The rising action begins while Hester Prynne is placed on the scaffold in Boston Massachusetts as punishment for committing adultery. As Hester gazes upon the crowd, she notices her husband looking back at her, as well as Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the man she committed the sin with. Hester’s husband creates an alias for himself as Roger Chillingworth, a doctor who is new to the area. Roger Chillingworth helps the Reverend who is sick in health and begins to question if he is in fact Pearl’s father. Then he seeks revenge upon both Hester and the father of her child. Once he confirms his suspicions that Dimmesdale is in fact Pearl’s dad, he begins to plot his vengeance. The climax occurs when Arthur Dimmesdale can no longer live with his sin. …show more content…
He decides he must take responsibility for his poor choices and receive his long awaited punishment. Arthur Dimmesdale then goes to stand upon the scaffold. Although no one is there to look down upon him with their disapproving stares like they had to Hester and Pearl, he feels a deep ache in his chest and screams out loud.
Pearl, Hester, and Dimmesdale join hands together forming an “electric chain” giving him comfort and warmth. Pearl points up to a meteor which the Reverend believes to be in the shape of an A. After Chillingworth’s death the falling action continues. Hester takes Pearl away, to give her a new and refreshing life. She later returns to Boston where she has found “The Scarlet Letter” had become a legend. Hester contributes many charitable acts to the community such as attending to the spiritual needs of the fellow townies. When she dies Hester is buried next to Dimmesdale. At Hester’s funeral her life is talked about not only her personal life but also her symbolic role as the woman who committed adultery. After her death the Scarlet Letter became known for other things than it had while Hester had worn it upon her chest. After preaching the best sermon of his life, the Reverend Dimmesdale manages to crawl up onto the scaffold, where he confesses and rips open his shirt to reveal that there's a mark on his chest, too. Only this one's in blood. And then he …show more content…
dies. "On a field, sable, the letter A, gules" (Hawthorne 180). In the resolution the field represents the life, the sable represents the dark, and this closing statement Hawthorne makes shows that through it all the letter leaves a mark. Although we are free from sin, the remembrance and guilt will always remain in Hawthorne’s point of view. 2.
The Scarlet Letter takes place in Boston, Massachusetts during the 1640s. During this time period, Boston is composed of Puritans that escaped England and hoped to acquire religious freedom. This part of the setting is somewhat ironic because although the Puritans claimed to be purifying their religion, they acted and worshiped in much the same way as Christians in the old world did. The Puritans continued to have large ceremonies which they claimed in the beginning were sins and should not be allowed in any Christian society. The Puritan system made it so that the government could enforce the moral values of the Puritan church on the people of the community. For this reason, the setting is important because the society and government of the time and place where the story is set are very opposed to Hester's actions and to the idea of individual freedom of conscience in general. The characters are seen in and at places such as the scaffold in the market-place, Governor Billingham's home, Hester's home, the graveyard, Dimmesdale's home, and the forest. In the late 1600s, every town had a graveyard, prison, and a market-place. This relates to a true Puritan society, which is what Nathaniel Hawthorne based his beliefs and stories about. The significance of the different homes is their descriptions, which help show the true personalities of the
characters. 3. In The Scarlet Letter, internal and external conflicts take place forming the main plot of the novel. An internal conflict would be Dimmesdale versus himself. Reverend Dimmesdale finds himself torn between his lover and his congregation. The Reverend torments himself daily on whether or not to admit his sins with Hester. On the one hand, Dimmesdale has an obligation to be with his lover, but on the other hand, he does not want to face the judgment of his peers and his congregation. Similarly is his conflict of whether to continue his sin. He asks himself whether he should say, "Forgive me. It will never happen again" or, "Forgive me, but I must stay with her." Like the Reverend's internal conflict, there is Hester versus herself. She questions herself on whether or not to admit not only who the father of Pearl is, but also who her real husband is. In addition, she has difficulty keeping a secret is that Reverend Dimmesdale is her lover. However, she is well aware that exposing him would result in punishment for both of them, yet she keeps it a secret because she is deeply in love. A external conflict is Chillingworth versus Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale was suspected to be the father of Chillingworth’s wife’s child, so Chillingworth tortures Dimmesdale mentally and physically until he breaks. Another major external conflict is Hester versus the Puritan society. She begins to show her pregnancy and is punished by the society. She receives separation and public embarrassment as a consequence as well as forced to wear the letter “A” for committing adultery.
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.
The first theme expressed in The Scarlet Letter is that even well meaning deceptions and secrets can lead to destruction. Dimmesdale is a prime example of this; he meant well by concealing his secret relationship with Hester, however, keeping it bound up was deteriorating his health. Over the course of the book this fact is made to stand out by Dimmesdale’s changing appearance. Over the course of the novel Dimmesdale becomes more pale, and emaciated. Hester prevents herself from suffer the same fate. She is open about her sin but stays loyal to her lover by not telling who is the father of Pearl. Hester matures in the book; becomes a stronger character.
