Transformation The setting of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet letter” is crucial to the understanding of the event that takes place in the story. The setting of the story is in Salem‚ Massachusetts during the Puritan era. During the Puritan era‚ adultery was taken as a very serious sin‚ and this is what Hester and Dimmesdale committ with each other. Because of the sin‚ their lives change‚ Hester has to walk around in public with a Scarlet Letter “A” which stands for adultery‚ and she is constantly
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In The Scarlet Letter‚ the Puritans are a group who believe that people are born with sin. Subsequently‚ they keep a strict eye over their community as well as themselves. Correspondingly‚ depending on how severe a sin is‚ it may be punishable by death. Hester is spared by the Puritans because they believe that she will serve as a living sermon of sin. Hester must wear a scarlet letter on her chest for the entirety of her life to make up for her punishment. These events convey how the overall theme
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They were solely relegated to serve their husband and their household. Anne Hutchinson was a woman in that time period that rebelled against the traditional roles by standing up for her own thoughts. Hester Prynne‚ a fictional character in The Scarlet Letter‚ is a symbol of what Anne Hutchinson represents in Puritan history. Both women went against traditional beliefs and stood by them. Puritans believed in predestination which means Puritans believed “ in Jesus and participation in the sacraments
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Often‚ two people can commit the same sin‚ but deal with it differently. Guilt can be dealt with in two ways: publicly or privately. In The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale both commit adultery‚ and both Hester and Dimmesdale deal with guilt from the sin they committed in completely different ways. Hawthorne writes about dealing with guilt publicly and privately to show the emotional and sometimes physical toll of guilt based on how people choose to deal
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the forbidden acts of drunkenness‚ blasphemy‚ and adultery. In The Scarlet Letter‚ the church enacts harsh sentences of incarceration and public shaming in order to discipline the presumed sinners. Even though these punishments seek to inflict harm and cause suffering to their victims‚ Hawthorne uses their cruelty to elicit the truth. Presenting a major symbol of Puritan punishment‚ Hawthorne employs the harshness of the scarlet letter to allow Hester to discover her own strength and beauty. Under
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Facts 1. What two necessities‚ according to Hawthorne. must the founders of a new colony provide immediately? 2. Under whose footsteps was the rose-bush outside the prison supposed to have sprung up? 3. What is the significance of the scarlet letter A which is embroidered on Hester’s gown? Interpreting Meanings 5. What conclusion can you draw from the fact that every new colony must provide a prison and a cemetery at once? 6. How do most of the townspeople regard Hester’s punishment—as
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~ The Scarlet Letter ~ Psychological Analysis "I experienced a sensation...of burning heat; and as if the letter sere not of red cloth‚ but red-hot iron." These words in the introduction to The Scarlet Letter describe the letter as an object that contains power. The power left in the little red piece of cloth represents all the emotional toil that was associated with it - guilt‚ pain‚ betrayal‚ and vengeance. Throughout the novel the letter will stir all these emotions‚ creating an intense psychological
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one thing in their life to still be there when they get out of jail. It also says that the scarlet colored rose is used “to symbolize a sweet moral blossom.” This is a little ironic because of the robe the Hester is forced to wear. Hester‚ an adulteress is considered to have no morals and is shamed into wearing this scarlet letter. The scarlet flower is supposed to be a symbol of morals and scarlet-letter-bearing Hester is thought of as the opposite of morals. Yet another way to look at the flowers
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The Scarlet Letter: Prohibit or Protect? In this day and age‚ just about any opinion‚ show‚ book‚ or movie can be seen as offensive and unnecessary by different groups of people. All around the nation‚ classic novels are being banned from public schools and libraries due to their contentious and possibly harmful language and content. Among these is a timeless and beloved book‚ The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Since the publishing of this title in 1850‚ many teachers‚ parents‚ and community
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March 9‚ 2008 Isolation within The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ an American author who lived from 1804-1864‚ could be characterized as “an imaginative genius gifted with considerable linguistic skill” (Perkins 1 of 3). Hawthorne’s most famous works included The House of the Seven Gables and The Marble Faun‚ both novels portrayed the essence of sin and guilt and their emotional effects on mankind. One of Hawthorne’s most famous works The Scarlet Letter‚ takes place in Boston during the Puritan
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