In Nanthaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ Hester‚ the main character‚ is forced to wear the letter A’ on her chest symbolizing her act of adultery with an unknown person. Through his novel Hawthorne sought to demonstrate how‚ under certain circumstances‚ the personal consequences of a crime may serve as sufficient punishment. In early Puritan America‚ adulterer’s generally suffered execution. Yet‚ in Hester’s case‚ she was only required to wear the scarlet letter as her husband and her lover
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The Rosebush The rose bush is a discreet yet important symbol in the novel The Scarlet Letter. The rosebush is first mentioned in the chapter‚ “The Prison Door.” The narrator is setting the first major scene by describing the scenery. He is comparing the Puritan society to and “ugly edifice” and contrasting the rose bush to “the deep heart of Nature.” Later‚ in “The Governor’s Hall‚” Hester and Governor Bellingham are talking about taking Pearl away from her. Pearl starts throwing a tantrum until
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Authors place great importance in the characters present in their novels‚ considering they are a critical element in literary works. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Pearl plays a significant role in the novel. Pearl initially is not presented as a main character‚ but throughout the story she gains importance. Pearl serves to represent the letter “A” given to her mother to symbolize adultery. Frequently‚ she is displayed to symbolize familiar elements as nature‚ which is commonly praised
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only dead fish swim with the stream. -Malcolm Muggeridge. This famous quote justifies that to be an individual‚ one must break from society and think for himself‚ and only when he has done this‚ is he truly alive. Nathaniel Hawthornes novel The Scarlet Letter is about a courageous woman‚ Hester Prynne‚ and her struggle to split from society in order to live the loving life she has always wanted. By the use of symbolism‚ Hawthorne is effectively able to portray the forest‚ which promotes individuality
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Max M Bellingham Letter Dear Governor Bellingham‚ My name is Maxwell Maude. I am a citizen of Boston and I am writing to you regarding my opinion of Hester Prynne. I am aware of the crime that Hester committed and I do believe that it was immoral. However‚ there are certain nuances of Hester’s case that I would like to review. While I believe that Hester is guilty of adultery under the law‚ I don’t think she should be prosecuted due to these extenuating circumstances. As I said before
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The Superiority of Men? The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is commonly known as America’s first great novel and as America’s first feminist novel as well. Hawthorne writes The Scarlet Letter in the middle of the nineteenth century while the novel actually takes place in the mid seventeenth century puritanical Boston. Different people at different times viewed women in very different ways. In this novel alone women are viewed in two different ways. Hawthorne was a transcendentalist from
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Throughout the novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne emphasizes the intricate themes of isolation and alienation. Using a variety of literary techniques and descriptions of emotions and nature‚ Hawthorne is able to fully depict the inner feelings of hurt suffered by the central characters as a result of severe loneliness and seclusion. This‚ therefore‚ further adds to the overall gloomy and cynical atmosphere of the work. Isolation and alienation‚ two forms of torturous estrangement‚ are
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figure out who it is. He starts to become crazy here of he must know who Hester got pregnant with. "And now‚ Mistress Prynne‚" said old Roger Chillingworth‚ as he was hereafter to be named‚ "I leave thee alone: alone with thy infant and the scarlet letter! How is it‚ Hester? Doth thy sentence bind thee to wear the token in thy sleep? Art thou not afraid of nightmares and hideous dreams?" Since now that the town hates hester for her crime and is being punished very severly‚ Chillingsworth is
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Scarlet Letter Essay 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
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Judgement The main theme of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ is judgement. Because of Hawthorne’s broken past many of his writings focus on sin and judgement in Puritan societies. Throughout The Scarlet Letter we journey with Hester as she returns to her village after being held in jail because of her grievous sin of adultery. Hawthorne uses Chillingworth and the townspeople in order to show that‚ “When we judge others we are not defining them we are defining ourselves.” When
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