A Passionate Heart in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

634 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Hawthorne's use of symbolism

The Scarlet Letter - A Passionate Heart

One of the many literary talents of Nathaniel Hawthorne in the Scarlet Letter is his ability to make a clear contrast between Hester Prynne and the Puritan=s doctrines. As a strict religious community, the Puritans condemned her for her shameful sin of adultery. The words Hawthorne uses to describe Hester and the letter show that her attitude toward the scarlet letter contradicted what the Puritans intended as a merciful punishment. The scarlet letter clearly emphasizes the burning passion Hester holds within her heart.

Hawthorne=s description of Hester=s attitude expresses her passion through pride, vanity, and confidence. When Hester steps out of the prison, her face has a Aburning blush, and yet a haughty smile and a glance that would not be abashed@(Hawthorne 52.) This sentence exemplifies her superiority through her beauty and her expression of shamelessness. Hawthorne dwells on Hester further by showing what beautiful artwork she has through his description of the scarlet letter. The letter is sew...

Show More
Related

  • Kid Rock, Fuel, and Buckcherry

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    settled on a spot roughly ten feet from center stage. We later found this choice to be a

    Read More

  • Unrelenting Selflessness In The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s well known novel, The Scarlet Letter, extensive diction and intense imagery are used to portray the overall tone of the characters. In particular, Hester Prynne, the wearer of the Scarlet Letter, receives plentiful positive characterization throughout the novel. Hester’s character most notably develops through the town’s peoples ever-changing views on the scarlet letter, the copious mentions of her bravery, and her ability to take care of herself, Pearl, and others, even when she reaches the point where most would give up and wallow in their suffering.

    Read More

  • Dealing With Guilt in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Hester Prynne

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his essay On the Scarlet Letter, D.H. Lawrence explores Nathaniel Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester Prynne. Lawrence focuses on and condemns Hester’s sin itself rather than its consequences. Instead of supporting Hawthorne's depiction of Hester as an innocent character, Lawrence sheds light on what he believes is her true character, a deceiver.  He argues that Hester Prynne has a false appearance of purity through his use of critical diction, sarcastic tone, and biblical allusions.

    Read More

  • Changes of Hester Prynne in Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

    495 Words  | 1 Pages

    As Hester wears the scarlet letter, the reader can feel how much of an outcast Hester becomes. When walking through town, “…she never raised her head to receive their greeting. If they were resolute to accost her, she laid her finger on the scarlet letter and passed on” (Hawthorne, 127).She believes that she is not worthy of the towns acknowledgments and chooses to ignore them. The guilt that now rests in Hester is overwhelming to her and is a reason of her change in personality.

    Read More

  • Scarlet Letter Townspeople

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, contains many profound characters. The townspeople intrigue the reader because they gradually evolve throughout the book, as would any solitary character. In the beginning of the novel, they are generally rigid and judgmental towards Hester, because she has committed adultery. Throughout the novel, they slowly allow Hester and her daughter into their community, but still look at them with suspicion and doubt. Finally, in the end of The Scarlet Letter, the town forgives her of her sin, and she cautiously finds her place in society. Hawthorne uses the strict Puritan townspeople as a criterion by which all societies can be measured. The townspeople, as with any individual character, possess a certain depth that develops with knowledge.

    Read More

  • Metaphors Throughout The Scarlet Letter

    682 Words  | 2 Pages

    It seems as if Hawthorne wrote this scene for the purposes of exhibiting the harshness of Puritan society, and to allow the reader some insight into Hester's thoughts. Hawthorne places the focus onto Hester at this moment. The reader observes her before the full effect of the scarlet letter has had a chance to take hold of her. The reader is also able to see the cruel and judgmental behavior of the crowd through their language, such as when they call her a hussy. "This women has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it?"

    Read More

  • Diction In The Scarlet Letter

    420 Words  | 1 Pages

    Throughout the passage, Hawthorne uses clear, distinct diction to create a sense of firmness to assert Hester’s views regarding her outlook on her own existence and that of women in general. Diction, a facet of writing comprised of mood and word choice, in a passage is very influential in sustaining a particular message or theme as it creates a framework for explanation. As a result, the author can “push” a certain message, per se, to the reader by developing a distinct mood in writing. In the case of the Scarlet Letter, as mentioned, Hawthorne developed a negative mood to assert Hester’s negative view. For example in the lines, “She discerns, it may be, such a hopeless task before her. As a first step, the whole system of society is to be torn down and

