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the scarlet letter morals of characters
a three page essay about the scarlet letter hawthorne
a three page essay about the scarlet letter hawthorne
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Dealing With Guilt in The Scarlet Letter
Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne attempted to expose the varying ways in which different people deal with lingering guilt from sins they have perpetrated. The contrasting characters of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale ideally exemplified the differences in thought and behavior people have for guilt. Although they were both guilty of committing the same crime, these two individuals differed in that one punished themselves with physical and mental torture and the other chose to continue on with their life, devoting it to those less fortunate than they.
In order to show this difference in the two main characters, they both had to be put on relatively same grounds. Hawthorne achieved this by making them both involved in the same offense: adultery. Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale both resided in the same town and both knew the same people in the settlement. However, despite this effort for equality, it was impossible to make both characters play on the same level. For development and in...
It should be noted that similarities can be identified between the US Constitution and the Magna Carta. One similarity of course the fact that the Magna Carta was an agreement which put limits on the exercise of power by a Monarch Government. Many of the founding fathers felt that the new US Constitution should have declarations similar to the Magna Carta limiting the power of the federal government in reference to its citizens, therefore a set of amendments later known as the Bill of Rights, was also drafted during the process of ratifying the Constitution. Many of these individual rights including trial by jury, due process of law and freedom from cruel and unusual punishments, were all long accepted rights and norms established by the Magna
The Magna Carta, a document signed almost eight hundred years ago, paved the way for the rights of citizens. Many of these rights stated in the Magna Carta shaped the formation of other Governments, such as the American Government. Those rights are ideas that many citizens take for granted today. The Magna Carta is a prime example of Rights and Responsibilities in History because of the ideas and laws it placed in England during the time. Many of these ideas are still carried and used in not only England, but the majority of Europe and other World Powers today.
During the battle at Stalingrad the German soldiers lacked the supplies needed for a war in winter. They were unprepared and the long journey on foot to Stalingr...
The young and stunning Dorian was always accompanied by stares as he entered a room. Women wanted to be with him and men wanted to be him. Basil described the experience he had in meeting Dorian for the first time: “When our eyes met, I felt that I was growing pale” (Wilde 16). The simple fact that a male was so taken aback exemplifies the fact that Dorian is visually stunning. However, the budding connection is anything but authentic. The nature of attraction that Basil feels toward Dorian lacks the fundamental structure of a true relationship. The truth is that Basil is attracted toward Dorian purely based on his appearance. He is the model from which Basil is able to create a magnificent painting but beyond that, he is just eye candy. These thoughts are brought to the attention of Dorian through Henry’s continued indoctrination of beliefs. As anguish creeps into the back of Dorian’s brain, he calls out Dorian for only liking him for his looks and questions what the future between them will hold when he begins to grow old: “How long will you like me? Till I have my first wrinkle, I suppose. I know, now. That when one loses one’s good looks, whatever they may be, one loses everything” (Wilde 38). This is a driving theme behind that novel that Oscar Wilde consistently advances. It was quite clear that when Basil fist saw
World War II was seen around the globe as a war to end all wars. Combat like this had never been experienced before and it was the largest scale battle in recent history. The death tolls for all sides skyrocketed to heights that had never been reached in any battle ever before. There was one man at the center of it all, one man who came to personify the root of living, breathing evil. That man was Adolf Hitler and to the rest of the world, he was a superhuman military machine who had no other goal but to achieve world domination through destruction. But the roots of the Battle of Stalingrad all began in 1941 when Hitler launched operation Barbarossa. Hitler’s powerful army marched across the east, seemingly unstoppable to any force. Stalin’s Red Army was caught completely off guard and their lines were completely broken apart. A majority of the country’s air force was destroyed when airfields were raided and many of the planes never even got the chance to leave the ground. Hitler’s army finally came to Leningrad where the city was besieged. The city held for 900 days and never gave way to the relentless Germans. At the cost of 1.5 million civilians and soldiers, the Red Army stopped Hitler from advancing further and postponed his plan to sweep over the south. Another cause for the retreat of Hitler was the brutal Russian winter, which Hitler and his army were completely unprepared for and the icy cold deaths would continue to haunt the Germans.
Both Hester and Dimmesdale, are characters in the Scarlet Letter. They suffer with the guilt of the sin of adultery that they committed. At the time, the Puritans looked down on this type of sin. Hester and Dimmesdale can be compared and contrast in the way they handled their scarlet letter, their cowardliness, and their belief of what the afterlife is.
In The Scarlet Letter, the main characters Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale are tangled in a web of deceit, which is the result of a sin as deadly as the Grimm Reaper himself: adultery. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, describes the feeling of deceit using the main characters; for each of the cast the reaction to the deceit is different, thus the reader realizes the way a person reacts to a feeling differs between each character.
The Magna Carta was the first document in which English subjects to force English king into power; granting and protecting the subjects’ rights. This was important since the king at the time could do anything that he so desired. However, in practice, this English legal charter did not limit the king’s power. The Magna Carta is the beginnings of American freedom. It is also the foundation of the American Constitution, reflecting English freedom and the power of the English government.
