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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Nathaniel Hawthorne"s‚ The Scarlet Letter is a book about a woman‚ Hester‚ who moves to Boston from England during the Puritan times. She has a husband‚ and tells the colonists of Boston he will be arriving to be with her soon. After years go by and he doesn"t arrive‚ Hester finds another man whom she becomes close to. She becomes pregnant and the town finds out she has committed adultery. She is forced to wear a letter "A‚" meaning "adulteress‚" on her bosom for the rest of her life. The book focuses
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Scarlet Letter Chapter Notes Karthik Suresh Custom House: Chapter 1: In Chapter 1‚ Hawthorne uses the prison to foreshadow themes like sinning‚ individuality‚ and nature that ultimately serve as metaphors into Hester’s underlying conflict and harsh nature of the Puritan law. Hawthorne uses the prison to depict the harsh law: old and rusted but with its “iron-work of its oaken door” or harsh nature. The Puritan law is described to be archaic even though the society has matured. Consequently‚ Hawthorne
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Scarlet Letter notes and quotes Chapter Quote 1: “some sweet moral blossom‚ that may be found along the track‚ or relieve the darkening close tale of human frailty and sorrow.” This quote tells us that the story will be very dark with possibly many mysteries for us to solve and put the puzzle pieces together. And that there are innocent events and thoughts in the book too. The 1st chapter is very short only 1 and ½ pages long so there is not much vital information whatsoever. And with
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Sadomasochists Will Not Be Satisfied With The Scarlet Letter “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor‚ both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death” (Leviticus 20:10). Puritans carried this Biblical credence to the very letter. Puritans were all about order in their society‚ achieved through strict laws and rules. The love between a married couple equated moral and religious duties (eHow)‚ and so when adultery was
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knows that character can both gain and lose from what they have done. This happens multiple times in The Scarlet Letter. Characters commit evil deeds‚ some are caught‚ and some are not. For those that aren’t caught‚ they have a decision to make. To turn themselves in or to live their lives as if it never happened. For those that choose to live on as if it never happened they are faced with a tough road ahead. They have to deal with the guilt of what they’ve done. All the while‚ they must watch to
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The Scarlet Letter Throughout The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne continually uses witchcraft and the devil as a theme. Hester Prynne‚ the main character‚ emerges from a prison in the first few pages of the book. So from the very beginning‚ it is known that she has committed a great sin of some kind. Many other characters other than Hester also have a connection with the dark side. It is this association with the devil that eventually brings about the demise of one of the major characters. Although
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The Scarlet Letter Response to Literature chapters 16-24 Several days later Hester meets Dimmesdale in the forest and Pearl is now seven. Pearl continues to inquire persistently about Hester’s past‚ the scarlet letter and the minister. Hester sends Pearl off to play so that she can talk with the clergyman alone. Hester reveals Chillingsworth true inducements with the minister and Hester begs for forgiveness and is forgiven. The two also infer about leaving Boston and escaping on a boat to Europe
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The Scarlet Letter Analysis Throughout history‚ sinners and misfits have been alienated from society by the people of their community. Examples of people out casting others can be found in every day life from the odd peer at school to an adult who does not share the same opinions or ideas as the majority. In the 17th century‚ Puritans became an important part of American history. They had strict laws and punishments and wanted a government that could enforce public morality. In Nathaniel
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Question 1: A Prison and a cemetery are the first things needed. It shows how strict the laws there were. Additional was the fact that for a punishment‚ for whatever sin‚ you either went to prison or were killed some way and buried in the cemetery. It sets the precedent of strict rules through the church. The Puritans ruled everything in their entirety through the church. They constantly went through the bible picking out different verses “deciphering” their meaning and utilizing these as evidence
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