Many characters go through transformations in The Scarlet Letter‚ and one of those characters is Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Author Nathaniel Hawthorne writes of a puritan society‚ and it is the laws of that society‚ both written and unwritten‚ that Dimmesdale breaks and which causes the changes to occur. He commits the sin of adultery‚ and by sleeping with Hester Prynne‚ breaks the laws that he is supposed to represent. He cannot admit his sin because he is a holy man‚ and admitting his sin would
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today‚ and the same goes for the society of the 17th century. Guilt is the state of being responsible for the commission of an offense and the only cure for the feeling of being guilty is confessing to whomever you have harmed or wronged. In The Scarlet Letter‚ written by Nathanial Hawthorn; there is a young woman named Hester Prynne who has been accused of committing adultery‚ she is being showcased for the entire town to witness her in her shame. Hester’s husband‚ who is thought to be dead‚ returns
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are plenty of examples of appearance versus reality in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The most significant one‚ it seems to me‚ is the fact that the pious minister‚ Arthur Dimmesdale‚ is actually an adulterer who had an illicit affair with a married woman. Throughout the novel‚ a war between his soul/spirit and his body rages. He is a sensitive man to begin with‚ and then the constant conflict between what he knows he should do (public confession and repentance) and what he does (private
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connection that Pearl now makes because they would never suspect their pastor to be capable of such a sin. Again‚ we see the problem with the Puritan “reading” of the world: intent on preserving the functional aspects of their society (i.e.‚ the minister as an icon of purity)‚ the people of Boston refuse to make what would seem to be an obvious set of connections between Hester’s situation and the minister’s mysterious torments. Pearl is too young to understand sex‚ adultery‚ or shame‚ but she is
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put upon certain individuals throughout the era of their existence and the scaring aftermath leading to those who have been affected by it. “The main image of this evil that threatens a whole community can be found in the mysterious figure of the Black Man. Hawthorne‚ as the author‚ never makes a statement as to his existence; all references to him exist simply in the mouths of the characters. From them one can gather that he lives in the forest‚ outside of the city‚ and that he carries a book and
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Joyy Taylor English 3 Mr.Martin Period 2 Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale The Scarlet letter is a book filled with mystery‚ deep thought and symbolism left for interpretation. This book of romance contains acts of crime‚ revenge‚ and sins for the ones that we love. This book written by the classic author Nathaniel Hawthorne has a lot of ambiguous characters. Hawthorne used his characters to portray irony and moral ambiguity. The most intriguing character I chose that displays moral ambiguity
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cultures at different eras within American history‚ a common theme can be established when comparing The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald with The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Both novels‚ for example‚ examine the dichotomy between reality and appearance as well as the conflict between individual and social values. In The Scarlet Letter‚ Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale love each other. This love holds great personal value for them. However‚ because their relationship is adulterous
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has the potential to represent something that is not manifested in the reading. Readers may comprehend something differently about what they are reading than what the symbols are actually revealing in the book. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ is significantly symbolic. In this book‚ the forest is a substantial symbol due to the fact that there are many different viewpoints of what the wilderness represents throughout the story. The forest portrays a place of sin and darkness‚ a safe
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In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ the concept of secret sin often conflicts with many of the characters’ identities. More often than not‚ this concealment leads to isolation and self-bewilderment. Indeed‚ Hawthorne demonstrates this concept when he remarks how “ No man… can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude”(259). Moreover‚ the consequences of leading a double life fueled by “secret sin" permeate this “tale of human frailty and sorrow” in general and Arthur Dimmesdale’s
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Near the beginning of the Scarlet Letter‚ Hester was a passionate and proud woman. Her characteristics reveal themselves throughout her attire‚ attitude‚ and countenance. Hester openly expresses her love for freedom‚ which is encouraged by Romantics. However‚ as she grows older‚ she matures and her rough edges begin to smooth. Since she is permanently distanced from civilization by the Scarlet Letter‚ she becomes independent. Isolated from everyone‚ Hester becomes
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