Abortion is the killing of a child before the birth. They usually take a needle and put it into the mothers womb, and kill it.It comes out of the womb half way, then they kill it. To me that is just sick. I think that it is in humane to kill a live child.Just think, it is alive. It needs oxygen to breath. It needs food to live. And if you don't take care of the baby, it wouldn't come out. Abortion should be illegal.There are certain exceptions where it may be acceptable to perform abortions.For example,if a woman’s life is threatened by her giving birth,then an abortion should be performed to save her life.Another example is if a woman is raped and she becomes pregnant as a consequence of that rape,then it is understandable that she would not want to give birth and care for that child,because it will always bring back memories of the horrible incident.Other than those two exceptions, I don’t see how anybody can do abortion.I think women who want to have abortion simply don’t understand the circumstances or haven’t been told what it does.When they find out what abortion really does and what it’s all about, I think that they will be few who would want to do it.Just think you come home from work one day, and all of the sudden your kid gives you a great big hug. That shows love. And after a long days work, wouldn't anybody want some love from a child. Offcourse when they are little they scream, and kick, but they also give love, and affection, and can be the cutest thing. And if you abort a it, you won’t get those affections,you won’t even get the chance to see she or he.
Guilt and shame haunt all three of the main characters in The Scarlet Letter, but how they each handle their sin will change their lives forever. Hester Prynne’s guilt is publicly exploited. She has to live with her shame for the rest of her life by wearing a scarlet letter on the breast of her gown. Arthur Dimmesdale, on the other hand, is just as guilty of adultery as Hester, but he allows his guilt to remain a secret. Instead of telling the people of his vile sin, the Reverend allows it to eat away at his rotting soul. The shame of what he has done slowly kills him. The last sinner in this guilty trio is Rodger Chillingworth. This evil man not only hides his true identity as Hester’s husband, but also mentally torments Arthur Dimmesdale. The vile physician offers his ‘help’ to the sickly Reverend, but he gives the exact opposite. Chillingworth inflicts daily, mental tortures upon Arthur Dimmesdale for seven long years, and he enjoys it. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth are all connected by their sins and shame, but what they do in regards to those sins is what sets them apart from each other.
Guilt is powerful thing. A person’s whole life can be destroyed seconds after being exposed to the strength of guilt. Even though admitting a sin can seem more difficult than not, that confession can often make a world of difference in the long run. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne, and Reverend Dimmesdale, have two very different ways of dealing with guilt. These differences in action are what change the courses of their lives. The actions taken by one character are successful, though the actions of the other put his life in ruins. Hester confesses her sin in public, while Dimmesdale does not. This simple choice made causes a drastic change in each of their lives. When comparing the lives of Hester and Dimmesdale,
Wilde shows Lord Henry grasping onto Dorian and his moral beliefs, “There is no such thing as good influence Mr. Gray. All influence is immoral-immoral from the scientific point of view.” Dorian quickly transforms from an innocent young man, to a wicked deceitful man. Lord Henry knowingly influences Dorian, “People say sometimes that beauty is only superficial. That may be so, but at least it is not so superficial as thought is.” The craving for eternal beauty acts alongside with Lord Henry in the demise of Dorian. “As he thought of it, a sharp pang of pain st...
Although Wilde halts short of stating that Basil and Lord Henry have sexual feelings for Dorian , the language he uses to describe their devotion for Dorian is unmistakably the language of deep, romantic intimacy. “Tell me more about Mr. Dorian Gray. How often do you see him?”. “Every day. I couldn’t be happy if I didn’t see him everyday. He is absolutely necessary to me”. This common motif of homoerotic bonds between men plays a large role in structuring the novel. Basils painting is born from his adoration of Dorians beauty , comparatively Lord Henry is overcome with desire to seduce Dorian. This sense of camaraderie between men fits into Wildes aesthetic values, for it returns him to his past where the philosophy of beauty was not only the basis of society but fundamental to culture. As a homosexual living in an intolerant society, Wilde asserted this philosophy in order to justify his own lifestyle.
Michael Henchard’s constant exercise of jealousy, pride, immature actions and overwhelming emotions bring him to his tragic end. Although Henchard might have you think he is a victim, the reader can see that his personality leads to the conclusion of his downfall and that Henchard’s inability to learn from his first mistakes takes him down a path no one wants to face. He might have been able to survive his mistakes had he not been so self-destructive. But because of the combination of his personality traits and the complexity of his character’s mind, he is eventually led to the nothingness that engulfs him.
If Michael Henchard had followed the standards of society, he may have led a happy life. Instead, he gave away his happiness, his family, and his wealth. He had many chances, too. He could have gone back for his family after the auction. Instead he hoped the problems would go away. He began treating people poorly, and lost respect from the people of the town. Then he lied and could not stop the lies. His personality consisted of many different sides--both good and evil. He didn't have the ability to take control of his life. When he saw his happiness go away, he did not grab hold of it. He reverted to revenge, envy, and lies. In turn, he lost all he had.