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What is a larger view that is expressed through hawthorne with the scarlet letter
What is a larger view that is expressed through hawthorne with the scarlet letter
The similarity between Nathaniel Hawthorne's life and the scarlet letter
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The Scarlet Letter is an intricate allegory that takes place in a puritan society in the 1600’s. Author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, vividly articulated his anti-transcendentalist views. Written in the 1800’s, The Scarlet Letter challenges one’s mind to find the to find the light in the dark. Hawthorne also challenges the reader’s mind with the use of symbolism, where he uses objects or words as symbols that hold a deeper meaning. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of wild rosebush, Pearl, and Dimmesdale to contribute to the overall theme of imperfection.
To begin The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses the wild rosebush to symbolize imperfection. Interpreted literally, the wild rosebush is beauty and delicacy protected
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by thorns. Figuratively, it is the unfinished map guiding one to the moral of the story. At the threshold of The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne introduces the wild rosebush by directly speaking to the reader. Hawthorne says, “It may serve, let us hope, to symbolize some sweet moral blossom…” (Hawthorne 46). Early on in the novel, Hawthorne wanted his reader to understand that his novel is a thorn, but wants his audience to recognize the moral lesson as a rose. The wild rosebush represents the inherent balance of nature. In order to maintain equilibrium in nature, there is good to balance evil. In the novel, Hester Prynne comes very close to losing custody over her daughter Pearl. When asked who her creator was Pearl’s response was questionable. Hawthorne says, “...she had not been made at all, but had been plucked by her mother off the bush of wild roses that grew by the prison door” (Hawthorne 102). The wild rosebush clearly was a depiction of nature’s balance of good and evil. When Pearl refers to the wild rosebush as her initial creator, she is creating a relationship between good versus evil, and herself. Next, Hawthorne uses Pearl to contribute to the theme of imperfection.
In this novel, Pearl is Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale’s daughter. Hawthorne strategically chose the name “Pearl” who was known around their puritan town as a “sin baby.” The creation process of a pearl is significant in the symbolism. Pearls start off as worthlessness, but with time and pressure, the once worthless minerals morphe into beauty. In The Scarlet Letter, Pearl was disdained for a prolonged period of her life, eventually people begin to see her worth. While fighting for people to see the pureness that Pearl was Hester says, “She is my happiness!-she is my torture,nonetheless! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter…” (Hawthorne 103). Pearl was Hester Prynne’s happiness but was also her burden, a burden that she was willing to bear. Mr. Wilson says, “...thou mayest wear in thy bosom the pearl of great price…” (Hawthorne 101). Pearls are usually high priced, Hawthorne used the name “Pearl” to symbolize that the life of Pearl was paid at a high price. Hester Prynne’s life became hell on earth because she committed adultery, especially because she had a child from adultery. Pearl was a constant reminder that Hester and Dimmesdale made a mistake, however from their mistake they were still capable of finding love in
Pearl. Hawthorne also used Dimmesdale to contribute to the overall theme of imperfection. Dimmesdale is concealing the fact that he is Pearl’s father. Because Dimmesdale does not commit to his crime he self harms and punishes himself. Hawthorne says, “...so Mr. Dimmesdale, conscious that the poison of one morbid spot was infecting his heart’s entire substance…” (Hawthorne 128). Dimmesdale is fully aware of his wrong doings and it is affecting his quality of life. On countless occasions, Pearl yearns for Dimmesdale to acknowledge her as his daughter, but Dimmesdale seems to be having trouble doing so. Hawthorne says, “...and received their pain into itself, and sent its own throb of pain through a thousand other hearts, it gushes of sad, persuasive eloquence” (Hawthorne 129). Dimmesdale is guilty and sees how Hester and Pearl are suffering, but he is envied. Through all of the deception in The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne shows that love can be found in the midst of darkness which made this novel a vivid depiction of imperfection. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of wild rosebush, Pearl, and Dimmesdale to contribute to the overall theme of imperfection. The Scarlet Letter, highlights the fact that we are human. Through Pearl, the reader learns that life is truly what you make of it. Through Dimmesdale we learn that guilt can absorb oneself and drive them to prolonged heartache.
Beginning with the very first words of The Scarlet Letter the reader is thrust into a bleak and unforgiving setting. “A thong of bearded men, in sad-colored garments,” that are said to be “intermixed with women,” come off as overpowering and all-encompassing; Hawthorne quickly and clearly establishes who will be holding the power in this story: the males (Hawthorne 45). And he goes even further with his use of imagery, painting an even more vivid picture in the reader’s mind. One imagines a sea of drab grays and browns, further reinforcing the unwelcoming feeling this atmosphere seems to inheren...
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,
Pearl and the other Puritan children have a huge role in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Pearl is displayed as very different from any of the other children in the book. The attitudes of the children tell the reader a lot about the lives of the Puritans. The story emphasizes that children were to be seen but not heard however, Hester chooses to let Pearl live a full and exciting life. Hester does not restrict pearl or hide her from anyone or anything. This is part of the reason that Pearl becomes such a colorful child. People see Pearl as a child of sin; the devil’s child. Pearl is quite the opposite. She is a happy and intelligent little girl. Pearl is born with an incredible sense of intuition. She sees the pain her mother feels but does not understand where the pain is coming from. Pearl knows somehow deep in her heart that Dimmesdale is her father. She takes a very strong liking to him. This makes it much harder on dimmesdale to work through the guilt seeing what a beautiful thing came from his terrible secret. Pearl serves as a blessing to and a curse to Hester. Hester Prynne loves her daughter dearly but she is a constant reminder of the mistakes she has made.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic The Scarlet Letter, nature plays a very important and symbolic role. Hawthorne uses nature to convey the mood of a scene, to describe characters, and to link the natural elements with human nature. Many of the passages that have to do with nature accomplish more than one of these ideas. All throughout the book, nature is incorporated into the story line. The deep symbolism conveyed by certain aspects of nature helps the reader gain a deeper understanding of the plight and inner emotions of the characters in the novel.
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.
This, as Arthur Dimmesdale almost prophetically expresses in the early scenes of Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, was the role of Pearl, the elfish child borne of his and Hester Prynne's guilty passion. Like Paul's thorn in the flesh, Pearl would bring trouble, heartache, and frustration to Hester, but serve a constructive purpose lying far beyond the daily provocations of her childish impishness. While in many respects a tormentor to Hester, Pearl was also her savior, while a reminder of her guilt, a promoter of honesty and true Virtue; and while an embodiment of Hester's worst qualities, a vision of a better life for Hester and for herself.
Although Pearl is looked at as the result of Hester’s sin, she is a blessing to her mother as well. Her name, “Pearl,” is fitting because of what she means to Hester. For instance “Hester names her”Pearl” because she has come to great price, and Hester believed that Pearl is her only reason for living,” (Johnson: Understanding The Scarlet Letter pg.1). Pearl motivates her mother to keep on going when she is tempted to give up. In the novel, Mistress Hibbins asks Hester to join her in a witches gathering, but she declines saying if she had lost Pearl, she would have gone.
Hawthorne uses Pearl to work on the consciences of both her mother Hester and her father Arthur Dimmesdale. He uses her to work on Hester’s conscience throughout the novel by little comments made or actions taken by Pearl that appear to be mean or spiteful towards her mother. For example, Pearl laughs and points at her mother’s scarlet letter as if making fun of it or to make Hester feel bad about it. Hawthorne also uses Pearl’s perceptiveness to point out very straight forwardly, her mother’s sin of adultery. Pearl has almost a supernatural sense, that comes from her youth and freewill for seeing things as they really are and pointing them out to her mother. Pearl is a living version of her mother's scarlet letter. She is the consequence of sin and an everyday reminder to her through her actions and being.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a Romantic novel set in Colonial Boston. The main character, Hester, wears a scarlet letter "A" as a symbol of adultery, but she refuses to identify the partner in her crime. Hawthorne uses many symbols in his novel to discuss the effects of this refusal. Three symbols in the novel are Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl.
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.
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.
The naivete of a child is often the most easily subjected to influence, and Pearl of the Scarlet Letter is no exception. Throughout the writing by Nathaniel Hawthorne, she observes as Dimmesdale and the rest of the Puritan society interact with the scarlet letter that Hester, her mother, wears. Hawthorne tries to use Pearl’s youth to teach the reader that sometimes it’s the most harmless characters that are the most impactful overall. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Pearl has learned the greatest lesson from the scarlet letter through her innocence as a youth and her realization of the identity of both herself and her mother.
In 1695, in a handwritten manuscript called “Tales of Mother Goose”, Charles Perrault created an icon that is still today synonymous with beauty. Briar Rose was the story of a child whose been cursed to sleep until awaken by her true love. Briar is the icon of innocence and beauty, just as the rosebush within the scarlet letter. The rosebush is a powerful symbol, even though it only shows up twice.
“She had wandered, without rules or guidance, in a moral wilderness: as vas, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest” (180). Nature plays an essential part in this American Romance novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter. The forest is a prominent factor symbolizing many ideas about nature’s relationship with man, as an individual and a society. The narrator does so by simply narrating about events and characters before, during and after the forest scenes. The narrator also displays the people’s feelings towards the forest and nature in general. The forest as a symbol helps the book develop the literary devices of theme, mood, and irony in The Scarlet Letter.
The Scarlet Letter is a blend of realism, symbolism, and allegory. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses historical settings for this fictional novel and even gives historical background information for the inspiration of the story of Hester Prynne in the introduction of The Scarlet Letter, ‘The Custom-House’. The psychological exploration of the characters and the author’s use of realistic dialogue only add to the realism of the novel. The most obvious symbol of the novel is the actual scarlet letter ‘A’ that Hester wears on her chest every day, but Hawthorne also uses Hester’s daughter Pearl and their surroundings as symbols as well. Allegory is present as well in The Scarlet Letter and is created through the character types of several characters in the novel.