In “The Scarlet Letter”‚ a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ the narrator tells a series of events that occurred years before his time. The events take place in the seventeenth century in Massachusetts‚ in what was a Puritan settlement at this time. This story surrounds‚ a young woman‚ who has committed a sin of adultery and therefore is punished by the town. Hester Prynne‚ the young lady‚ is sentenced to public shaming‚ where she is to stand on a scaffold in front of the town. Hester is not only publicly
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There was always a lot of sin in the Puritan society and not too much forgiveness. For example: they believed in strict punishments for committing sins. They never completely forgave Hester for her sin even though she was sorry for committing it. Dimmesdale also knew the community would never forgive him for the sin he committed. This unhealthy balance led to corruption and disorder. Fate and Freedom Freedom is the choice made by people and they are the ones held responsible for their actions.
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husband wanted to keep his wife alive after she committed adultery‚ the law insisted that she would have to die for it. The baby Pearl is a constant reminder of her mother Hester’s sin. It is in this environment that Hester commits adultery with Dimmesdale‚ but we come to see that the public shaming cannot begin to account for all complexities of the illicit relationship—or the context of it. What Hawthorne sets out to portray‚ then‚ is how the private thoughts‚ the private torture and guilt and
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of the townspeople the secret that has burdened her mother as well as their minister‚ Dimmesdale‚ portrays the constant struggle between truth and innocence. Like critic‚ Anne Marie McNamara states‚ "Pearl is part of the electric chain’ formed as she‚ Dimmesdale‚ and Hester join hands in the darkness and stand on the pillory as a family for the first time‚" Pearl is the missing link between Hester and Dimmesdale in that their relationship lacked innocence and doubly posing as the figure of truth
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the forest scene‚ the light and the happiness of Hester triumphed over the evil that surrounds her. Hawthorne draws his characters out by having one behold elements‚ Roger Chillingworth‚ and the other character behold elements of light‚ Minister Dimmesdale. Hawthorne then goes deeper to express that the darkness of one might not be of evil intention‚ but rather dulled by everyday sin of which the light could be redeemed. Rembrandt displays this in the paint Self Portrait as St. Paul‚ showing how
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Letter and “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” characters Hester Prynne‚ Arthur Dimmesdale‚ and John Oakhurst illustrate the theme of moral ambiguity through their struggles and actions. Hester Prynne endured many things throughout her life. She was forced to be married to Roger Chillingworth‚ a man she did not love. Prynne was sent across the ocean without him to establish a home in the new world. She fell in love with Arthur Dimmesdale‚ a young‚ smart‚ and handsome Reverend. Hester Prynne soon became known
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values that bring Hester public ignominy help to lift her to a position of respect in the community. Although Hawthorne does not condone Hester’s sin‚ he takes pains to show that her sin is minimal in comparison to those of her weak lover‚ Arthur Dimmesdale‚ and of her vengeful husband‚ Roger Chillingworth. “A lie is never good‚ even though death threaten on the other side!" (Hawthorne 200). Hester finds comfort in prayer and repentance‚ which help to make her strong. "Shame‚ Despair‚ Solitude
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Evil manifest in the novel The Scarlet Letter‚ written by Nathaniel Hawthrone‚ through an evil man named Roger Chillingsworth that seeks revenge on the man who committed adultery with his wife‚ Hester Prynn‚ resulting in a child‚ pearl‚ who the whole colony believes to be of the devil. In another literary works of the 18th century‚ Moby-Dick‚ Herman Melville writes about a young man‚ Ishmael‚ who goes on a whaling ship with his friend‚ Queequeg‚ in search of adventure; little does he know he will
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may also represent the outcome of punishment from unconfessed sin. Reverend Dimmesdale lives in a prison of guilt and remorse because he does not have the courage to confess his sin to the people. This imprisonment of unconfessed sin deteriorates his health and peace with God. Chillingworth‚ Hester’s husband‚ also imprisons himself by his vengeance on little Pearl’s father. He is enslaved to torture and torment Dimmesdale. Throughout the novel the reader can see that his intent of revenge changes
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St. Augustine‚ regarding immorality. This is discovered to be very true by the main characters in The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story of a woman (Hester) who lives with the Puritans and commits adultery with the local minister (Dimmesdale). In his novel‚ Hawthorne shows that sin‚ known or unknown to the community‚ isolates a person from their community and from God. He shows us this by symbols in nature around the town‚ natural symbols in the heavens‚ and nature in the forest
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