    Read More

  • Passion in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Love and hate are two sides of the same coin” (anonymous). While these emotions are thought of as positive and negative respectively, they are really just different forms of passion. Passion drives everyone to make decisions in their life, and love and hate are the most common forms of passion. Everyone experiences love and hate and is prisoner to the reactions that these elicit from them. Emotions simply happen, and while they can be hidden or covered up, they cannot be consciously changed by the victim. People cannot control the emotions they feel, but they often choose to work towards intensifying their hate or love once they know they are experiencing it. Although these emotions are encountered by everyone at one point or another, they are misunderstood by society and usually accepted as opposites. Though love and hate are often thought of as antonyms, Nathaniel Hawthorne, in his novel The Scarlet Letter, examines how they are fundamentally the same because of their intimacy and the power with which they shape people and society.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Macbeth

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    `Act 1- The three weird witches meet and they are planning on when they are going to meet again to talk to Macbeth. In the next scene King Duncan talks to the injured captain about the battle against the invaders, who are under the command of Macdonwald. The captain tell King Duncan how he saved Malcolm and Macbeth was very violent and fought with great force. Then the Captain is taken away by the servants then Ross enters and he tells Duncan that Cawdor has been beaten and the Norway army retreated. Then King Duncan comes to the decision to kill Cawdor and then Macbeth will "become Cawdor". Then Duncan sends out Ross to go tell Macbeth about what had happened at this time. In scene three the witches approach Banquo and Macbeth when they were on their way to Forres. The witches inform Macbeth and Banquo about what had happened in the kings court and they tell him he is the Thane of Cawdor and Glamis and that Macbeth will eventually become king. Then Banquo is told riddles that his children will be royal and he will not. After the witches disappear then Ross and Angus come up to them and Ross informs Macbeth the news which he just heard. Then Macbeth contemplates whether he will have to spill blood to become king, then when he is done they all continue to Forres. Then Duncan finds out that Cawdor dies because his son killed him. Then Ross, Angus, Banquo and Macbeth arrive. Then Malcolm becomes the heir to Duncans throne and Macbeth has Duncan dine at his castle that night so he rides to tell his wife. When Macbeth gets home he tells his wife the news and she starts to plot the murder of Duncan and Macbeth fallows. Then Duncan and the Scottish lords arrive and they are tak...

    Read More

  • Free Scarlet Letter Essays: Hester and the Puritan Society

    1488 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, focuses on the Puritan society. The Puritan society molded itself and created a government based upon the Bible and implemented it with force. The crime of adultery committed by Hester generated rage, and was qualified for serious punishment according to Puritan beliefs. Ultimately the town of Boston became intensely involved with Hester's life and her crime of adultery, and saw to it that she be publicly punished and tortured. Based upon the religious, governmental, and social design of the Puritan society, Hester's entire existence revolved around her sin and the Puritan perception. Therefore it is evident within The Scarlet Letter that the Puritan community to some degree has constructed Hester's character.

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne uses his novel, The Scarlet Letter to critique the Puritan faith. In developing his story of the adulteress Hester Prynne, he uses both religious and natural imagery to show his disdain for the Puritan religion. The Scarlet Letter is a vivid portrayal of his utter dislike for the Puritans and everything that they stand for. Hawthorne is in complete disagreement with them and makes it clear throughout the book.

    Read More

  • How the Witches' Behavior in Act Four Scene One of Macbeth Makes an Impact on Macbeth and Influences His Actions

    1690 Words  | 4 Pages

    How the Witches' Behavior in Act Four Scene One of Macbeth Makes an Impact on Macbeth and Influences His Actions

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Scarlet Letter is a fictional novel that begins with an introductory passage titled ‘The Custom-House’. This passage gives a historical background of the novel and conveys the narrator’s purpose for writing about the legend of Hester Prynne even though the narrator envisions his ancestors criticizing him and calling him a “degenerate” because his career was not “glorifying God”, which is very typical of the strict, moralistic Puritans. Also, although Hawthorne is a Romantic writer, he incorporates properties of Realism into his novel by not idealizing the characters and by representing them in a more authentic manner. He does this by using very formal dialogue common to the harsh Puritan society of the seventeenth century and reflecting their ideals through this dialogue. The Puritans held somewhat similar views as the Transcendentalists in that they believed in the unity of God and the world and saw signs and symbols in human events, such as when the citizens related the meteo...

    Read More

  • Role Of The Witches In Macbeth

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...wife and best friend .This showed that MacBeth could have done whatever it was needed to get what he wanted ,even hurting and killing innocent people along the way, but in the end, everything he did went to waste , he had nothing to live for anymore, and was slain by MacDuff. The witches didn’t instruct MacBeth to do all this , it was all his own decisions.

    Read More

More about A Passionate Heart in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

Open Document