Critical Lens Essay Example

An anoymous writer wrote “Literature opens a dark window on the soul, revealing more about what is bad in human nature than what is good.” This quote means that literature tells more of the bad things that people do than the the good things. This is because it is more thrilling to read about the misfortunes of someone than an a characters regular life. This quote is proven true in the two works The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and in The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

“Literature opens a dark window on the soul, revealing more about what is bad in human nature than what is good,” written by an anonymous writer, is proven true in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The protagonist, Hester Prynne performs adultery. This is an example of the bad things people do. This bad behavior is being exposed to the people who read it. It is not a good thing that Hester Prynne was doing such things. Because of her wrong actions she had to wear an A on her chest. This was to show the people who see her that she done the act of adultery. This builds suspense in the reader because they want to see how Hester lives her life with the shame she has brought on to herself.

Another reason why the quote is proven true in The Scarlet Letter is when Hester sees a woman to sell her embrodiary. This is because the woman was talking extremely nasty to her. She insults Hester and disespects her. I would feel extremely angry if someone was to say such things to me. Insulting and disrespecting someone is definitely not an act of goodness. The readers are also being exposed to such language and behavior that this woman is doing. They are also shown through the way the people treat Hester. She is treated less that the poor people of the town. Even though she does beautiful sowing, she is still treated poorly.

The following quote, “Literature opens a dark window on the soul, revealing more about what is bad inhuman nature than what is good,” which was stated by an anonymous