Major Themes Individual vs. Society The Scarlet Letter is a novel that describes the psychological anguish of two principle characters‚ Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimondale. They are both suffering under‚ while attempting to come to terms with‚ their mutual sin of adultery in a strict Puritan society. As critics immediately recognized upon publication of the novel in 1850‚ one of its principal themes involved conflict between the individual and society. Hawthorne represents the stern and threatening
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A Scarlet RomanceIt is the year 1644‚ Boston Massachusetts‚ and the stage is set for one of the most famous romance novels of our time. The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne set a genre standard for American Romanticism‚ with an intrinsic love of nature‚ sense of freedom of imagination and emotion‚ and the low regard Hawthorne holds for organized religion and all that it entails. In his novel‚ Hawthorne builds on the standards of romanticism‚ as the trend away from Puritanism and religious Oligarchy
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Scarlet Letter- Pearl Pearls have always held a great price to mankind‚ but no pearl had ever been earned at as high a cost to a person as Nathaniel Hawthorne’s powerful heroine Hester Prynne. Her daughter Pearl‚ born into a Puritan prison in more ways than one‚ is an enigmatic character serving entirely as a vehicle for symbolism. From her introduction as an infant on her mother’s scaffold of shame to the stormy zenith of the story‚ Pearl is an empathetic and improbably intelligent
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The effect of the symbol--or‚ rather‚ of the position in respect of society that was indicated by it-- on the mind of Hester Prynne herself‚ was powerful and peculiar. All the light and graceful foliage of her character had been withered up by this red-hot brand‚ and had long ago fallen away‚ leaving a bare and harsh outline‚ which might have been repulsive‚ had she possessed friends or companions to be repelled
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Conflict in The Scarlet Letter Human nature‚ while impressively complex‚ also has various poor qualities. Often these imperfections result in conflicts which are in turn depicted in works of literature. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ set in an old Puritan community‚ is centered on several conflicts of human nature that result from the adultery and punishment of Hester Prynne. There are three major conflicts each for which Hawthorne created a specific main character to illustrate:
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Imagine a world without love. A world with nothing but sinful‚ hypocritical‚ revenge seeking citizens. In the puritan society this dream world‚ if you could call it‚ was a dream come true. Thier society was obsessed with the idea of being pure. Any sin that was committed had an over exaggerated punishment. Many of the puritans were hypocritical. This idea is expressed greatly in The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter as a story of revenge‚ sin and hypocrisy because the
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Abstract The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne’s representative work‚ is a classical novel in American literature in the 19th century. The novel displays Puritanism’s great impact on people’s life and thought. This thesis will give a picture of puritans’ life and ideology through the analysis of the Puritan town Boston and some related characters‚ and introduce how the communities in the town are deeply influenced by Puritanism. Meanwhile‚ by analyzing the main character Hester‚ the thesis will
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Symbols in "The Scarlet Letter" Janice Schuster A The Scarlet Letter In The Scarlet Letter‚ symbols appear everywhere. Hawthorne uses several different concrete objects to represent something of deeper meaning. Among these symbols is the scarlet letter "A" itself. It is made of red cloth and beautifully embroidered. It
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Literature 9 April 2014 ‘The Scarlet Letter’ as a Tragedy The Scarlet Letter is a literature monument of the American Romantic era. The intensely tragic drama‚ written by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ has been analyzed by American literature analysts and critics alike. The aim of this paper is to specifically highlight the tragedy it narrates. Tragedy‚ considered to be the highest poetic element by Aristotle‚ has elements and characteristics portrayed in the text of The Scarlet Letter‚ that the weave of the
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In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ the author uses three scaffold scenes to mark the development of Hester Prynne. The image of Hester atop the scaffolding is a metaphor for her forced solitude; for her banishment from society; and for the futility of her punishment. In the first scene‚ Hawthorne uses the scaffold to explain how Hester can not believe that the “A” and the baby are real. In the second scaffold scene‚ Hawthorne tries to convey to the reader that Hester
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