Preview

Compare And Contrast Moby Dick And The Scarlet Letter

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
382 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Compare And Contrast Moby Dick And The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, has an antagonist that goes by Roger Chillingworth who continues to torture Dimmesdale who had sex with Roger’s wife. In another American classic called Moby Dick, written by Herman Melville, the “villain” in the story is Captain Ahab that chases after Moby Dick to try to kill him. Though Roger Chillingworth and Captain Ahab are the evil characters in their novels they have differences.

In both books Chillingworth and Ahab are evil but their intentions are different. Roger wants to keep Dimmsdale alive to continue to torture him. When he finds out that Dimmesdale and Hester, Rogers’s wife, are going to England he decides to go on the same boat with them to continue to torture him. Ahab chases

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    This essay is comparing and contrasting two stories by Nathaniel Hawthorn. The stories are The Scarlet Letter and The Ministers Black Veil. There are many similarities as well as differences. There are similarities in religious beliefs. They also have almost the exact same themes. We will begin with a couple paragraphs on what the two stories have in common…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Almost every story has an antagonist. The Scarlet Letter and Moby Dick are no exception. The characters that allow evil to manifest itself in these stories are Captain Ahab and Roger Chillingworth. There are many differences in Mr. Ahab and Mr. Chillingworth and how they become evil.…

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    People have been trying to put a face to evil for many years. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, does exactly that with the character Roger Chillingworth. Roger Chillingworth is the embodiment of evil. Throughout the story the reader sees embodiment of evil through his thoughts, actions, and appearance. Once this things are taken into account then one will see how Roger Chillingworth is the symbol of pure evil.…

    • 68 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the year’s society`s have developed their own standard way of thinking creating traditional norms. Norms are conventional and are expected to be fulfilled by the individuals in that society. If a norm were to be violated, it would bring severe consequences to those individuals. In The Scarlet Letter and The Minister`s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne both take place during the puritan timeframe in which the biggest norm violation would be the act of committing a sin causing those who violate these norms to suffer severe consequences. In The Scarlet Letter Hester and Dimmesdale commit adultery and as a result, both suffer for their transgressions in different ways. Moreover, in The Ministers Black Veil Minister Hopper wears a black veil to accept his…

    • 2035 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Roger Chillingworth is a physician in The Scarlet Letter, by NathanielHawthorne. Captain Ahab is the experienced captain of a ship called The Pequod inMoby Dick, by Herman Melville. Although there are some differences between them,Roger Chillingworth and Captain Ahab have evident similarities in the way evilmanifests itself in each of them.First of all, Chillingworth and Captain Ahab both want revenge on someone orsomething that has wronged them. Chillingworth’s wife, Hester Prynne, committedadultery. He seeks revenge on Arthur Dimmesdale, the man she committed adultery with.He does not plan to kill Dimmesdale, but he wants to make his life miserable. Ahabpursues revenge on Moby Dick, the white whale who took his leg while he was whaling.He selfishly makes revenge his priority, on a ship whose purpose is to gain profit fromwhale oil. He puts his desires before the needs of others.Secondly, Chillingworth and Ahab both put others in danger in order to reachtheir ultimate goal of revenge. Chillingworth is Dimmesdale’s physician; he…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    commentary on Puritan society is spread throughout their works. Their views on the laws set…

    • 1832 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne’s American masterpiece The Scarlet Letter and Laura Hillenbrand’s captivating World War II nonfiction title Unbroken, undermines individuals who commit sinful acts to distinguish themselves from society as a means of self-individuality and resilience. Therefore, these individuals create an intriguing perception to the greater depths of society in order to generate a significant resonance that attributes to the psychological impact they intend to make. This often leads to individuals being criticized, punished, and condemned, because of their individual choices and discernible flaws. This emphasizes the society’s impressions, the recognition of sin and the essentially integral means of adapting to these types of unique circumstances.…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Thou hast escaped me!”-Chillingworth says. Throughout the course of the Scarlet Letter many of the characters suffer personal struggle and make choices that affect the lives of others. All characters experience this but one such character is Roger Chillingworth or Mr. Prynne, as he is also known. The choices and character changes of Roger Chillingworth will be explained throughout this essay.…

