“The Scarlet Letter” Feminist Essay While Hawthorne is influenced by stereotypes‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne does serve to criticize patriarchy as he creates a plausible individual who is strong in the face of patriarchal opposition. Hester turns her punishment into a life changing experience by becoming a better‚ stronger‚ and more independent person than she was at the beginning of the novel. The way she handles her punishment does not make it right but
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Often‚ two people can commit the same sin‚ but deal with it differently. Guilt can be dealt with in two ways: publicly or privately. In The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale both commit adultery‚ and both Hester and Dimmesdale deal with guilt from the sin they committed in completely different ways. Hawthorne writes about dealing with guilt publicly and privately to show the emotional and sometimes physical toll of guilt based on how people choose to deal
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forbidden acts of drunkenness‚ blasphemy‚ and adultery. In The Scarlet Letter‚ the church enacts harsh sentences of incarceration and public shaming in order to discipline the presumed sinners. Even though these punishments seek to inflict harm and cause suffering to their victims‚ Hawthorne uses their cruelty to elicit the truth. Presenting a major symbol of Puritan punishment‚ Hawthorne employs the harshness of the scarlet letter to allow Hester to discover her own strength and beauty. Under
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Scarlet Letter is an important symbol. As the minister watches the night sky‚ together with Hester and Pearl‚ a meteor appears that traces out an „A“. While most of the people think that the „A“ stands for „Angel“ and is showing that Governor Winthrop is gone and it marks his the entry to heaven‚ which will be proofed later on‚ but Dimmesdale‚ on the other hand‚ interprets it differently. Him hiding his sins and „cover his heart with his hand“‚ the „A“ reminds him of Hester‘s Scarlet Letter. He thinks
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it literally. Both these words have been used to describe the Scarlet Letter‚ Pearl and Roger Chillingworth. The letter A symbolizes adultery‚ and it had been branded deeply onto Hester’s bosom. On page 79‚ in the last paragraph‚ it has been said that that the people believed that the scarlet Letter was “red hot with an infernal flame.” Infernal is something related to hell. It has been alluded that the wearer of the letter will burn in the fires of hell. On page 68‚ in the second paragraph too
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moral. That’s not to say they aren’t allowed to have some faults‚ but usually a hero is someone who instills reverence and veneration in others for whatever reason. Nathaniel Hawthorne creates interesting thoughts provoking characters in the Scarlet Letter‚ but none of which give the right distinction that would give them the title hero. The actions and qualities of the characters in the story give no view to morality‚ strength physically or mentally and most of what they do is to please their own volatile
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The Alterations of the Scarlet Letter Society determines what kind of person you are based upon your behavior and actions and they can deem you a sinner or an angel. Within Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ the perceptions of the scarlet “A” are constantly changing within the story. In the novel the “A” is the signifier and the signified is represented by all the different perspectives from the Puritans. It can be argued that the “A” changes because Hester’s actions determine the way that
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Dialectical journal: Scarlet letter 1."But on one side of the portal… was a wild rose-bush… which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in…” (Chapter 1‚ pg.41) The rose bush in this excerpt at the beginning of the book signifies the one thing that seems to bloom despite the harsh rules and restrictions that the Puritan society bestow upon all who reside there. Much like the rose bush‚ Hester Prynne
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The Scarlet Letter Essay Prompt #1 As far as women are discussed in past societies‚ they are usually not the heroes. Nathaniel Hawthorne thought otherwise in his literary work‚ The Scarlet Letter. Heroes are often characterized as courageous‚ strong‚ and ones with humility. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s character Hester Prynne exhibits all of these qualities of heroism. Due to Hester Prynne taking responsibility for her sin of adultery and deciding to continue to work arduously in a society where she is
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Near the beginning of the Scarlet Letter‚ Hester was a passionate and proud woman. Her characteristics reveal themselves throughout her attire‚ attitude‚ and countenance. Hester openly expresses her love for freedom‚ which is encouraged by Romantics. However‚ as she grows older‚ she matures and her rough edges begin to smooth. Since she is permanently distanced from civilization by the Scarlet Letter‚ she becomes independent. Isolated from everyone‚ Hester becomes more
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