In "The Scarlet Letter"‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays the hypocrisy of the Puritan society of the seventeenth century with the story of the downfall and redemption of Hester Prynne. The hypocritical Puritan society punishes Hester for committing adultery. However‚ in her own mind‚ she does not see her actions as a sin because she acts out of love. Furthermore‚ she redeems herself by turning her offense into a virtue. Through the tale of Hester Prynne‚ Hawthorne’s moral is that the sin is not in adultery
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Scarlet Letter Study Guide 1/6/12 1. Hester Prynne- Hester Prynne‚ the protagonist of the novel‚ is the mother of Pearl. She must wear the scarlet letter A on her body as punishment for her adulterous affair with Arthur Dimmesdale‚ the town minister. Pearl- Hester’s daughter. Rev. Dimmesdale - Arthur Dimmesdale is a respected minister in Boston and the father of Pearl. While Hester waited for her husband to arrive from Amsterdam‚ she met Dimmesdale and had an adulterous affair with him‚
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In the story of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ there are plenty of themes surrounding the deep story. One theme in particular stood out‚ and that was price of untold sin. It plays a major role throughout the story and Pearl‚ one of the main characters‚ is a product of sin. In this story‚ set in 17th century Boston‚ Hester Prynne suffers the ignominy of having to wear the Scarlet Letter on her bosom for the rest of her natural life. After committing adultery‚ Hester must endure the pain
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There is a great deal of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter‚ and it may seem rather overdone to some readers. This is because the intent of the novel was not to portray a completely accurate or realistic account of Hester Prynne’s story‚ but rather to use that symbolism to make a point. The first chapter‚ though it is barely two pages long‚ is absolutely filled with symbolism‚ and the rest of the novel is no different. James states that the symbolism "is overdone at times‚ and becomes mechanical; it
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With his critical essay: "Hawthorne’s Awakening in the Customhouse" Loving gives the reader a psychoanalytical reading of The Scarlet Letter. Loving pays close attention to Hawthorne’s unconscious motives and feelings in his interpretation of Hawthorne’s writing. He is particularly concerned about the radical change of direction that Hawthorne takes in altering the initial course of his story by adding an unexpected ending. The ending‚ as presented to the reader in the last three chapters‚ undermines
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The Judgement of Sin in The Scarlet letter Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is an exciting romance novel. Hester Prynne had just committed adultery and is forced to put a scarlet letter A on her chest. She suffers punishment at the hands of the townsfolk‚ her husband‚ and the rules of puritan religion. Hawthorne shows us how people judge quickly when others sin‚ but forget quickly when they do the same. Hawthorne uses imagery to show that there can sometimes be good at the end of a dark
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Hester Prynne - Hester is the book’s protagonist and the wearer of the scarlet letter. The letter‚ a patch of fabric fit as a fiddle of "A‚" implies that Hester is a "adulterer." As a young lady‚ Hester wedded an elderly man‚ Chillingworth‚ who sent her ahead to America to live yet never tailed her. While waiting for him‚ she engaged in extramarital relations with a Puritan pastor named Dimmesdale‚ after which she brought forth Pearl her daughter. She meets both her spouse and her significant other
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misinterpretation of who she really is. In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Pearl is seen as an unworldly creature‚ incapable of any good. Her personality is unusual and difficult to comprehend‚ which prompts the puritanical society to question her ethical development. Pearl is constantly viewed as a mischievous elf-child by all the Puritans in Boston‚ yet Hawthorne intensely compares her to a glorious work of art. She is the representation of the Scarlet letter in human form. A child who is as significant
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In the novel of The Scarlet Letter‚ there were different types of themes which corresponded with the story. However‚ the theme that I choose is Revenge and Love. Revenge is one of the main lessons Hawthorne was trying to portray to the audience‚ because Chillingworth was up to no good in discovering Hester’s lover. The theme of love connected Dimmesdale and Hester together‚ which caused Chillingworth to have his revenge. The act of revenge began when Chillingworth returned from his journey and discovered
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theme of identity to the audience. The scarlet letter is a defining moment in Hester’s life where she is faced with the dilemma of letting society decide her character or for her to determine her own. A significant moment in the book was when Hester decided not to leave Boston after being publicly humiliated and forced to wear the badge of shame. Hester was given the chance to leave Boston and lead a normal life somewhere else without wearing the scarlet letter‚ but she chose not to. Hester even
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