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, you may find similar themes in these novels The Scarlet Letter features Hester Prynne that commits a shameful sin, that being adultery. Related to The Scarlet Letter, In The Crucible concerns a group of girls that are said to also commit a shameful sin, which is witchcraft. However the children lie and say and said that all they did was “dance” in the woods. Even though both these novels have different plots, themes or ideas including, adultery and witchcraft, committing sins, and symbolism of forest and town views are shared both The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible.…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, they are both known to be a part of the Puritan religion. The puritans are known to be very strict. Often people are put to cruel punishments for mistakes or sins they had committed. The actions they take to “punish” a person are extreme. The Puritans act and seem so committed to their religion. The people seem “Holy” but you never really know what happens behind closed doors. The Puritan religion is so strict is causes members to become corrupt.…

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter share many themes that are still present in today’s society, such as the use of public humiliation as a punishment. Because of their sins, both John Proctor and Hester Prynn were alienated and punished by their peers and town leaders. The public humiliation that they faced helped shape the characters in the eyes of the reader and effected the way that they behaved and acted.…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The edgy tale of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is comparable in many ways to Arthur Miller’s haunting play The Crucible. Both are set in Puritan New England in the 17th century and revolve around the harsh law enforcement of the time. However, The Scarlet Letter tells the story of a woman as she deals with her heavy Puritan punishment, whereas The Crucible follows hysteria as it spreads throughout an entire town. Hester Prynne, the main character of The Scarlet Letter, was found guilty for adultery and sentenced to wear a red letter A on her chest to inform people of her sin. Similarly, The Crucible’s main character John Proctor admits to having committed lechery and is sent to jail for this and for being a witch. The antagonist of The Crucible is the girl with whom John Proctor slept, therefore breaking his wedding vows. Her name is Abigail Williams and she is set on winning the love of John Proctor at any cost. The antagonist from The Scarlet Letter is also a previous lover of the main character’s. Going by the name of Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s former husband wants nothing more than revenge upon she who betrayed him.…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne emphasizes the sin present in early Puritan society by following the lives a three people who commit major sins. Of those three, each one experiences different amounts of remorse, penance, and guilt; but the person that felt none of these was Roger Chillingworth. Roger Chillingworth is the greatest sinner in the Scarlet Letter because of his drive for revenge, lack of guilt, and infliction of pain onto others.…

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the book Moby Dick, Herman Melville uses a lot of symbols that show through his characters. One of the big characters in the book was Captain Ahab. Ahab was an obvious symbol of evil. This character demonstrated a personality of someone who seeks vengeance and revenge, two things bunched together with evil. Another symbol in this book was Starbuck, Ahab’s first mate. He consistently shows logic and reason throughout the story. The last symbol that will be discussed is the symbol that the great white whale, Moby Dick, represents. Moby Dick represents the opposite of Ahab, which is good. Moby Dick is trying to get away throughout the story, and does not ever act hostile until he gets pushed too far. These are the three major symbols in this novel.…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Puritan society was known for it’s strict morals and religious piety. But despite these supposedly virtuous qualities, in the Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, we are shown how twisted this model of society is. The people torment Hester, but refuse to see that their beloved minister carries the same sin in his heart; in fact, they revere him all the more for it. In his chapters, “Hester at Her Needle,” and “The Interior of a Heart,” Hawthorne creates an ironic contrast between Hester’s public torment and Dimmesdale’s inner agony. While there are many parallels between the two chapters, the contrasts in the character’s ways of dealing with their crime reveal how sinfulness leads to a development of oneself, as well as development of a sense of empathy for others. Paradoxically, these traits are shown to be incompatible with living the true Puritan lifestyle. This is why what goes on outside Hester and Dimmesdale is so vital to their inner narrative, Hester’s public torment eventually sets her free, while Dimmesdale’s public reverence slowly kills him.…

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays