Sin is an interesting concept that means different things to different people. Therefore‚ different people handle sin in different ways. Most people associate a sense of guilt with sin and because the concept is so complex people interpret and deal with guilt in different ways also. The two main ways sin and guilt are dealt with is privately and publicly. Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter exemplifies two peoples dealings with the same sin. Hester Prynne is publicly shamed for adultery‚ while Arthur Dimmesdale
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are plenty of examples of appearance versus reality in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The most significant one‚ it seems to me‚ is the fact that the pious minister‚ Arthur Dimmesdale‚ is actually an adulterer who had an illicit affair with a married woman. Throughout the novel‚ a war between his soul/spirit and his body rages. He is a sensitive man to begin with‚ and then the constant conflict between what he knows he should do (public confession and repentance) and what he does (private
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sign of nature’s pity for them. Hawthorne says in the end of chapter one‚ " Finding it so directly on the threshold of our narrative‚ which is now about to issue from that inauspicious portal‚ we could hardly do otherwise than pluck one of its flowers and present it to the reader. It may serve‚ let us hope‚ to symbolize some sweet moral blossom‚ that may be found along the track‚ or relieve the darkening close tale of human frailty and sorrow.” In the book‚ Hawthorne also uses the rosebush to symbolize
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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romance novel The Scarlet Letter unravels the tragic plot of the characters’ secrets being broadcast throughout the town. As Hawthorne uses a dramatic tone‚ he illustrates how Chillingworth and Hester despise each other however‚ they share a secret. After all‚ Hester revealed the truth to the Puritan world which created a dramatic scene. Overall this affected the naive and delicate Dimmesdale and his view of his perfect physician‚ Chillingworth. Chillingworth is a benevolent
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Individual identity‚ society’s expectations‚ and sin are all central themes in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Gothic Romance‚ The Scarlet Letter. Throughout the novel‚ the reader is introduced to a number of significant characters‚ each motivated by their own ambitions‚ and often driven by the effects of fear and guilt. The majority of the characters in The Scarlet Letter are male‚ but there are a few women who are portrayed‚ and they are generally not respected by society. To fully understand this concept
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punished with the agonising fate of wearing her shame until the end of her days. This punishment is incorrect for the time period at which Hawthorne places his Salem. This shows how Hawthorne disagrees with Puritanical doctrine. This then shows how the time period has an affect on the people in Hawthorne’s Salem due to the Puritanical views they and Hawthorne had. Moreover‚ the forest is looked at as both a place of evil and a place of secrecy. In Puritanical society the forest is where satanists
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Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ the author uses characterization to describe Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne was a very tall and elegant woman. Nathaniel Hawthorne states‚ “She had dark and abundant hair‚ so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam‚ and a face which‚ besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion…and
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Love and Hate In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter‚ love and hate appear numerous times. Love appears as being good‚ hate is considered evil. Hawthorne shows that humans have the choice to choose between loving and hating another person. Through examples within the novel it is discerned that Hawthorne believes that humans are made to love and therefore‚ it is better to love than to hate one another. Love and hate are strong emotions that can leave one dependent upon the other.
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What is in a name? A name defines an individual and some of their aspects. Through the names of his characters‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne already begins to define their personage and their role within the Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne‚ the main character of the novel‚ leads a life filled with ordeals‚ but her name hold different meaning. The first part of her name‚ he‚ is mainly referred to as the pronoun for the male sex but it can also mean people in general such in the statement: as he should
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Nathanial Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne was a prominent early American Author who contributed greatly to the evolution of modern American literature. A New England native‚ Hawthorne was born in Salem‚ Massachusetts on July 4‚ 1804 and died on May 19‚ 1864 in New Hampshire. An avid seaman‚ Hawthorne’s father died in 1808 when Nathaniel Hawthorne was only a young child. After his father’s death‚ Hawthorne showed a keen interest in his father’s worldwide nautical adventures and often read the logbooks
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