Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Puritanical novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ the main character‚ Hester Prynne‚ commits an offense of infidelity against her husband‚ Roger Chillingworth. From then on her secret affair with the Puritan minister will always be on her mind considering the degradation she was subjected to and the infamous letter that will be forever embedded on her bosom and her child Pearl -- the fruit of her sin. Hester was a woman that was well ahead of her time; she displayed the traits of being
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barring the person from moving ahead with their life‚ no matter how insignificant the crime. Michael L. Lasser takes a similar approach‚ arguing that Pearl is a mirror image of Hesters guilt—a constant reminder of her mistake. Lassers argument has merit because Hawthorne not only uses mirror imagery in relation to Hesters guilt‚ but also in regards the emotions of all characters. In Mirror Imagery in The Scarlet Letter‚ Michael Lasser argues that Hawthorne uses mirror imagery to reveal a characters
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penalty of sin in The Scarlet Letter is not a termination of life‚ the evil of isolation can be a physically‚ morally‚ and socially tortuous event in Puritan society. Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale‚ in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ are both victims of the cruel isolation from Puritan society on the basis of their sins. Hester wears her sin upon her breast where it stands as a constant reminder of her malfeasance. Shame and isolation strip her of all passion and femininity‚ leaving her a shell
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In the novel “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Hawthorne makes Hester the most “free” character by showcasing her transformation from ostracized sinner to an able woman of her letter in order to display the idea that repressed sin destroys the soul while openness and honesty sets a soul free. Hester was not burdened with the internal guilt that consumed her “fellow sinner”‚ Arthur Dimmesdale‚ because she had to wear her sin openly on her chest‚ forcing her to confront her sin and the stigma
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of these accounts were appointed to that of one of the main characters‚ Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne was a character of The Scarlet Letter who was trialed and condemned of the sin adultery. Although there was a sin committed‚ Hester`s ordeal wasn`t a justified case. Hester`s husband was away and was said to have been at the bottom of the sea. Therefore‚ there wasn’t really a sin that was committed. Due to her sin‚ Hester Prynne was cut off from society‚ imprisoned and forced to live in shame
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about an adulteress‚ Hester‚ who must wear the scarlet letter‚ an ‘A’ as a means of punishment. Throughout the course of “The Scarlet Letter”‚ Hawthorne reveals many symbols and central ideas which all relate to the theme of sin and hypocrisy. The fate of the main characters in the novel conveys that‚ not only does hypocrisy come as a result of one’s sin‚ thus further influencing sin‚ but it leads to the destruction of communities and one’s soul as well. The main characters‚ Hester‚ Dimmesdale‚ Chillingworth
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Noah Berley 10 October 2012 Why does Hester feel compassion towards Mr. Dimmesdale and the need to help him? (151) Hester sees Mr. Dimmesdale suffering and observes that he is on the verge of lunacy. Hester felt guilty in letting Mr. Dimmesdale be thrown into a pit of such evil and not pledging her loyalty nor her courage to him. She felt even more empathetic towards him due to the fact that she had gone through a period of craziness and sorrow herself and was still recovering from it.
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The Scarlet Letter Study Guide Questions Chapter 1 “The Prison Door” 1. What colony is the setting for the novel? Boston Massachusetts 2. Where in the colony does the opening chapter take place? In the jail 3. For what 2 “practical necessities” did the new colony set aside land? A cemetery and a prison. 4. Who is Anne Hutchinson? How does Hawthorne feel about her? Anne Hutchinson was a religious but freewheeling woman who disagreed with Puritanical teachings‚ and as a result she was imprisoned
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Scarlet Letter‚ Hester Prynne is convicted of adultery and condemned to wear a scarlet “A” and suffer essential excommunication from society. Hester and her young daughter‚ Pearl‚ find themselves outcasts in the Puritan society of seventeenth-century Boston. On the surface‚ this novel’s tale is the opposite of proto-feminist‚ a term applied to works that show the emergence of modern feminist concepts. Via the actions and characteristics main characters‚ or perhaps heroines of the novel‚ Hester Prynne and
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In the novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Hester commits adultery‚ disobeying the Puritan laws‚ and is punished with two constant reminders of her sin‚ the scarlet A and her daughter‚ Pearl. Hawthorne characterizes Pearl with contrasting personalities and roles she plays in Hester’s life. Pearl’s conflicting personality components‚ innocence and defiance‚ both derive from her isolation from society‚ which resulted from her mother’s sin. Pearl represents the conflict between good and
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