The Symbolism of Red in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the color red to represent passion‚ the need for beauty‚ and individuality in The Scarlet Letter. In the story‚ Hester Prynne‚ a young woman living in a Puritan community during the mid-17th century‚ is convicted of adultery and forced to live her life in a state of exile‚ branded by the Puritans through the embroidery of a scarlet A on her chest. Her and her child Pearl live in the outlying forest and are
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Throughout The Scarlet Letter‚ Hawthorne uses a great deal of symbolism especially with the meaning of the scaffold. The scaffold starts out to be place of sin and humiliation but ironically becomes a place of true salvation. It is used by many characters to show their emotions as well as how people of the Puritan society treated Hester‚ Pearl‚ and Arthur Dimmesdale. In the first scaffold scene‚ Hester is holding her daughter Pearl in her arms. Hester has committed adultery and must stand on the
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Nathaniel Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter in 1850. Hawthorne engenders a protestant society holding community values to be the standards‚ leaving Hester Prynne in a difficult situation. According to community values she’s a sinner‚ a wrongdoer‚ an atrocious person‚ conversely ‚ looking at her own morals she could be a hero‚ a role model‚ an overall admirable person. Hester’s burdened to wear the scarlet letter which stands for the deadly crime of adultery‚ but eventually denotes ambiguity
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The Scarlet Letter Essay In the extraordinary novel The Scarlet Letter‚ written by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ is a very unusual main character named Pearl. At the beginning of the novel‚ she is just an innocent infant who is abhorred by all the townspeople because of the sin her mother‚ Hester Prynne‚ committed before Pearl was born. In this novel‚ Pearl is a static character and living symbol of sin. In the beginning‚ the reader is introduced to Pearl as the infant “whose innocent life had sprung
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Colleen Callahan 12/2/12 Period 5 A Tale of Three Sinners In the classic novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ Hawthorne utilizes the extraordinary power of description and word choice to illustrate the tragically harsh lives and expectations of 19th century Puritans. The story begins with the ostracization of Ms. Hester Prynne‚ and quickly escalates toward a much deeper and darker focus: sin. Sin can be defined as the deliberate disobedience of Puritan morals and man-made law. To sin will always be
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–Madeleine Albright A mystic sisterhood. In The Scarlet Letter‚ written by the Nathanial Hawthorne‚ speaks of the astounding life of Hester Prynne and her shameful yet intellectual experiences with the scarlet letter resting on her bosom. In the midst of her time bearing the scarlet letter however‚ Hester begins to feel a throb on her bosom whenever a certain person walks past her. This develops into a peculiar sixth sense; the scarlet letter detects the guilt of a person walking by and relays the
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Character Analysis Essay: The Scarlet Letter “Grief does not change you‚ Hazel. It reveals you.” These are the words of John Green in The Fault in Our stars. This also applies somewhat to Arthur Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter. Grief does not change him but his reaction to grief changes throughout the book. Reverend Dimmesdale changes in the beginning‚ middle and end of the book. Rev Dimmesdale is religiously strict and is well trusted in the beginning of the book. Dimmesdale is very strict
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The Scarlet Letter‚ Hester Prynne and Roger Chillingworth both ended up with forgiveness by God and society. Hester‚ a married woman who committed the sin of adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale‚ this ended with Hester becoming pregnant with Pearl. Roger Chillingworth‚ Hester’s husband committed his life to revenge on Dimmesdale for this. Hester took her punishment as the scarlet letter‚ and she did not complain proves that she ended up as forgiven. Hester also took the scarlet letter and changed
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In A Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Pearl just as much a symbol as she is a character. She represents the price of sin and the possibility for redemption. Hester names her daughter Pearl‚ “as being a great price- purchased with all she had- her mother’s only treasure!” (Hawthorne 6). Hester loves pearl unconditionally because pearl had to suffer so much to get her‚ not just in childbirth‚ but also because she is an outcast. Pearl is not like all the other kids and she seems to always get
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In The Scarlet Letter‚ the Puritans are a group who believe that people are born with sin. Subsequently‚ they keep a strict eye over their community as well as themselves. Correspondingly‚ depending on how severe a sin is‚ it may be punishable by death. Hester is spared by the Puritans because they believe that she will serve as a living sermon of sin. Hester must wear a scarlet letter on her chest for the entirety of her life to make up for her punishment. These events convey how the overall theme
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