and sinner), is really just a token of her humanity. Because the truth is that we all have our secret sins. It is just that Hester's sin was caught, while most of the rest of us writhe beneath the guilt of secret shame. And it is this hidden guilt which eats Hester's lover, Reverend Dimmesdale, alive. Guilt and Redemption; Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale experience very different life trajectories after their affair. Hester's pregnancy with her much beloved daughter pearl is a direct coralarion with guilt for pearl was conceived with a man who wasn’t Hesters’ husband. Her husband has been missing and presumed dead for years. Poor Dimmesdale’ life started to “dim” at the very time and moment he saw pearl with Hester standing on the scaffold. It was his first time seeing her since pearl was concieved. But Hester's lover and Pearl's father,...
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...In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses rhetorical devices in a unique manner to add depth to the story plot that goes much deeper than an adulterer and her consequences. The use of these devices is what makes the novel worth reading. In the novel, irony aimed at the puritan actions which Hawthorne had strong opinions about. Also, the symbol of the scarlet letter plays a key role throughout the novel which surprisingly is transformed into something new. Lastly, out of many devices, another device used is diction. Hawthorne cleverly chooses specific words and phrases to lock in the reader to look deeper into what he is really trying to convey. Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, religion has a very strong influence over the community and society in which Hawthorne uses irony to project the...
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...A woman stands in front of her community, judged for her sin and having an object to show it, her only child. Born from an extramarital affair with an unknown man, she is forced to face public scrutiny in a Puritan community. Somewhere in the crowd, the father of the child stands, guilty but not judged. Nathaniel Hawthorne tackles sin and shame in The Scarlet Letter, a story showing guilt and transgression in a society where “religion and law were almost identical” and “the mildest and the severest acts of public discipline were alike made venerable and awful” (Hawthorne 47-48). The heritage of Nathaniel Hawthorne, common beliefs held by the Puritans, as well as Hawthorne’s philosophies on secret sin and public shame affect the style of The...
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...physical battle throughout the Scarlet Letter. Chillingworth, a man of noble purpose and strong dispositions, falls further and further into his obsession of revenge. While at the same time, Dimmesdale, a respected reverend, suffers mentally and physically from his affair with Hester Prynne. As we progress through the novel, a question materializes: who deserves the blame for Hester Prynne’s affair, Chillingworth, Dimmesdale, or Hester Prynne herself? All three main characters believe they hold some sort of responsibility for the affair between Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale. Ultimately, Hester Prynne wrongs both Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale. Mrs. Prynne’s sin led to Roger Chillingworth’s and Arthur Dimmesdale’s demise both mentally and physically. Arthur Dimmesdale, a religious man respected by the community, ironically has an affair with Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale understands the sin he commits. He realizes all too well that he must confess publicly, but he cannot bring himself to do so. Instead, he begs Hester to announce what he has done: 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. What can thy silence do for him, except tempt him…(64). Dimmesdale feels nothing but shame for falling into temptation with Hester. He wants to expel his guilt publicly...
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...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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...The Scarlet Letter In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, A young woman named Hester Prynne in Boston is prosecuted for adultery. To symbolize her crime, she has an “A” imprinted on her bosom. As a result of her committing adultery, she and Reverend Dimmesdale (his identity is not identified until later in the book) have a child. She is a very curious child, and her name is Pearl. Roger Chillingworth, comes to see Hester on the scaffold and he doesn’t want his identity revealed either but it does get revealed in later chapters. In the Scarlet letter, the author uses different symbols, literary devices, and themes that help Nathaniel’s purpose of writing. Symbolism A symbol in the Scarlet Letter is literally the Scarlet Letter...
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...The Scarlet Letter” criticizes Hester Prynne for being viewed as more than an adulteress. In the end, she is viewed as the heroine of the story and her title as an adulteress is simply forgotten. Lawrence’s essay revolves around the idea and act of sinning rather than its potential aftermath. Throughout the essay, Lawrence criticizes Prynne for her sin and states that she does not deserve to be the hero in Hawthorne’s novel. Lawrence uses biblical allusions, concise syntax, and alliteration to criticize Hester Prynne in a sarcastic manner. The use of biblical allusions is prevalent in D.H. Lawrence’s critique. He uses these allusions to compare Hester to the true heroes and undermine the idea of Hester being viewed as a hero. His negativity toward Prynne is especially apparent when he states,”The fiery heart. A. Mary of the Bleeding Heart. Mater Adolerata” (Lawrence 1). By comparing Prynne to this figure, Lawrence outlines shows the glaring differences between the biblical hero and the Adulteress. Mary is known to soften evil hearts while Prynne instigated the evil (Chillingsworth) and tainted a holy man (Dimmesdale). By calling Prynne Mater Adolerata, he is using sarcasm to show that Prynne is in no way a saint like Mary. While Mary...
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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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...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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...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 A by its...
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...“A” The Scarlet Letter is a prime example of how people interpret things differently based on personal experiences and mind sets. As Thomas 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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...“[Hester] bore in her arms a child…its existence, heretofore, had brought it acquaintance only with the gray twilight of a dungeon, or other darksome apartment of the prison” wrote Nathanial Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter about the child born beneath that letter: Pearl (57). The main character Hester Prynne’s illegitimate daughter substantiates herself in the novel through the persistent questioning of her birth story—“Tell me!”—along with providing an unlikely perception unparalleled to the other characters’: “the singularity lay in the hostile feelings with which the child regarded all these offsprings of her own heart and mind” (109; 105). Pearl does not focus not on the opinions asserted on her like the local Puritans’ “idea of something...
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