“Such helpfulness was found in her‚ - so much power to do‚ and power to sympathize.” (110) In the novel The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne uses literary elements such as: symbolism‚ irony and conflict to show that the punishment imposed on one by others may not be as destructive as the guilt we impose on ourselves. In the beginning of the novel the community is unwelcoming to Hester Prynne and her newborn Pearl. This creates a conflict against her and the society; while she knows she committed
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were everywhere to be shown‚ a scarlet letter would blaze forth on many.” portraying his belief that sin lies within us all‚ and that each individual has a different way of showing this innate sin. In The Scarlet Letter‚ author Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the crimes and faults of Hester Prynne‚ the infamous adulteress of the novel‚ who has been accused of bearing child with an unknown instigator. Throughout the novel we see the symbolic nature of this scarlet letter take many forms‚ as it plays a
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in the time period the novel was written. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Puritan hypocrisy is a theme that prominently seen throughout the novel through actions and beliefs of the Puritan community. One of the best examples of Puritan hypocrisy occurs in the very last line of the novel‚ the message engraved into Hester and Dimmesdale’s gravestone‚ “On a field‚ sable‚ the letter A‚ gules‚” (Hawthorne 203). On a black field‚ the letter “A” is boldly red. The irony is in the fact that
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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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cultures at different eras within American history‚ a common theme can be established when comparing The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald with The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Both novels‚ for example‚ examine the dichotomy between reality and appearance as well as the conflict between individual and social values. In The Scarlet Letter‚ Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale love each other. This love holds great personal value for them. However‚ because their relationship is adulterous
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to wear a scarlet letter A for the remainder of her life. Nathaniel Hawthorne enhances his novel The Scarlet Letter with extensive attention to character description‚ especially when referring to Pearl. Through diction and imagery‚ Hawthorne identifies Pearl as slightly devious and frightening‚ yet compassionate‚ beautiful‚ and intelligent beyond her years. When Hester gave birth to Pearl‚ the community recognized the infant as a symbol of shame‚ as apparent as the scarlet letter on her chest
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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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The Scarlet Letter: Evil of Isolation In the New Testament it states that "the wages of sin is death." Though the penalty of sin in The Scarlet Letter is not a termination of life‚ the evil of isolation can be a physically‚ morally‚ and socially tortuous event in Puritan society. Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale‚ in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ are both victims of the cruel isolation from Puritan society on the basis of their sins. Hester wears her sin upon her breast where it stands as
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People are not always what they seem to be. Roger Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter shows that everyone sins but some people’s sins are worse than others.The Scarlet Letter shows Chillingworth’s sins throughout the book. One of Hawthorne’s intentions was having Chillingworth as the worst sinner‚ because he used his herbs to keep Dimmesdale alive-he prolonged Dimmesdale’s torture‚ he used “black medicine”‚ and when Dimmesdale stopped taking the herbs‚ he passed away. Roger Chillingworth came to
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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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