Nathaniel Hawthorne chose such a controversial topic as adultery for The Scarlet Letter‚ his nineteenth century novel of "seventeenth century sexual repression and hypocrisy"‚ demonstrates a delicate yet changing climate with regard to infidelity. Historically‚ carrying on an adulterous affair back in such an era of Puritanism and traditional values was not taken lightly; in fact‚ by today’s standards‚ such horrific treatment for what is now considered an everyday occurrence was harsher than murders
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Misogyny‚ Conformity‚ and Obsession: A Feminist Criticism of The Scarlet Letter “And do you not know that you are Eve? God’s sentence hangs still over all your sex and His punishment weighs down upon you‚ she who first violated the forbidden tree and broke the law of God… Woman‚ you are the gate to hell!” (Tarico). If even Quintus Tertullian‚ the “Founding Father of Latin Christianity” (Tarico)‚ vehemently preached and ingrained the concept of womankind’s inferiority in society‚ how could Puritan
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In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne a young lady by the name of Hester becomes the focus of the town after committing adultery. Throughout the novel the scaffold scene becomes repeated‚ making it clear to the reader that it is of great importance. Each scaffold scene foreshadows what will happen later in the novel. With the scaffold scenes‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne conveys the theme and helps the reader to have a better understanding of the novel. In chapter five-“The point which
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of Public Humiliation The scaffold in the Scarlet Letter is symbolizes a place where the entire town can gather and important events occur. In the novel‚ anytime that the scaffolding is mentioned‚ the main characters are brought together by a matter of circumstance. The scaffold is used by the characters throughout the book to either project their emotions or have emotions projected upon themselves. Each time the focus is on Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter and the events surrounding her. The first
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In the Scarlet Letter two of the primary characters are provided by the author to show us a kind of foil. The one character‚ Reverend Dimmesdale‚ seems as if he is kind‚ but he has been living with a terrible burden‚ hindering him everywhere he goes. Chillingworth is his opposite‚ you would assume him to be nice when really he is quite evil. Dimmesdale and Chillingworth bring out each other’s characteristics and bring out the characteristics of other characters around them. Dimmesdale and Chillingworth
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The Power of Romance Versus Society Hester Prynne‚ the main character in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ is very similar to Edna Pontellier of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening‚ in that both women contradicted the societal standard and followed their hearts as opposed to the rigid marital structure of their respective times in history. Edna and Hester chose to be with men whom they really cared for. At times when marriage seemed to be based more on a convenient loyalty rather than a genuine bond‚ these
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One of the main considerations while reading The Scarlet Letter‚ is who seems to be the guiltiest character. The three prime targets are Hester‚ Dimmesdale‚ and Chillingworth. While all of them have questionable morality and have committed "sin"‚ Dimmesdale‚ the puritan minister‚ is the guiltiest character. He initiates a physical relationship with Hester‚ knowing she is married‚ he fails at the fatherly responsibility of taking care of his daughter‚ Pearl‚ and he selfishly cares more about himself
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or moral. That’s not to say they aren’t allowed to have some faults‚ but usually a hero is someone who instills reverence and veneration in others for whatever reason. Nathaniel Hawthorne creates interesting thoughts provoking characters in the Scarlet Letter‚ but none of which give the right distinction that would give them the title hero. The actions and qualities of the characters in the story give no view to morality‚ strength physically or mentally and most of what they do is to please their own
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The Scarlet Letter In the “Scarlet Letter” Nathaniel Hawthorne describes the consequences for sinning. The story takes place in a puritan community in Boston‚ Massachusetts in the 17th century. In the story the main character‚ Hester Prynne‚ commits adultery with the Reverend mr.Dimmsdale. As a result of their actions‚ Pearl is born. Hester is punished to wear the scarlet letter A‚ which stands for Adultery‚ on her breast. Hester’s husband‚ Roger Chillingworth‚ made her keep their marriage a
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with overwhelming guilt in her isolated life within the authoritative society. As an act of atonement‚ Hester covers her hair with a cap‚ and her beauty and warmth are buried under the elaborate scarlet letter on her bosom. While Hester is deserved to be an outcast for her “evil doings‚” (57) the male sinner‚ who in fact is disclosed to be Reverend Dimmesdale‚ hides behind his deeds and suffer in silence but none of the criticisms are made on him. Hawthorne utilizes Dimmesdale in providing the flaw
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