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Critical Analysis of the Scarlet Letter
Tragedy of Hester in scarlet letter
Tragedy of Hester in scarlet letter
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Recommended: Critical Analysis of the Scarlet Letter
Though Pearl portrays many unique qualities, she is ultimately just the living symbol of Hester and Arthur’s sin. According to Hester, Pearl is her greatest treasure, she is all Hester has. Though, to the townspeople, Pearl is the product of evil. She was born in sin and will not escape the sin that her parents committed. Hester wears the A in hopes of cleansing herself from sin Eventually, her time will come when the townspeople allow her to remove the A from her gown and not wear it anymore. However, she cannot escape her greatest punishment, her daughter, Pearl. Pearl is the result of her parents’ adultery; therefore, she represents the A. Hawthorne says:
The child could not be made amenable to rules. In giving her existence, a great law
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She is the product of a broken Puritan law. She has no place in the Puritan society. McPherson believes that all the meanings that Hawthorne writes about are suitable to the novel. All of the meanings and symbols are combined in Pearl, the living symbol of the A (90). All of the symbols that Hawthorne uses in the novel are found in Pearl. The scarlet letter is Hawthorne’s symbol of the human heart, and its mix of good and evil (McPherson 90). The human heart can persuade a person to commit both good and evil actions. The scarlet A is just a representation of the good and evil that can come from the …show more content…
The first chapter of The Scarlet Letter introduces a scene describing a rose bush next to a prison door. The same prison is the one that will house Hester Prynne until she is free to leave. Hawthorne personifies the rose bush to represent human frailty (Daniel). In the same way that Pearl is a symbol of Hester’s punishment, the rose bush represents Hester’s kindness in an evil place. Though Hester does not spend a long time in the prison, the townspeople still harshly punish her for committing a harmless sin. The only result of the actions of Hester and Arthur is Pearl, and although she is a disobedient child, she is a child nonetheless. Hester did not do anything to harm another human being. She and Arthur just followed their hearts, but according to Puritan society, they followed their hearts in the incorrect way. Hester has a kind heart, and she is being punished for a terrible mistake, so the rose bush represents the good found in a terrible place. Hawthorne writes that the rose bush may “symbolize some sweet moral blossom, that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow” (10). The kindness found in Hester may be the “sweet moral blossom” (Hawthorne 10). In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne writes that Hester’s nature is “warm and rich.” People found helpfulness
Pearl is a symbol of Hester’s transgressions and even has similar qualities as the sin which she represents. Pearl’s life and behavior directly reflects the unacceptable and abnormal nature of Hester’s adulterous sin. Hester is plagued with more than just a letter “A”; she is given a child from her affair who is just as much a reminder of her sin as the scarlet letter. Ultimately Hester overcomes the shame associated the scarlet letter and creates a sense of family for herself and Pearl. This relationship is integral to the theme of this novel and the development of its characters.
Pearl is first introduced as the young babe clutched to Hester's chest, as she stands before a crowd of puritans beholding her humiliation. Embarrassed of the glaring letter on her chest, Hester thinks to hold little Pearl in front of her scarlet mark; however, she resolves that “one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another” (P.37). It is here that we see for the first time that Pearl has been reduced to nothing more than a symbol of Hester's sin, synonymous with the scarlet letter. As Pearl grows, so does the obvious nature with which Hawthorne portrays her as the scarlet letter. Throughout the book, we see Pearl dressed in bright clothes,
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the Puritan community banned all forms of sin. Sin was looked upon as evil, being connected to the devil and his dark ways. Hester Prynne, the main character of the story, was shunned by the rest of the Puritan world after committing the sin of adultery. She lived in a world where it was not accepted. She was isolated from the world around her, having little hope. Throughout the novel, symbols such as the character of the kind woman, the wild rose bush outside of the prison doors and the character of Pearl, Hester Prynne's illegitimate child, are used to show that even in a world full of sin and darkness, there is always hope.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne has introduced a character that has been judged harshly. Because, she has been misinformed of her husband’s death; therefore, she was greave and had sought comfort resulting in a baby from the lover whom gave her comfort. When her secret had been discovered she was isolated for committing a treacherous crime of adultery, as one of her punishments she was forced to wear an A on her chest. The novel presents a structure of a society, using symbolism and diction to give underline meaning to the themes, portraying religious tendencies ruled by the philosophy of good and evil.
Hawthorne uses the scarlet letter “A” that Hester Prynne was required to wear as an inanimate symbol of her adultery. She had to bear the sin with her as long as she rested in that town. Pearl, Hester’s daughter from the affair, was the living, breathing symbol of her past sin. As many years
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, symbolsim is constantly present in the actual scarlet letter “A” as it is viewed as a symbol of sin and the gradally changes its meanign, guilt is also a mejore symbol, and Pearl’s role in this novel is symbolic as well. The Scarlet Letter includes many profound and crucial symbols. these devices of symbolism are best portayed in the novel, most noticably through the letter “A” best exemplifies the changes in the symbolic meaning throughout the novel.
As Pearl and Hester enter the safety of the forest, Pearl notices a pattern of how the sun shines and confronts her mother. She claims, “The sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself because it is afraid of something on your bosom” (144). Hester has kept the real meaning of the scarlet letter from Pearl; however, Pearl notices how it repels the sunshine. The sunlight represents happiness and purity, which is why it constantly shines upon Pearl. She has no understanding of the meaning of the scarlet letter, so she remains innocent; whereas the scarlet letter deprives Hester of her purity and happiness. However, when Hester takes off her letter and lets down her hair it was as if “all at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine” (159). Hester’s virtue and morality are evident throughout the book; however, they remain clouded by the shadow of her scarlet letter. The label has allowed the Puritan society to shape her identity which hides her true value. When Hester disregards her label given to her by society, she remains free and happy.
