“In a closed society where everybody’s guilty‚ the only sin is getting caught.” This quote said by Hunter S Thompson perfectly details the act of adultery in the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The adultery committed by Hester’s with Reverend Dimmsdale resulted in the sinful child Pearl being born. Pearl is the visual embodiment of evil in Puritan society; Hawthorne included her in the novel to give the reader a visual representation on what the Puritans believe is evil or sinful
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SYMBOLISM IN THE SCARLET LETTER Symbolism can be defined as using objects‚ characters‚ figures‚ or colors to represent abstract ideas or concepts. The Scarlet Letter is a story that describes the life of an adulterer‚ Hester Prynne. She had sexual relations with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale‚ while married‚ that resulted in the birth of her daughter‚ Pearl. However‚ she doesn’t let it get to her and shows great bravery by living on through her hard time. In The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne
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In The Scarlet Letter‚ Hester Prynne shows her brave and daring side‚ as she stands up for herself. She is very bold to do some of the things she did and still not let the town see how she was really feeling on the inside. Hester proves that she is a strong woman in the Puritan society when she is compared to the other women that are repressed in the society‚ her interactions with others‚ and how she responds to the punishments she is given. Hester reacted to her punishments in a very mature manner
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Scarlett Letter Criticism Nathanial Hawthorne envisioned The Scarlet Letter as a short story published in a collection‚ but it outgrew that purpose. Most critics accept Hawthorne’s definition of it as a “romance” rather than a novel. The novel begins with an introductory autobiographical essay‚ “The Custom House” where Hawthorne describes working as a custom officer in Salem‚ Massachusetts. He describes coming across documents that provide him with the basis for The Scarlett Letter. The introductory
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on to? Symbolization is used throughout literature to foreshadow and define certain situation or characters. In “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne the main character‚ Hester Prynne is guilty of committing adultery. Hester is punished to stand on the scaffold for three hours to be shamed by the townspeople and to wear a crimson letter A. Hester’s tombstone will have the letter A engraved on it so Hester’s sin will never be forgotten. Hester has an affair with Dimmesdale while being married
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possessions to live in nature. The transcendentalist movement in the early 19th century had a large impact on authors of the century. Among those‚ multiple authors from the century‚ including Hawthorne‚ Thoreau and Emerson were influenced especially in their writings. The basic transcendentalist beliefs are‚ the dislike of materialism‚ connection for nature‚ individualism and the quest for truth. In the Scarlet Letter‚ Hawthorne uses transcendentalist beliefs to influence Hester’s character. The influence
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with one of them being The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter depicts a woman who is shamed of adultery and has to wear a scarlet “A” on her bosom‚ and the “A” seems to have supernatural powers that effect Hester Prynne and people around her in many different ways. The scarlet “A” attached to Hester Prynne’s bosom was a sign of her committing adultery and was permanently attached for her public shame. But the letter had other negatives to it‚ as “It had the effect of a spell‚
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The Scarlet Letter‚ uses many symbols to represent different things. Some symbols represent the same thing. The letter "A" has many meanings‚ each character has their own meanings‚ and even the different parts of nature are symbols. Also‚ apart from providing structure for the novel‚ each scaffold scene conveys something different. One could say‚ arguably‚ that nearly everything in The Scarlet Letter is a symbol of something else. In the novel‚ there are four different versions of the letter "A"
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Hester’s Redemption Being saved from sin. Proving that you are worthy. Redemption. Hester Prynne has a life full of redeeming herself. In fact‚ her daughter Pearl‚ and the scarlet letter are connected together‚ because they both redeem Hester. Pearl is one of the main reasons that Hester has to wear the letter “A.” Consequently‚ Hester was named an adulterer in the act of her having her child. Although‚ Pearl is a product of sin‚ she helps redeem Hester. Even though Pearl is named a “witch child”
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Lydia Crouse Honors English 10 Mrs. Rollings 26 September 2011 Mysterious Death of Dimmesdale One could say that Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is poisoned‚ or that he merely died of guilty conscience. In the Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Reverend Dimmesdale commits adultery with Hester Prynne‚ and so she bears a child. Dimmesdale does not admit his sin to the people in the community. Keeping the sin a secret for as long as he does creates guilt and suffering which manifests in him until
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