The Scarlet Letter‚ written by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ deals with many difficult issues. One of those issues is the topic of sin. Throughout the story the main protagonists‚ excluding Pearl‚ struggle with their past sins and how they deal with it. One line spoken by the narrator about Dimmesdale’s sin‚ “This had been a sin of passion‚ not of principle‚ nor even purpose” (187) suggests that there are different types of sins. In this case sins of love or passion versus sins of hate or principle. Hawthorne
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by Nathaniel Hawthorne carries multiple symbolic elements‚ and leaves the reader with an collection of morals to interpret—the battles of man against nature‚ the struggles of character in relationships‚ the dangers of arrogance; interestingly‚ all of these messages are incorporated in and surrounded by the birth-mark. Nathaniel Hawthorne has received recognition to be one of the most brilliant minds of American literature. Born into an area rich on old Puritan-Christian ideologies‚ Hawthorne frequently
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How Far is too Far? Nathaniel Hawthorne’s representation of the Puritan’s strict religious ways in his novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ wasn’t just an observation of the problematic religious society‚ but‚ rather‚ a criticism of their extremist beliefs. The Scarlet Letter forces its audience to realize how sins are severely punished‚ and how religion is an enormous contributor to historical conflicts and the part it has played in the most recent wave of terrorism and religious controversy. The extremists
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The manner in which one obtains their morals and journey through life differs; some establish morals and venture life with observances of fairness‚ while others endure the tumult to find humanity on their own. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ Hester‚ a sinful woman‚ learns to establish a new identity under her branded “A”. Hester develops a new sense of morality‚ as her story darkens to an end foreshadowed by the symbolic rose bush. The rose bush merely symbolizes the commencement of
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Scarlett Letter Criticism Nathanial Hawthorne envisioned The Scarlet Letter as a short story published in a collection‚ but it outgrew that purpose. Most critics accept Hawthorne’s definition of it as a “romance” rather than a novel. The novel begins with an introductory autobiographical essay‚ “The Custom House” where Hawthorne describes working as a custom officer in Salem‚ Massachusetts. He describes coming across documents that provide him with the basis for The Scarlett Letter. The introductory
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After reading the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne I came to believe that Adultery is a terrible thing and can have very bad repercussions‚ especially in the early to mid 1700s. Back then committing adultery was a very serious offense to not the just the community but to your family also. Adultery used to destroy family relationships and to this day it still does. Adultery is also more of a religious problem but also goes into social and legal consequences. When it talks about social consequences
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character from The Scarlet Letter who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the character’s understanding of justice‚ the degree to which the character’s search for justice is successful‚ and the significance of this search for the work as a whole. In your essay‚ do not merely summarize the plot. Use quotes and examples from the play to illustrate your points. The Scarlet Letter showed many accounts
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Sadomasochists Will Not Be Satisfied With The Scarlet Letter “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor‚ both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death” (Leviticus 20:10). Puritans carried this Biblical credence to the very letter. Puritans were all about order in their society‚ achieved through strict laws and rules. The love between a married couple equated moral and religious duties (eHow)‚ and so when adultery was
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Dimmesdale’s new strange feelings about himself can be described as him changing how he views the world and himself. He transformed from the weak dying man who went into the forest‚ to a man with a new sense of purpose and energy. Hester’s idea to leave the Puritan society influenced his new way of thinking. The church elder‚ one of the deacons from his church‚ addressed him with paternal affection and had upright and holy character. The wise man of old age payed his respects to Dimmesdale for his
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with him: “Thou shalt not go alone!”(136). Though all these actions seem like proof of love‚ I think Hester does these things for other reasons. The Scarlet Letter is definitely not a romance novel. Not only does it have an unhappy ending‚ but the two characters who are romantically involved never become emotional equals. Throughout Scarlet Letter‚ Hester seems stronger and more admirable because she faces her shame with grace and poise.
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