Pearl is Hester’s human form of her scarlet letter; both she and the scarlet letter constantly remind Hester of her sin of adultery. Pearl is the result of Hester’s adultery; therefore she has a strong connection with the scarlet letter. As a young girl, Pearl had always had a fascination and obsession with her mother’s scarlet letter. For example “In the forest scene when Hester takes off the Scarlet letter, Pearl becomes frantically disturbed and won’t quiet down until Hester has it back on her dress, as if by discarding the letter Hester has discarded Pearl,” (Johnson: A Literary Analysis of The Scarlet Letter, pg.1). The scarlet letter is a part of Hester, as is Pearl, if Hester removes the letter, she also disowns Pearl. The only way Pearl recognize her mother is when she has the letter on. Hester dresses Pearl in red so she can represent her scarlet letter. In the chapter, “The Governor’s Hall,” Pearl was described; “The child’s whole appearance reminded the beholder of the token which Hester Prynne was doomed to wear upon her bosom. It was the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life!” (The Scarlet Letter, pg. 103 Johnson: Understanding The Scarlet Letter pg.1).
In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, for her sins, received a scarlet letter "A" which she had to wear upon the "breast of her gown"(Hawthorne 39). It was the Puritan way of treating her as a criminal for the crime of adultery. The Puritan treatment of Hester did not stop simply with the assignment of the letter. As she walked through the streets, she was looked down upon as if she were some sort of evil spirit among them, being punished for some ghastly crime. This gave Hester much mental anguish and grief. On the other hand, God's treatment of Hester for her sin was quite different than the scarlet letter. He gave Hester the punishment of rearing a very unique child whom she named Pearl. "But she named the infant "Pearl," as being of great price, --purchased with all she had, --her mother's only treasure!"(Hawthorne, 62). Hester named her daughter Pearl because she had to give up everything, including freedom, for her. This punishment handed down from God was a constant mental and physical reminder to Hester of what she had done wrong. There was no escaping it. In this aspect, Pearl symbolized God's way of punishing Hester for the sin of adultery.
In the first chapter, Hawthorne describes the ugly prison. He personifies it as a black flower in “civilized” society. Society in this case is associated with Puritan society. Thus, the “civilized” society is corrupt as the prison represents the manifestation of sin. The rose, also described in the description of the prison, is compared to the black flower. However, since the rose survives in the wilderness, adversary to “civilized” society, it symbolizes the corruption of the people in society. For example, Pearl asks for a red rose, and Dimmesdale has the burden of the dark secrets within him. Since black is the color of the prison, it represents the gloomy and somber mood of society. Lastly, Hester’s conflict with society also represents darkness. Hester’s sin is darkness, and the society attempts to be the light which counters Hester’s existence. The evilness of the people in the Puritan society is that they attempt to see people’s sin in one anothes mind, rather than through their own eyes. By condemning Hester to wear the “A.” The darkness associated with Hester’s conflict is that Hester must choose whether or not she can accept society’s condemnation of
Nathaniel Hawthorne embodies the idea of goodness within humanity inevitably finding a way to overcome evil through his novel, The Scarlet Letter. The story is set in early Puritan Massachusetts, where Hester Prynne, the protagonist of the novel, is burdened with having to wear a scarlet letter “A” upon her chest for the rest of her life after she committed adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale, the beloved town pastor, who also must endure the burden of keeping his sin a secret. Although the bleak Puritan society creates a dreary image, a rosebush is able to grow amidst the dreary Puritan society, indicating Hawthorne’s belief that truth can not be suppressed. Through contrasting symbolic imagery that depicts the Puritan society’s attempts to
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, many of the characters suffer from the tolls of sin, but none as horribly as Hester's daughter Pearl. She alone suffers from sin that is not hers, but rather that of her mother's. From the day she is conceived, Pearl is portrayed as an offspring of vice. She is introduced into the discerning, pitiless domain of the Puritan religion from inside a jail; a place untouched by light, as is the depth of her mother's sin. The austere Puritan ways punish Hester through banishment from the community and the church, simultaneously punishing Pearl in the process. This isolation leads to an unspoken detachment and animosity between her and the other Puritan children. Thus we see how Pearl is conceived through sin, and how she suffers when her mother and the community situate this deed upon her like the scarlet letter on her mother's bosom.
The letter ‘A’ that she wore on her bosom plastered Hester’s scandal all over the community. Pearl, the daughter of the sinner’s, was being parented by Hester, which constantly reminded her of the sin everyday. The community looked down upon Hester and Pearl, but instead of letting it get to them, Hester accepted the consequences therefore she tried to move on. Although the family dealt with a lot of criticism from fellow Puritans, they did not let those thoughts get into their heads. Hester was a popular seamstress in her time, even though she was unable to make wedding veils because of the sin she committed. “Why, look you, she may cover it with a brooch, or suchlike heathenish adornment, and so walk the streets as brave as ever!” (Hawthorne 49). The sin made Hester determined because she came to self-realization and broke free.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Pearl, is a symbol of sin and adultery in the sense that she leads Dimmsdale and Hester to their confession and the acceptance of their sins. A beauitful daughter of the towns adulturist has somtimes demon like traits. She is also the only living symblol of the scarlet letter "A". In another way Pearl also makes a connection between Dimmsdale and Hester.
... mother, whom is not wearing the scarlet A and whose hair is down, she refuses to acknowledge her without her A and capped hair. This shows Pearl's dissent for beauty as a solution to sin, which is expressed in the first few chapters when Hester is lightly punished for her adultery.