Colleen Callahan 12/2/12 Period 5 A Tale of Three Sinners In the classic novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ Hawthorne utilizes the extraordinary power of description and word choice to illustrate the tragically harsh lives and expectations of 19th century Puritans. The story begins with the ostracization of Ms. Hester Prynne‚ and quickly escalates toward a much deeper and darker focus: sin. Sin can be defined as the deliberate disobedience of Puritan morals and man-made law. To sin will always be
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Many characters go through transformations in The Scarlet Letter‚ and one of those characters is Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Author Nathaniel Hawthorne writes of a puritan society‚ and it is the laws of that society‚ both written and unwritten‚ that Dimmesdale breaks and which causes the changes to occur. He commits the sin of adultery‚ and by sleeping with Hester Prynne‚ breaks the laws that he is supposed to represent. He cannot admit his sin because he is a holy man‚ and admitting his sin would
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that a person could be put it in jail for. A sin is breaking a moral law that a person would not go to jail for but may receive punishment for‚ and committing sins is commonly associated with religions. For example‚ in the Puritan society there is little separation between religion and law so adultery is first considered a sin but then adulterers are punished as if it was a crime (Ch. 2‚ 42). In today’s society adultery or cheating on your significant other is still considered a sin but it is not
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cemetery‚ which contradicts the new life they hoped to create for themselves. I used this word because Hester is given the scarlet as a symbol of sin. As she is criticized by the public and possesses the letter‚ the townspeople think that she will keep acknowledging her sin and shame in order to regret what she did. The narrator‚ later in the chapter‚ emphasizes the letter “A” in scarlet‚ which indicates adultery.
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The Scarlet Letter In the “Scarlet Letter” Nathaniel Hawthorne describes the consequences for sinning. The story takes place in a puritan community in Boston‚ Massachusetts in the 17th century. In the story the main character‚ Hester Prynne‚ commits adultery with the Reverend mr.Dimmsdale. As a result of their actions‚ Pearl is born. Hester is punished to wear the scarlet letter A‚ which stands for Adultery‚ on her breast. Hester’s husband‚ Roger Chillingworth‚ made her keep their marriage a
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Have you ever thought how blaming someone could cause problems for you and others? In The Scarlet letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Hester Prynne was blamed for being an adultness and ever took the blame for Dimmesdale‚ who didn’t say anything till seven years‚ which made him feel guilty not revealing to truth. Many readers think blame doesn’t affect anyone. However blaming can cause many problems for people who take the blame‚ just get blamed because of pure hatred‚ or a person regretting themselves
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a lifetime. Is it a sin to give in to the desires and feelings we have as humans? In the scarlet letter‚ Hawthorne uses Pearl to symbolize the sin and passion that Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale gave in to when they committed adultery. Through an impulsive act of love and passion‚ Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale create a beautiful‚ intelligent‚ and fierce daughter named Pearl. She is the human form of the scarlet
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Throughout The Scarlet Letter‚ Hawthorne uses a great deal of symbolism especially with the meaning of the scaffold. The scaffold starts out to be place of sin and humiliation but ironically becomes a place of true salvation. It is used by many characters to show their emotions as well as how people of the Puritan society treated Hester‚ Pearl‚ and Arthur Dimmesdale. In the first scaffold scene‚ Hester is holding her daughter Pearl in her arms. Hester has committed adultery and must stand on the
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The Scarlet Ibis Argument Essay In life‚ many people make very selfish decisions. This is also true for characters in literature. In the story‚ “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst‚ the narrator‚ Brother‚ had to make many decisions regarding his brother‚ Doodle. Many of them were selfish. Whenever Brother was being selfish‚ it was towards Doodle. For example‚ “When Doodle was five years old; I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn’t walk‚ so I set out to teach him.” Brother
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Hawthorne’s The 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
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