Members of the clergy, and the towns people, see Hester as a criminal and source of scandal, a scandal that affects not only her personally, but the community as a whole. In this Puritan culture, marriage is viewed as one of the foundations of social order, and a crime that violates the bonds of marriage threatens order itself. The demand for punishment of Hester's crimes is evident in the words of some of the female spectators, who feel she has not suffered enough, that the civil authorities "should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead" (p. 162). The female spectators were very cruel when it came to Hester, even though she had only sinned once they thought it was not enough to just let her…
The Scarlet Letter is set in 17th century Massachusetts. It follows Hester Prynne and the consequences her “sin” has on her, her child, and the community as a whole. Most believe Hester is going to hell and that she gave birth to the devil because of having sex out of marriage. Her husband, Roger Chillingworth wants revenge on her and her unannounced partner in crime. Pearls involvement in Hawthorne's novel in crucial by bringing Hester's sin to life; therefore, creating challenges for her within the Puritan community.…
Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story about Hester Prynne, her drastic act of sin, and her punishment for that act. Hester, a married woman, committed adultery, and borne a child from her affair. Her husband had sent her ahead of him to America and had never arrived in Boston. It was believed that he was lost at sea. As punishment, Hester has to wear a flashy, scarlet and gold stitched “A” embroidered on her chest for as long as she lives. From what I have read, Hester is leaving from her stay at prison, her child clutched tightly to her breasts, as she moves through the crowd to receive her punishment. Other women scorn her, and insult her openly as if she weren’t in their presence. There in the crowd of people, she notices her…
The people of the town see otherwise until they see the great improvement in her attitude as she's helping by doing various tasks in her town. When walking through town, “…she never raised her head to receive their greeting. If they were resolute to accost her, she laid her finger on the scarlet letter and passed on” (Hawthorne, 127). The guilt is destroying her and overwhelming which results in her change in the novel. A living reminder of her sin of course Pearl, her constant companion. One also affected by Hester's change is her daughter Pearl; the same traits that Hester has are displayed by pearl in the story. It is true what Hester believes in as far as committing sin help one discover themselves but run the risk of being talked down soon by friends or just the local town folk. She uses her experiences and helps change the perspective of the to the townsfolk, regarding their idea on the letter "A". How does this not bother her? Hester is strong mentally as she is physical. One of the greatest sins is not taking a toll on her reputation because others seem to look past it and notice her for the person she has become and not the girl she was before she committed the…
Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is set in Puritan Boston, New England. Hester Prynne is accused of adultery and brand with the letter “A” for the rest of her life. With Pearl in tow, Hester moves to a cottage to live her life. As time progresses conflicts arise and ideals fade. The “A” on Hester's chest has many stories changing with each character who tells it. Hester Prynne is the wearer of the “A.” Having the scarlet letter set on her at a young age, Hester absorbs the mark turning the hainted symbol into a representation of her character. Even the people who force Hester to wear the “A” change,”many people refused to interpret the scarlet letter A by its original signification.” The community of Boston has, at first, the view that the “A” has a connection to the devil. Later, after Hester shows courage despite her situation, the community has a changing of heart and…
Feminism is the support for equal rights for both men and women, in the areas that include but are not limited to politics, economics, and social norms. In a more general sense, a feminist seeks a justified, balanced amount of opportunity for both sexes. The topic of feminism has been prevalent in more recent years, but not a few centuries ago. The romance novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, highlights a female protagonist named Hester Prynne who lived in the 17th century. She is portrayed as a strong feminist character throughout the novel by showing resilience, despite the lack of social equality during the Puritan times the novel takes place in. This novel displays acts of feminism as Hester Prynne lives her life with the stigma of adultery with the scarlet letter.…
Hester can atone for her sin of adultery, but every day that she keeps the secret of her lover, and the true identity of Rodger Chillingworth a secret she is committing a sin. If Hester would have “Take heeds how thou deniest to him---who, perchance, hath not the courage to grasp it for himself---the bitter, but wholesome, cup that is now presented to thy lips!”(Dimmesdale 47) things would have been infinitely better for everyone. Everyone Hester Prynne loves, she does in a hypocritical way. She loves Pearl enough to sacrifice to feed and clothe her, but she does not love Pearl enough to give her a father. Hester loves Dimmesdale, but she does not love him enough to expose his sin publicly, and she conceals her knowledge of Chillingworth. Either you love something whole-heartedly, or you don’t. Hawthorne might have portrayed Hester in a more favorable light then the other characters, but still she should have to wear a scarlet H in addition to her…
