Nathaniel Hawthorne chose such a controversial topic as adultery for The Scarlet Letter‚ his nineteenth century novel of "seventeenth century sexual repression and hypocrisy"‚ demonstrates a delicate yet changing climate with regard to infidelity. Historically‚ carrying on an adulterous affair back in such an era of Puritanism and traditional values was not taken lightly; in fact‚ by today’s standards‚ such horrific treatment for what is now considered an everyday occurrence was harsher than murders suffer
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Scarlet letter Nathaniel Hawthorne lived in the 1800s‚ he was an anti-transcendentalist‚ this means he believed people are bad at heart and society keeps us from being wild animals. The Scarlet Letter takes place in a Puritan town. Hawthorne wrote about a puritan town because his great uncle lived in a Puritan town during the Salem witch trials‚ he was obsessed with that. The Scarlet Letter is about two adults living with their sin‚ which is adultery. In this novel‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne uses
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Readers Response of ‘Scarlet Letter’ Despite the declination in the personal and societal standards of morality in the past century‚ it is still evident today that a universal standard of ethics does indeed exist in every civilization. Likewise‚ these communities administer consequences upon those who fail to meet up to those principles. The severity of the punishment inflicted rests solely on the offender‚ the offense and the society itself. For Hester Prynne‚ the penalty for fornication
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A4 23 February 2009 “It may serve‚ let us hope‚ to symbolize some sweet moral blossom‚ that may be found along the track‚ or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human fatality and sorrow‚” (Hawthorne 44). In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ light and dark are used to compare and contrast the inner nature of Hester‚ Pearl‚ and Dimmesdale‚ All of these characters describe the theme of sin and suffering‚ but throughout their own struggles they strive and succeed to end up on the other
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The role of Pearl in the Scarlet Letter This essay will be analysing the significance of the selected passage as well as emphasizing how this passage helps give the reader a more vivid insight to the lives of the protagonists of the Scarlet Letter as well as developing the plot further. The passage‚ taken from Chapter 16‚ “A Forest Walk‚” is illustrative of the role Pearl plays in the text. It is also an insight on the significance of the scarlet letter as a symbol. Pearl is aware of things that
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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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actions. Hester Prynne is “a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale‚” a young and beautiful woman (Hawthorne 46). She brought a child into the world with an unknown father. She is punished by Puritan society by wearing the scarlet letter A on the bosom of her dress. The letter is decorated in gold thread; it is decorated in gold because it is a reflection of her spirit. Hester is a very strong woman; it is seen since the very start of this novel. She walks to the scaffold from the prison‚ she holds
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Imagine living in Salem during the 1500’s and being punished for things that are now widely accepted in our generation. The threat of punishment is what Hester and Pearl had to endure throughout the entire story. In my opinion Pearl is the most misunderstood character throughout the book. She is very intelligent but can be troublesome at times. On top of that‚ she is the product of sin which could only make things harder. I think Pearl is ultimately misunderstood because she is feared by the Puritans
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In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne a young lady by the name of Hester becomes the focus of the town after committing adultery. Throughout the novel the scaffold scene becomes repeated‚ making it clear to the reader that it is of great importance. Each scaffold scene foreshadows what will happen later in the novel. With the scaffold scenes‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne conveys the theme and helps the reader to have a better understanding of the novel. In chapter five-“The point which
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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a great work with many excellent things that could be said about it. One thing that makes The Scarlet Letter stand out is the character of Hester Prynn‚ who is one of the strongest female characters in literature. Having a female character with such strength raises the question of whether or not The Scarlet Letter is a feminist novel; by looking at what feminism is and analyzing the book itself‚ one can see that the book is more a commentary on society
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