Symbolism of the Scarlet Letter AIn Nathaniel Hawthorne ’s The Scarlet Letter‚ the meaning of the letter A changes throughout the novel. This change is significant as it indicates the personal growth of the characters as well as the enlightenment of the townspeople. When the novel begins‚ the letter A is a symbol of sin. As the story progresses the A slowly is viewed as a symbol of Hesters strength and ability (Hawthorne Julian). By the end of the novel‚ the letter A has undergone a complete metamorphosis
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In "The Scarlet Letter"‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays the hypocrisy of the Puritan society of the seventeenth century with the story of the downfall and redemption of Hester Prynne. The hypocritical Puritan society punishes Hester for committing adultery. However‚ in her own mind‚ she does not see her actions as a sin because she acts out of love. Furthermore‚ she redeems herself by turning her offense into a virtue. Through the tale of Hester Prynne‚ Hawthorne’s moral is that the sin is not in adultery
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rosebush’s meaning‚ there was no definite one. I decided to explore different interpretations. These roses would “offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner.” (42) These soft‚ red roses offer a small but bold contrast to the strict‚ black and white world of the puritans. The vibrant flowers give a splash of life to the monotonous‚ dreary scene. The roses can also be interpreted as a beacon of hope; the one last symbol of freedom and beauty before one is condemned to prison‚ a cold
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and moralist might point‚” (71) Hester is burdened with overwhelming guilt in her isolated life within the authoritative society. As an act of atonement‚ Hester covers her hair with a cap‚ and her beauty and warmth are buried under the elaborate scarlet letter on her bosom. While Hester is deserved to be an outcast for her “evil doings‚” (57) the male sinner‚ who in fact is disclosed to be Reverend Dimmesdale‚ hides behind his deeds and suffer in silence but none of the criticisms are made on him. Hawthorne
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People are not always what they seem to be. Roger Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter shows that everyone sins but some people’s sins are worse than others.The Scarlet Letter shows Chillingworth’s sins throughout the book. One of Hawthorne’s intentions was having Chillingworth as the worst sinner‚ because he used his herbs to keep Dimmesdale alive-he prolonged Dimmesdale’s torture‚ he used “black medicine”‚ and when Dimmesdale stopped taking the herbs‚ he passed away. Roger Chillingworth came to
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Hawthorne manages to create many metaphors within his novel The Scarlet Letter. The rose bush outside the prison door‚ the black man‚ and the scaffold are three metaphors. Perhaps the most important metaphor would be the scaffold‚ which plays a great role throughout the entire story. The three scaffold scenes which Hawthorne incorporated into The Scarlet Letter contain a great deal of significance and importance the plot. Each scene brings a different aspect of the main characters‚ the crowd or
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emotion stemming from joy and laughter was unacceptable. With their strict rules‚ anyone who sinned was persecuted. The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ illustrates the story of Hester Prynne‚ a young woman condemned by Puritan society. She committed adultery with the minister of the church‚ Arthur Dimmesdale. With the intention to shame her‚ the town requires her to keep a red letter A permanently on her chest. Hester and her daughter‚ Pearl‚ live on the edge of the town‚ near the
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thought the minister wore the black veil that covered his face except from his mouth and his chin to hide from his parishioners as he did something to be embarrassed of. But after I finished reading I got various hints indicating that he wore the black veil to hide from his sin and secret. However‚ when Mr. Hopper’s wife asked him to take the veil away‚ he told her that he wore the veil as a symbol for his commitment to his religion. When parishioners saw Mr. Hopper wearing the veil‚ they were shocked
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In the Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The 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
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in the time period the novel was written. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Puritan hypocrisy is a theme that prominently seen throughout the novel through actions and beliefs of the Puritan community. One of the best examples of Puritan hypocrisy occurs in the very last line of the novel‚ the message engraved into Hester and Dimmesdale’s gravestone‚ “On a field‚ sable‚ the letter A‚ gules‚” (Hawthorne 203). On a black field‚ the letter “A” is boldly red. The irony is in the fact that
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