Scarlet Letter Essay
Brittani Mascarelli
Ms. McCroskey
Honors English 11A, Period 4
2 February 2012
Every Rose has its Thorn The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne explores sin and atonement in various ways. The narrator likes to use contrasting ideas to create this idea of uncertainty for the reader. These contrasting concepts give the essence that there is no black and white; there is always a gray area. By doing this the narrator makes the reader think more about right and wrong. The narrator uses the idea of a gray area to show there is no right or wrong, contradicting statements to reach a higher level of thinking, and the idea that that atonement cannot be achieved without forgiving yourself first.
The narrator uses the gray area idea to prove that there is no right or wrong; there is always an in between area. One example of the gray area would be the opposing ideas in these two quotes. “Love to dwell upon; nothing in Hester’s form, though majestic and statue-like, that Passion would ever dream of clasping in its embrace; nothing in Hester’s bosom to make it ever again the pillow of Affection.”(158), and the quote “Thus, Hester Prynne, whose heart had lost its regular and healthy throb… now turned aside by an insurmountable precipice; now starting back from deep chasm.”(160). The first quote gives the feeling that Hester has grown so much because of the scarlet letter and is a better and more caring person then she was before. It says that she is a loving person and it has provided a pillow of affection. But the second quote states that Hester’s heart decreased in size and that she has changed in a negative way because of her sin. It says that her heart is no longer normal and refers to her distance from the society. The narrator has the power to control what the audience thinks and how they feel. By controlling the reader’s feelings the narrator has a greater control of the story, but it also allows them to develop an opinion on the character after
Ms. McCroskey
Honors English 11A, Period 4
2 February 2012
Every Rose has its Thorn The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne explores sin and atonement in various ways. The narrator likes to use contrasting ideas to create this idea of uncertainty for the reader. These contrasting concepts give the essence that there is no black and white; there is always a gray area. By doing this the narrator makes the reader think more about right and wrong. The narrator uses the idea of a gray area to show there is no right or wrong, contradicting statements to reach a higher level of thinking, and the idea that that atonement cannot be achieved without forgiving yourself first.
The narrator uses the gray area idea to prove that there is no right or wrong; there is always an in between area. One example of the gray area would be the opposing ideas in these two quotes. “Love to dwell upon; nothing in Hester’s form, though majestic and statue-like, that Passion would ever dream of clasping in its embrace; nothing in Hester’s bosom to make it ever again the pillow of Affection.”(158), and the quote “Thus, Hester Prynne, whose heart had lost its regular and healthy throb… now turned aside by an insurmountable precipice; now starting back from deep chasm.”(160). The first quote gives the feeling that Hester has grown so much because of the scarlet letter and is a better and more caring person then she was before. It says that she is a loving person and it has provided a pillow of affection. But the second quote states that Hester’s heart decreased in size and that she has changed in a negative way because of her sin. It says that her heart is no longer normal and refers to her distance from the society. The narrator has the power to control what the audience thinks and how they feel. By controlling the reader’s feelings the narrator has a greater control of the story, but it also allows them to develop an opinion on the character after