quote justifies that to be an individual‚ one must break from society and think for himself‚ and only when he has done this‚ is he truly alive. Nathaniel Hawthornes novel The Scarlet Letter is about a courageous woman‚ Hester Prynne‚ and her struggle to split from society in order to live the loving life she has always wanted. By the use of symbolism‚ Hawthorne is effectively able to portray the forest‚ which promotes individuality‚ and the town‚ which rewards conformity. The clothes portrayed by the
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Hypocrisy in The Scarlet Letter In The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Hester Prynne suffers hardships in result of committing adultery. The townspeople punish Hester by having her wear a visible symbol of her sin: the letter A on all her garments (for adultery). In addition‚ she is made to stand on a platform for hours throughout a day‚ for the purpose of self-humiliation. Hester’s sin impacts not only her own life‚ but also the life of the townspeople and her daughter Pearl. In this novel
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Scarlet Letter Short Essay Adrienne Rich‚ a feminist poet and critic‚ wrote the essay “When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision‚” to identify and admonish gender norms in her society. Rich considers that “the argument will go on whether an oppressive economic class system is responsible for the oppressive nature of male/female relations‚ or whether‚ in fact‚ patriarchy... is the original model of oppression on which all others are based.” She comments on the origin of gender roles‚ wondering
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Matthew Polito Mrs. Audiffred Honors English 11 Writing Assignment #2 October 29‚ 2012 Sin‚ Guilt‚ and The Scarlet Letter Sin and guilt are themes that are not only central to The Scarlet Letter‚ but to the entirety of Puritan Culture. They come hand in hand‚ and are seen as almost necessary for moral perfection. Throughout The Scarlet Letter‚ nearly every character is changed or at least affected by sin and guilt‚ and for many of them it is in a life changing way. It is an unavoidable side
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yourself because only then may you be true to God and to others. Nathaniel Hawthorne also shows this in The Scarlet Letter through the characters he portrays. In chapter 20‚ Hawthorne writes‚ “No man‚ for any considerable period‚ can wear one fact to himself and another to the multitude‚ without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.” Hiding the truth from others just confuses life and oneself. Hawthorne often focuses on the point that truth reveals itself. For instance
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Such is the case with the youthful Pearl from the novel The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorn. As the daughter of the adulteress Hester Prynne‚ the townspeople view Pearl as a demon in an angel’s clothing; as an imp who not only knows exactly what the letter "A" signifies on the breast of her mother‚ but as the demon who placed it there as well. They also believe Pearl uses this information against Hester by constantly mentioning the letter in order to make Hester extremely uncomfortable. This is
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Essay: The Scarlet Letter-Colors Throughout the novel‚ “The Scarlet Letter‚” Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates the themes with various dramatic colors. Of the array are the colors green and gold‚ where green symbolizes different aspects of nature such as tranquility‚ security‚ and gloominess‚ whereas gold represents all that pertains to luxuriance‚ serenity and goodness. In certain chapters‚ it seems as if one color is codependent with the other. The implication of the color
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directly connects the scarlet letter on her mother’s bosom and the sun’s failure to shine on her to the absence of sunlight in her life‚ through her sin of adultery. Though Pearl’s symbolic nature allows her to identify these truths‚ her position as just a child prevents her from understanding the intricacy that these truths hold. Pearl sees her mother as an example of what every adult is characteristic of. In this sense‚ Pearly believes that all grown women wear this scarlet letter of an equivalent
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In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter‚ there are many themes. One theme that stands out to me is GUILT AND BLAME. In this novel the narrator says‚ “In a moment‚ however‚ wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another‚ she took the baby on her arm‚ and‚ with a burning blush‚ and yet a haughty smile and glance that would not be abashed‚ looked around at her townspeople and neighbours. On the breast of her gown‚ in fine red cloth‚ surrounded with an elaborate
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that they unlock the secrets of a novel. Hawthorne‚ in The Scarlet Letter‚ uses many symbols to represent different things. Some symbols represent the same thing. The letter "A" has many meanings‚ each character has their own meanings‚ and even the different parts of nature are symbols. Also‚ apart from providing structure for the novel‚ each scaffold scene conveys something different. One could say‚ arguably‚ that nearly everything in The Scarlet Letter is a symbol of something else. In the novel
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