In this scene Hester and Dimmesdale plan on leaving Boston and going back to England. Hester also tears off her scarlet letter showing that she will no longer need to wear it when they leave. Doing this makes Pearl upset because she has never seen her mother without the scarlet letter on. This scene shows the reader that they both still love each other despite what they have been through. In this scene Hester tells Dimmesdale who Roger Chillingworth really is which is important because they can fight back as explained when this article says “This chapter is a turning point in the novel in several ways. Foremost, Hester Prynne and Mr. Dimmesdale are now both aware of Roger Chillingworth’s intentions and have a plan to counter him”. (Nishihara Chapter
Throughout the novel, Hawthorne uses plant imagery to symbolize both the negative and positive character traits and to set the mood of the novel. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne takes place during the age of Puritanism in Boston where a young and attractive Puritan woman, Hester, commits adultery with the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale. Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, who had been captured by Indians, comes to town, but only Hester knows his true identity. Chillingworth vows to figure out who Hester’s lover is and he succeeds.
Those who read “The Scarlet Letter” perceive Pearl as she who personifies her mother’s sinful extramarital affair. After all, Hester adorns her in the same manner as the infamous letter. Yet, near the end of the book Hawthorne revealed, through Reverend Dimmesdale’s final moments, another reason behind his characterization of Pearl:
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.
To her parents¡ªHester and Dimmesdale, Pearl plays a role of living scarlet letter compelling them to face the reality and confess their sins to the whole world. As the product of their passion, Pearl is a constant mental and physical reminder to her parents of what they had done wrong. It seems that her mission is to force her parents to suffer a lot from the punishment while she was brought up happily and innocently. Pearl successfully achieved this by firming the letter the center of Hester`s life. More than one time, Pearl asked Hester about the letter, which caused Hester`s intense agony of a shame generated in her. With Pearl being around her, Hester will never escape the punishment of her wrong deed.
‘The Scarlet Letter’ illustrates the lives of Hester Prynne, her daughter Pearl, local preacher Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester’s husband (whom uses the alias of Roger Chillingworth in order to disguise his true identity), and how they are affected after Hester committed an adulterous act with Dimmesdale, hence conceiving Pearl. This mother and child are then ostracized by society, and Hester is sentenced to jail, forced to wear a scarlet “A” on her chest as a symbol of her sin. The novel continues to narrate the four characters’ story for the following few years, until Hester passes away and is buried near Chillingworth (whom had died earlier on), both sharing a letter “A” on their gravestones.
Hester Prynne was a young woman living in a Puritan community in the "New World." Her husband, Roger Chillingworth was said to be lost at sea, and Hester assumed his death. Upon this basis, young Hester committed a crime of adultery with her fellow Minister Arthur Dimmesdale. The result of this extra marital affair was the birth of young Pearl, an "elf-like" child. When the townspeople become aware of what Hester has done, they forced her to wear an ultimate sign of punishment, the scarlet letter. This letter "A" for adultery had to be worn on Hester's bosom at all times.
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.
The Scarlet Letter is a romance written by Nathaniel Hawthorne that takes place in the Puritan Community in Boston, Massachusetts during the 17th century. It tells the story of Hester Prynne, who commits the sin of adultery with the minister of the church, Reverend Dimmesdale, and conceives a baby girl, Pearl. Hester's husband, Roger Chillingworth, returns and seeks revenge. As Pearl grows up, her mother learns how to deal with the scarlet letter of shame and Dimmesdale feels guilt. When they decide to run away, Dimmesdale confesses his sin in public and he dies. The story end with the death of Chillingworth and all his belongings and property go to little Pearl. Pearl grows up and probably gets married and Hester becomes a mother for all women in need.
The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in the sixteen hundreds. Hester Prynne is accused of committing adultery in her small puritan settlement but little does the town know that the father is in fact Reverend Dismmesdale. Having sent his wife ahead of him two years before hand, Hester stops her husband in the crowd as she is standing accused on the scaffolding. Hester is given a punishment in the hopes of making her ashamed; however, she turns the mockery into amazement by making the scarlet A into a beautiful piece of patch work. Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, is on the hunt from at that point to find out the child’s father but not even Pearl herself knows. The Scarlet Letter showed how early Americans concentrated their beliefs of church and home in their daily lives. Nathaniel Hawthorne words reflect the flaws in American society during the Puritan settlement. This was also the era of the Salam Witch Trials which Hawthorne’s father played a part in. The central idea reflects that suffering comes from sinning. The Scarlet Letter was the stepping stones that paved future American novels to become so successful.
Hester realizes what is going on between Dimmesdale and Chillingworth and gains permission from her husband to reveal his true identity to the minister. Dimmesdale is devastated by the news and agrees to flee Boston with Hester and Pearl. He will do anything to escape the hold that Chillingworth has on him. In the end, however, Dimmesdale realizes that he can only be rid of his tormentor by publicly acknowledging his guilt. At the end of the novel, on Election Day, Dimmesdale climbs the scaffold with Hester and Pearl again. This third scaffold scene is in the light of day and before a crowd. With his family at his side, Dimmesdale finally confesses his sin and shows the scarlet "A" on his chest. He then dies peacefully.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the story is set in New England during the colonial times, mainly the middle of the seventeenth century. As the plot of the novel progresses, the importance of setting is further aggrandized when the main character, Hester Prynne, is isolated in a strict Puritan society. To further elucidate Hester’s situation, Hawthorne utilizes two types of settings, physical and historical setting. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne uses the settings to expose the rigidness of the Puritan society of the time period and how its obstinate and judgmental nature impacted people within the society.
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...