Tone In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

524 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: An essay over the scarlet letter

The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne is a successful writer of many books, but through his book The Scarlet Letter he clearly portrays a disliking and disgust towards the puritans and their way of life. He shows this throughout the book by using tone, symbolism, and selection to detail. The first way Hawthorne shows he dislikes the puritans is through his tone in the book. A good example of this is when he said, "being of the most intolerant brood" (86) this shows how he thought the puritans were portrayed. When the village discovered Hester and Pearl, the village immediately reacted with hatred and judgement. This is illustrated when the author says, "scorned them in their hearts, and...reviled them with their tongues" (86) this also shows how the puritans act when something happens they don’t agree with. The tone used by hawthorn clearly shows how much he dislikes the puritans. …show more content…

For example When Hester and Pearl are walking in one scene the sun shines on Pearl, but as Hester moves the sun goes away from her. Hawthorne is showing us that just because Pearl was made from something wrong doesn’t mean she is a bad person. But Hawthorne also shows the audience how the puritans thought she wasn’t worthy of anything and god doesn’t lover her. The Puritans feel as if they are perfect though even though they’re not which contributes to Hawthorns feelings towards them. The second use of symbolism is with the rose bush. The rose bush represents how though there is a lot of evil and bad things happening in the world through the thorns, but the flowers represent the good and purity that is also present. Hawthorne feels that even though the puritans are bad people pearl is

Show More
Related

  • Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter and John Proctor from The Crucible

    1483 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Enriched Classic ed. New York City: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print.

    Read More

  • The Range of Emotions in the Novel “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathanial Hawthorne

    525 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nathanial Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, provoked many emotions throughout his entire novel. The emotions ranged from grief to anticipation. Each character played an important role in the novel and I believe that each character evoked a different emotion in the reader. Three of the characters in which Nathanial Hawthorne demonstrates this are Hester Prynne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and their daughter Pearl.

    Read More

  • Scarlet Letter

    622 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne was not a Puritan. But Hawthrone’s forefathers were Puritans, so he had an understanding of their belief system and their basis behind it. He stated that he hoped the sins of his forefathers had been forgiven. Hoping to expose those ideas which he understood, yet despised, Hawthorne purposely presented many important Puritan beliefs as import aspects to the Scarlet Letter. In the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne addresses three main Puritan beliefs: providence, predestination, and the strict code of ethics that the settlers of New Englanders lived by.

    Read More

  • Contrasting Settings In The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    “To the untrue man, the whole universe is false,--it is impalpable,--it shrinks to nothing within his grasp. And he himself, in so far as he shows himself in a false light, becomes a shadow, or, indeed, ceases to exist.” (Hawthorne 115) Throughout the hostile novel The Scarlet Letter, author Nathaniel Hawthorne used contrasting settings to represent opposed ideas that were central to the meaning of the work. Some have argued that when it came to the theme that secrets have a destructive effect on the secret-keeper and truth, by contrast, was natural, a character evaluation would best advocate these differences. However, two settings, Dimmesdale’s house and the secrets that lie within, and the scaffold representing the truth, better embody the adverse ideas posed by the point at issue.

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, And Edgar Allan Poe

    1201 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne made out his life a source of inspiration. Every event that happened in his life made him think of a way to write about it. The Scarlett Letter was written after his mother died, and it focused on his society and it was used as a strong accusation against the Puritan Americans (Gollin 2605). His works were the results of long-term contemplations of humans and the society of his time, The Minister’s Black Veil is an example of this. A story about a man who decides to walk around his town cover in a black veil that symbolizes sin, and more importantly, “how the guilt we hide from one another and about the dangers of self-absorption” (Gollin 2604). Every major event in his life brought a new theme to his writings and that made it stand out. Just like Irving, he decided that he wanted to pursue of life full of

    Read More

  • Outline For The Scarlet Letter Essay

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    5. The Scarlet Letter portrays the radical role of religion within the early stages of America. Nathaniel Hawthorne is essentially a transcendental whistleblower in society, depicting the absurdity and irrationality of religion through Hester Prynne’s extreme retribution from her congregation and clergymen.

    Read More

  • Hawthorne’s View of Puritanism

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne is a well known 19th century author. One reason he is well known is his view towards Puritanism. Hawthorne would often criticize Puritanism in his short stories and novels. Two short stories that show Hawthorne’s view of Puritanism are “Young Goodman Brown” and “The ministers black veil”.

    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

  • Hester Prynne In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ancestor is John Hathorne, the “hanging judge” of the Salem witch trials. He and his family were deeply troubled by this fact, so they changed the spelling of their last name from Hathorne to Hawthorne. Nathaniel couldn’t stand the cruelty of his Puritan ancestors. These ancestors contribute a small inspiration for the writing of this book. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a romance between two sinners. This book is centered on keeping sin a secret like Dimmesdale, where it mentally and physically hurt him, therefore, Hester had a better, easier life after her sin was revealed.

    Read More

  • Hawthorne On Puritanism

    1312 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne's knowledge of Puritanism and his close relationship with the religion has impacted his views on those in the society. Hawthorne is critical of the Puritans and he thinks that they are hypocrites for having rules and morals that they do not follow. He sees the underlying sin that others may not. Through his many writings he makes known to his readers that everyone is guilty of sin. The Puritan's main goal was to save themselves from the sin in the world, but Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays their morals and society as troublesome through his works, "Young Goodman Brown," "The Minister's Black Veil," and The Scarlet Letter.

    Read More

  • Portrayal of Puritan Society in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    Portrayal of Puritan Society in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter In the introductory sketch to Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel the "The Scarlet Letter", the reader is informed that one of the author's ancestors persecuted the Quakers harshly. The latter's son was a high judge in the Salem witch trials, put into literary form in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" (Judge Hathorne appears there). We learn that Hawthorne feels ashamed for their deeds, and that he sees his ancestors and the Puritan society as a whole with critical eyes. Consequently, both open and subtle criticism of the Puritans' practices is applied throughout the novel.

    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 Is The Scarlet Letter Historically Relevant

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Scarlet Letter, a classic American novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, contains a plot that follows the controversial life of Hester Prynne, the main protagonist of the story. Set in the mid 1600’s in Boston, Massachusetts, it represented the Puritan society and its ideals at that time. Its rich plot has enticed and enraptured readers for many years, while Historical elements have allowed readers to analyze and understand the content better. The Scarlet Letter is a piece of historical fiction that contains a real representation of the period in which it is set in and is mostly historically accurate, barring a few minor inaccuracies.

    Read More

  • Moral and Social Themes in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, there are many moral and social themes develped throughout the novel.  Each theme is very important to the overall effect of the novel.  In essence, The Scarlet Letter is a story of sin, punishment and the importance of truth. One theme which plays a big role in The Scarlet Letter is that of sin and its effects.  Throughout the novel there were many sins committed by various characters.  The effects of these sins are different in each character and every character was punished in a unique way.  Two characters were perfect examples of this theme in the novel.  Hester Prynne and The Reverend Dimmesdale best demonstrated the theme of the effects of sin.

    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

More about Tone In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

Open Document