In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ the respected minister Arthur Dimmesdale deceives his community‚ preventing the townspeople from seeing the truth that he has sinned and hidden his secret. When his guilt finally overcomes him‚ he fantasizes about confessing the secret of his adultery to his congregation seven years after he committed the sin‚ but the people do not believe what he says. Rather than believing him‚ they believe the deception he has been showing them. He shows the community a perfect
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Literature have their own answers to the question. Independence is a concept with a constantly changing‚ dynamic description. Three characters that reflect the developing idea of independence are Hester Prynne‚ Jim‚ and Walter Lee Younger. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel about a Puritan community that shuns Hester Prynne for doing what she believes makes her independent. Hester Prynne’s original grasp of what independence means is that it means living on
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Maternity in The Scarlet Letter In The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne presents motherhood as one of the main themes in the novel. The story is centered in Hester Prynne and the subsequent difficulties she had to overcome after committing adultery in a Puritan community. Early in the novel‚ specifically in the second chapter the author describes Hester Prynne and her baby as something extraordinary and beautiful: "... this beautiful woman‚ so picturesque in her attire and mien‚ and with the
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In this passage‚ Hawthorne furthuer developes the contrast between the woods and the town. He begins the excert with dialect between Dimmesdale and Hester‚ allowing the reader to understand the joy that is passing through the two. It is in the woods that the two sinners can finally‚ after so many years of sarrow‚ be overcome with joy. The woods‚ at this time‚ were known for the dark evil that lurked inside. It was a place that knew no God and had no laws to be governed by. Here‚ Hester is able
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of Public Humiliation The scaffold in the Scarlet Letter is symbolizes a place where the entire town can gather and important events occur. In the novel‚ anytime that the scaffolding is mentioned‚ the main characters are brought together by a matter of circumstance. The scaffold is used by the characters throughout the book to either project their emotions or have emotions projected upon themselves. Each time the focus is on Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter and the events surrounding her. The first
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occurred. He further comments that even if that is not the reason‚ Hester may have been inclined to remain in Boston because her secret lover still lived there. Hester’s skill at needlework‚ earlier shown in the fine way that she displayed the scarlet letter‚ allows her to maintain a fairly stable lifestyle. However‚ her reputation as an outcast and loner causes a certain aura to be cast around her. Thus‚ Hawthorne points out that young children often crept up to her house to spy on her while she
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We started listing names that would do something like that and we came up with these. Mrs.white‚ Colonel Mustard‚ Professor plum‚ Mrs. Peacock‚ Mr. Green‚ and Miss scarlet. Yeah yeah‚ we know these people are older than us but we couldn’t figure out any high schooler that would do such a crime. So after that we went back to the crime scene were the murder happened. We made it there to find nothing‚ we couldn’t find
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Scarlet Letter/Crucible Essay The presence of guilt has been felt by all human beings. As guilt grows in a person’s life it eventually begins to have a deteriorating effect on the individual. In both The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible more than one of the characters are experiencing some form of guilt and the effects of the public’s opinion on their own personal sins. Each character’s guilt originates from a different personal problem and with each character’s guilt comes
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Pearls behavior in the Scarlet Letter is perceived as very peculiar for a child of her age. Though this is the case‚ Hawthorne writes Pearl’s character in this particular way. Pearl’s behavior plays an important role throughout the novel; her behavior is yet another consequence of Hester and Dimsdale’s sin. She is a consequence that is a living reminder‚ and not just so in her presence‚ but as well as her words and actions. In addition to the scarlet letter upon Hester’s bosom Pearl is also a
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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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