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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Children‚ giving more insightful and sincere opinions of Hester and Pearl in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚’ are unable to fully comprehend why certain things appear the way they do. They find this time to speak their minds in order to get a grasp of what is going on around them‚ whereas adults know their limits. Unlike adults‚ children are not compelled to follow the expectations set out in a Puritan society and are unaware of what these expectations are since they learn through their
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A CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER READING GUIDE FOR THE SCARLET LETTER A 1636 Plymouth Colony law required anyone convicted of adultery to "wear two Capital letters viz AD cut out in cloth and sowed on theire uppermost Garments on their arme or backe; and if att any time they shallbee taken without the said letters whiles they are in the Govrment soewarn to bee forthwith taken and publickly whipt."[1] Other Massachusetts colonies had their own versions of this law. In fact‚ "The Capitall Lawes of
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Chillingworth visits Hester during her brief incarceration‚ where he berates her for having crushed his dreams of finding acceptance and love ("My heart was a great mansion with room for many souls‚ but cold and empty and without a parlor fire; I longed to light one!"). While he makes it obvious he will not take revenge upon her or the baby‚ he demands to know the name of Hester’s lover. She refuses to tell him‚ but Chillingworth promises that he will find the man and destroy his soul. Chillingworth
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The Scarlet Letter: from A to z. Journal # 1 Reading: The Marketplace‚ The Recognition‚ The Interview Journal Notes [see end of document for format criteria]: 1. Select distinguishing characteristics and remarks for Hester Prynne‚ Rev. Dimmesdale and the stranger/physician. 2. Track how the crowd treats Hester/her punishment 3. Note Hawthorne’s references to Puritan living and how they indicate bias towards their actions and beliefs. 4. Vocabulary (you
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“The Scarlet Letter” is important and proves that the scaffold in the center of their community is a place for criminals and sinners to be recognized as such. As we know‚ Hester Prynne was committed for adultery which is why she was led to the scaffold. In their community the scaffold is the symbolism of clarity of whoever stands atop it. In this case‚ Hester is considered to be transparent‚ so that everyone in the town can see that she has sinned. Her punishment not alone to wear the scarlet letter
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In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ creative symbols‚ such as radiant sunlight‚ represent perfection‚ truth‚ and happiness thus characterizing Pearl as a perfect and innocent girl who is unmatched in her intelligence or beauty. Throughout the book‚ Hawthorne uses sunlight to convey the “beauty that [becomes] more brilliant [every day]” and the magnitude of intelligence Pearl possesses‚ which together made the sun “[quiver as it] [shines] over” her (Hawthorne 61). The comparison
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“Setting” is a word used to describe the place‚ time‚ assumptions and values of a society in a story. In the Scarlet Letter‚ the setting was in the Puritan town of Salem in Massachusetts Bay Colony circa 1640. Being that the era and location of the backdrop is in a 17th century Protestant Puritan village‚ the assumptions and values would be that the townspeople are God-fearing individuals who strictly adhere to the Bible and its preachings. In this particular story‚ the primary conflict was the setting
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Sydney Loyed AP Lit Due: 10/20/08 The Scarlet Letter Essay Hester Prynne‚ a young woman sent to the new Puritan world by her husband‚ commits adultery with an English minister‚ which leads to the birth of their love child‚ Pearl Prynne. While Hester is forced to accept complete blame for lechery and survive the punishment of her society
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people look at you as a hypocrite and should also strive to not be one. Of course‚ the most important part is to be true to yourself because only then may you be true to God and to others. Nathaniel Hawthorne also shows this in The Scarlet Letter through the characters he portrays. In chapter 20‚ Hawthorne writes‚ “No man‚ for any considerable period‚ can wear one fact to himself and another to the multitude‚ without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.” Hiding the truth
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