How so? “Hester Prynne went, one day, to the mansion of Governor Bellingham, with a pair of gloves, which she had fringed and embroidered to his order, and which were to be worn on some great occasion of state” (Hawthorne 68). She works as an embroiderer who crafts different kinds of fabrics to people. Throughout the seven years before we get back into the story she doesn’t really do much in the way of sin so that’s why the thing that she is has transitioned so. In fact, she’s done some work to where her reputation may have reversed in the eyes of god, work such as charity. “they had begun to look upon the scarlet letter as the token, not of that one sin, for which she had borne so long and dreary a penance, but of her many good deeds since. “Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge?” they would say to strangers. “It is our Hester,-the town’s own Hester,- who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted!”” ( Hawthorne 111). Through this she turned her image around and became known as not only a good person, but also a person that can be used for…
Back in this time women were suppose to conform and give in when asked a question and men were considered to be superior over the women. Hester proved this wrong as she is brought onto the scaffold in front of the entire community and put on trial for her behavior but however refuses to give the judge and the crowd what they wanted. She admitted to her crime and did not show shame but she also doesn't expose her affair with Arthur Dimmesdale and chooses to let him reveal his self if he chooses to "man-up". By displaying her resilience in front of the whole community she is able to put a stake in the gender role and make not only herself as an individual look stronger but also put strength in…
Hester was forced to confess her sin to the world, unlike her counterpart Dimmesdale. She was forced to be truthful and accept the punishment and stigma; “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin” (chapter 5, page 54), This quote demonstrates how the Puritan Community placed all of the blame and burden of the sin of adultery on Hester. She was forced to accept all of the shame that…
As Hester tries to mend the community which she had damaged by committing the crime of adultery, she does charitable works for those around her. Most of her income from needlework goes to helping the poor and needy, and she also makes them simple clothing garments. This is ironic because her red badge on her chest was stitched with the same needle that is now doing good deeds for others. Hester continues doing her works of charity, and caring for the marginalized as though "her breast with its badge of shame was a softer pillow for the head that needed one" (111). Hester becomes a more generous person after her imprisonment and punishment because she tries to mend the damage she has done, one stitch of her needle at a time. Her generosity stems from her newfound motherly love as well as her understanding of exclusion from society.…
“When you point a finger at someone else, then three fingers point back at you” (My Second Grade Teacher). In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne jeers at the absurd Puritan era and crime and punishment. But the renowned author touches on a more personal theme, an issue that everyone has come across: self evaluation. Even though Hester Prynne, a honest adulterer, and Arthur Dimmesdale, a untruthful priest, are first to sin it is still viewed that Robert Chillingworth, an abandoned husband seeking revenge, has “violated the sanctity of human heart” (Hawthorne 234). To compare the sin that was brought on by choice and sin initiated by another should not be evaluated.There is no argument that Chillingworth’s revenge on Dimmesdale is evil, he plotted against Dimmesdale soon as he confirmed he was Hester’s lover. But the aggravators of sin, Hester and Dimmesdale, must be held responsible for the effects of their actions. Unlike Hester, Dimmesdale refuses to confess to having premarital sex. Adulturing is sinful but the lies, acting, and observing others take the full…
Hester Prynne's Heroism Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter focuses on seven years in the lives of four people living in a puritan community in seventeenth century Boston. Hester Prynne, the wife of Roger Chillingworth, falls in love with the Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale and the two have a child, Pearl. The novel explores the effects of adultery on these four characters. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "It is the surmounting of difficulties that makes heroes." A hero has the qualities of loyalty and bravery, and he is always willing to make great sacrifices for the well being of others. Hester Prynne possesses all of the qualities of a true hero in this novel.…
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. That is the Oath we take when joining the United States Army.…
The separation of powers was established in 1787 and came into effect in1789. The purpose was full intention that no branch of the government would have total control or power. They wanted each branch to have specific powers and responsibilities. The national government was divided into three branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch.…