The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

1244 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864).

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, focuses on the adulteress, Hester Prynne. It follows Hester’s growth from a weak outcast to a strong individual. It also describes the conflicts faced by her former husband and her former lover. While Roger Chillingworth, her former husband becomes more corrupted because of his desire for vengeance, her former lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, becomes more burdened with guilt. At first, Dimmesdale wants to expose his sins, but lacked the courage to accomplish it. Afterwards, he knew he had to change himself and set things straight. Hawthorne argues that change is needed for improvement, which reflects the controversy regarding slavery in American society of the early 19th century. Hawthorne uses concrete diction, metaphor, and imagery to support his argument. One rhetorical device Hawthorne effectively uses is concrete diction is seen when Hawthorne describes how the Puritans treat Hester and Pearl as outcasts of the town. Hawthorne writes, “The truth was that the Puritans being off the most intolerant brood that ever lived, had got a vague idea of something out landish, unearthly or at variance with ordinary fashions, in the mother of the child; and therefore scorned them in their hearts” (96). Hawthorne uses concrete diction to make the readers feel sympathetic towards Hester and Pearl and mad at the unfairness the Puritans treated them. The key words “unearthly”, and “out landish”, appeal to pathos because these words make Hester and Pearl seem like horrible human beings which stirs up more compassion from the readers to help Pearl and Hester. The way the Puritans treated them show why change is needed in the Puritan’s society because even though Hester has committed the most sinful d... ... middle of paper ... ...early 19th century is best revealed through the character Hester because her character allow the readers to better understand how unfairly the Puritans treated her and similar to how the slaves were treated. Similarly, as the people living in the newly established America begin to see the reality of slavery and the cruelty of it, they begin to take actions to abolish it. Also, Hawthorne’s view is revealed through the character Dimmesdale because his character allows the readers to better understand why change was needed and how change can happen. As Dimmesdale take actions to help Hester, the north took actions to help free slaves. Overall, Hawthorne text is relevant because in our society there are still people who discriminate against others. In order to change our society into a better place, we must all learn to accept and look beyond the appearance of others.

Show More
Related

  • Deceit, Despair and Dejection in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Anderson's Speak

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Scarlet Letter, the main characters Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale are tangled in a web of deceit, which is the result of a sin as deadly as the Grimm Reaper himself: adultery. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, describes the feeling of deceit using the main characters; for each of the cast the reaction to the deceit is different, thus the reader realizes the way a person reacts to a feeling differs between each character.

    Read More

  • Pearl's Symbolism In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter tells the story of Hester Prynne, a sinner, living in a puritan society. As punishment, she is forced to wear a scarlet letter on her chest. Her daughter Pearl is the product of her sinful ways, and a constant reminder of her wrongdoing. Pearl’s embodiment of the Scarlet Letter causes her hostile relationships with the world and her mother. However, when Dimmesdale kisses her, he frees her from isolation and allows her to form human connections.

    Read More

  • Scarlet Letter Rhetorical Devices

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Scarlet Letter starts off by throwing Hester Prynne into drama after being convicted for adultery in a Puritan area. Traveling from Europe to America causes complications in her travel which also then separates her from her husband, Roger Chillingworth for about three years. Due to the separation, Hester has an affair with an unknown lover resulting in having a child. Ironically, her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, is a Reverend belonging to their church who also is part of the superiors punishing the adulterer. No matter how many punishments are administered to Hester, her reactions are not changed. Through various punishments, Hester Prynne embraces her sin by embroidering a scarlet letter “A” onto her breast. However, she is also traumatized deep within from everything she’s been through. Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts this story of sin by using rhetorical devices such as allusion, alliteration and symbolism.

    Read More

  • Sins of Hester Prynne, Reverend Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter

    2123 Words  | 5 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a study of the effects of sin on the hearts and minds of the main characters, Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. Sin strengthens Hester, humanizes Dimmesdale, and turns Chillingworth into a demon.

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    1436 Words  | 3 Pages

    Normally when most people think of vampires, they envision a deathly, pale creature with fangs. But Thomas Foster seems to think differently, who argues that it is not necessary for a vampire to embody a stereotypical vampire. Surprisingly enough, even humans can be these types of monsters. From Foster 's perspective, being a vampire not only includes an individual 's aesthetics, but also their actions, personality, intent, and overall representation of personal identity. The classic novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, presents an excellent example of this occurrence, where the character Roger Chillingworth meets the criteria of a vampiric figure, based on Thomas Foster 's ideas of vampirism, found in his book How to Read Literature Like a Professor.

    Read More

  • Hester Prynne Transformation

    1314 Words  | 3 Pages

    Despite Hester never fitting the description of what a Puritan actually stands for, she emerges and transforms into a respected young woman of society during her revolution. Even though Hester’s humanity degrades itself based on her imprudent actions that resisted Puritan society, the scarlet “A” transforms her rebellion. Hester creates her own symbol for herself rather than one that masks her all along. In writing the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne highlights the importance of being a nonconformist. Evidently, through the character of Hester Prynne, self-awareness is key in order to achieve happiness. To repress defining characteristics of a human being is to ultimately destroy their individuality.

    Read More

  • Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter

    541 Words  | 2 Pages

    Setting in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a powerful symbol used to support the theme of the novel. The first setting is the city of Boston. In this setting, the lives of all are on display to the public. As the story opens, the townspeople here await Hester Prynne’s appearance from her months in jail. In the city, the people’s private lives and moral actions are the topic of much discussion and observation. The people are particularly interested at this time with the moral failure of Hester. The matrons of the town have a particular “boldness and rotundity of speech” regarding Hester’s appearance before them (38). However, Hester is not the only person under the constant observation and judgment of the Puritan population. In reference to the situation surrounding Hester’s love affair, the people say that Dimmesdale “takes it very grievously… that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation” (39). Others still complain that Dimmesdale and the town’s leadership are too merciful, and that “at the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron o...

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    949 Words  | 2 Pages

    Is it acceptable to neglect one’s crimes and move on, or is it better to openly confess yourself in front of your peers? In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, the main character, Arthur Dimmesdale, experiences both ends of the question. From initially disregarding the need to repent for his sin, his figure and character drastically change. By repenting in the wrong ways, Dimmesdale’s character continues to worsen until he finally publicly atones for his mistakes. Hawthorne’s views on the theme of repentance are embodied within the tragic and symbolic character of Dimmesdale, which he uses to demonstrate how repenting leads to a strong-willed and free being.

    Read More

  • Guilt And Shame Essay

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter tells the story of a puritan community living in 17th century Boston, and how they deal with the aftermath of an act of adultery committed by Hester Prynne with an unnamed man. Hawthorne’s story deals with the themes of guilt and shame, and the effect that these forces have on the novel’s characters. Of the characters that are introduced in the novel, Hester Prynne represents and suffers from guilt; while Dimmesdale represents and suffers from shame.

    Read More

  • Scarlet Letter, Pearl

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Scarlet letter is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The plot focuses on sin in the Puritan society. Hester Prynne, the protagonist, has an affair with Reverend Dimmesdale, which means they are adulterers and sinners. As a result, Pearl is born and Hester is forced to where the scarlet letter. Pearl is a unique character. She is Hester’s human form of her scarlet letter, which constantly reminds her of her sin, yet at the same time, Pearl is a blessing to have since she represents the passion that Hester once had.

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    “A bloody scourge…rigorously, and until his knees trembled beneath him, as an act of penance.” (Hawthorne, 141) In the Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Minister Dimmesdale starved himself, whipped himself, and tortured himself to get rid of the guilt caused by his sin with Hester Prynne. Hawthorne describes the minister’s guilt as the evil that anchored him down and shows how Dimmesdale tortures himself but can never get rid of it. His guilt came from many things. First was his guilt for committing the crime with Hester Prynne. Second is his guilt for not being with her at the time that she was put upon the scaffold. Last was his guilt from not revealing himself to his own daughter and from having to stay out of her life due to fear of being shamed by the community. Hawthorne’s views on guilt and Dimmesdale are mostly that his guilt controlled his life completely until the very end when the power of the sin and guilt took over to the point where he couldn’t control himself.

    Read More

  • Physical and Historical Settings in The Scarlet Letter

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    The historical setting is highly significant in the novel since it is intertwined with the public’s belief and values, which shape overall themes of the novel and the main characters’ traits. The main setting of the novel takes place in New England during the middle of the seventeenth century, and the setting is the essential factor that develops the core conflicts among Hester, Dimmesdale, and the Puritan society; in fact, the historical setting itself and the society within it is what Hawthorne intends to reveal to the reader. New England in the seventeenth century was predominately organized around religious authorities, and indeed, a large portion of the population had migrated to the colony of New England with religious purposes. Therefore, the strict and religiously centered historical setting is well demonstrated through Hester’s townspeople when Hester commits adultery. The church authority and the townspeople require Hester to wear the large “A” embroidered scarlet letter, which symbolizes adultery. This act is aligned with the historica...

    Read More

  • The Power Of Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    This time period also saw rising tensions against widows and church members that would disobey. Individuals who defied the Puritan leaders would often be exiled. (Campbell, 2013, 2015; Hallenbeck, 2002). Hester Prynne is the prime example of these two aspects as she is publicly humiliated because of her “sinful” passion. In the narrative, it states, “… the heavy weight of a thousand unrelenting eyes, all fastened upon her… she felt, at moments, as if she must needs shriek out with the full power of her lungs, and cast herself from the scaffold down upon the ground, or else go mad at once” (Hawthorne 40). This event leads to the seclusion of Hester Prynne and her daughter, Pearl, from society (Gayatri, 2014). At first, it seems like a religious victory for the Puritans, but as time goes on we see Hester developing into an independent woman away from the Freudian society which tried to conceal her and her sin. Even though the Puritanical society exiles her from their community, Hester represents the strength in women by not letting her past actions decide her future (Symbols, Society and the Individual). Over time, she is reflective of her actions and develops into a charitable, and able person. In the narrative, it states, “Such helpfulness was found in her, —so much power to do, and power to

    Read More

  • Essay on the Transformation of Hester in Scarlet Letter

    683 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hester Prynne committed a crime so severe that it changed her life into coils of torment and defeat.  In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester is publicly recognized as an adulteress and expelled from society.  Alongside the theme of isolation, the scarlet letter, or symbol of sin, is meant to shame Hester but instead transforms her from a woman of ordinary living into a stronger person.

    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 The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Open Document