In the Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ Hester Prynne is convicted of adultery and condemned to wear a scarlet “A” and suffer essential excommunication from society. Hester and her young daughter‚ Pearl‚ find themselves outcasts in the Puritan society of seventeenth-century Boston. On the surface‚ this novel’s tale is the opposite of proto-feminist‚ a term applied to works that show the emergence of modern feminist concepts. Via the actions and characteristics main characters‚ or perhaps
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The Alterations of the Scarlet Letter Society determines what kind of person you are based upon your behavior and actions and they can deem you a sinner or an angel. Within Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ the perceptions of the scarlet “A” are constantly changing within the story. In the novel the “A” is the signifier and the signified is represented by all the different perspectives from the Puritans. It can be argued that the “A” changes because Hester’s actions determine the way that
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Read the following passage from Nathaniel Hawthorn’s The Scarlet Letter. In a well-organized response‚ analyze how the author’s use of language influences both mood and tone. The scene was not without a mixture of awe‚ such as must always invest the spectacle of guilt and shame in a fellow-creature‚ before society shall have grown corrupt enough to smile‚ instead of shuddering‚ at it. The witnesses of Hester Prynne’s disgrace had not yet passed beyond their simplicity. They were stern enough to
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Kayla Lang 1/21/14 Sin Victimizes the Innocent In the novel The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the idea of sin and how it affected those in the Puritan era. Hester Prynne‚ with her baby in her arms‚ is ridiculed in front of the entire town. Hester and her daughter are shunned to a house on the outskirts of town‚ isolating them from the Puritan community. Pearl and Hester grow up in the town alone as social outcasts‚ but they do have each other. Pearl is raised by her single mother
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The puritan era was a time of strife for many early American settlers. They felt the world was at war between the forces of good and the forces of evil. This contention was made evident in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter as the author combines the physical‚ moral and mental state of Roger Chillingworth to highlight the theme of revenge and the evil obsession that takes over Chillingworth’s soul. Hawthorne’s use of figurative language connects Chillingworth’s misshapen form with
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In the novel The Scarlet Letter‚ written by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ the question of whether feminism is supported or not is taken into account. This novel was written during the same period as the women’s rights movements. Hawthorne emits a new truth that evokes the revolution that supports feminism. Through isolation‚ Hester Prynne learned to rely on herself. Hawthorne used Hester Prynne as an example that women‚ as well as men‚ can be strong and independent. Hester Prynne was a woman that was able
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In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book‚ “The Scarlet Letter‚” a very prominent theme is the idea of how something a little bit out of the ordinary can become quite exaggerated. In the beginning of the book‚ the main character‚ Hester Prynne‚ is made to wear a scarlet letter to pay for her sin of adultery. This letter and even Hester herself is exaggerated in the eyes of society throughout the book. “It was whispered‚ by those who peered after her‚ that the scarlet letter threw a lurid gleam along the dark
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Devon Hoover 9/27/12 Argumentative Essay Mrs. Johnson From the intriguing book The Scarlet Letter ‚ there are two men that have conflicting viewpoints on sin. One man‚ Rogers Chillingsworth‚ believed that all men should confess their sins to show that they also are not perfect and may be liable to sin. The other man Arthur Dimnesdale believed that some men that are privileged should not confess their sins openly and that no past is better redeemed but by good services. I whole heartedly
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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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In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ Pearl serves many roles as a character. In the harsh Puritan society she lived in with her mother Hester‚ she provides some comical relief into their difficult lives. Hester was condemned her whole life from committing adultery. Her letter was not the only punishment she faced‚ but the internal guilt of knowing she went against her religion sat with her for life. Pearl was her most precious gift and she gave Hester a reason to keep going and continue on with her
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