Sabrina Bullock Professor Erin Whitford American Literature I (409) 18 August 2013 (SumII) Grade: 88 Guilt vs. Innocence‚ Allegories‚ Puritanism in Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne was a nineteenth century American writer that was born in Massachusetts with a Puritan Heritage. “Born in Massachusetts on the Fourth of July‚ 1804‚ he was the descendant of Puritan worthies and the son of a ship’s captain who died at sea in 1808” (Gollin). Allegories are portrayed in his writings to depict
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Symbolism is one feature in The Scarlet Letter that Nathaniel Hawthorne uses quite a lot; and I find it especially interesting how he is able to cleverly use metaphors to get this symbolism across. Symbolism runs wild throughout the book in the form of Pearl. Pearl is like an extended metaphor in a sense because‚ throughout the romance‚ Hawthorne uses her as a living reminder of the Scarlet Letter and the sin that Hester commits. This strategy adds an interesting element to the book since the reader
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Argumentative Symbolism Essay In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism to reinforce the idea that‚ for every action‚ there is a positive or negative effect that will follow. In simple terms‚ if you do something bad‚ there will be a negative consequence. One of the main recurring symbols in the novel is the scarlet letter itself. The scarlet ‘A’ that Hester Prynne wears in the novel is worth a lot more than just its material value‚ it relays
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Both the Bible and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter‚ redemption from sin is a prominent theme. Hawthorne and the Bible recognize that sin is inevitable - humans‚ as a part of life‚ sin. However‚ it is accepting and growing from these sins that allow peace of mind. The experience of Arthur Dimmesdale parallels that of the Bible’s story of King David and Bathsheba and demonstrates that sin is a natural‚ unavoidable part of human life‚ but having committed a sin without confession leads
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Corruptness of Public Humiliation In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ Hester Prynne is publicly humiliated for committing adultery. Not only did she have to stand upon a scaffold and be scolded for three long hours by the strict Puritan community‚ but also she was forced to wear a token of shame‚ the scarlet letter A‚ embroidered on her bosom. When she was released‚ the townspeople looked at Hester as if she did not belong. Public humiliation is not as common as it was in the 19th century
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In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter‚ many concepts and ideas are represented and shown by using symbols. Hawthorne’s concrete symbols used to epitomize abstract ideas change meaning as characters‚ notably the main character Hester Prynne‚ grow and change. With its connotation changing from negative to positive‚ the symbol of the scarlet letter “A” represents Hester as adulterous‚ angelic‚ and able. Hester Prynne wears a scarlet letter A on her chest as a symbol to represent that
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Set in 17th century Puritan Salem‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlett Letter‚ tells the story of Hester Prynne‚ who conceives a daughter through an adulterous affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Hawthorne’s novel is filled with much symbolism. In chapter 5‚ Hawthorne uses her clothing to reveal Hester’s self-perception as self-loathing‚ to depict society against her‚ and to explore the nature of her daughter’s conception. Hawthorne uses Hester’s needlework to portray
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Nathaniel Hawthorne uses names and colors as useful symbols in The Scarlet Letter to reveal important aspects of the novel. The main symbol that Hawthorne uses is the red ‘A’. He uses it so often that the reader could not possibly forget about it. He uses the color red to symbolize sin and love and the letter ‘A’ to stand for adultery. He also uses symbolism in the names of some of the characters‚ including Roger Chillingworth‚ Arthur Dimmesdale‚ and Pearl. Each of their names represents their personality
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This title serves to describe and state what the first chapter is about. These pages give an insight into the narrator’s life‚ which is similar to that of Hawthorne‚ and the custom house in which he works in and made a crucial discovery in. The narrator is setting the scene through the discovery of the scarlet letter. In conjunction with the discovery of the scarlet letter the narrator also found a scroll from which parts of his story came‚ and in this discovery he states that this is a partly fictional
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In the first scaffold scene‚ Hester and Pearl stand alone‚ publicly humiliated‚ while Dimmesdale watches from the side‚ standing with the other leaders of the community. Emotionally and physically‚ he is separate from her‚ but she bravely bears her solitary suffering. Presented in all of its beauty‚ the scarlet letter symbolizes her artistry and imagination‚ showing her in contrast to her more conventional lover. From the sidelines‚ Chillingworth‚ Hester’s husband‚ learns of his wife’s transgression
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