The Scarlet Letter The scarlet letter is a tragedy. The puritan society is responsible for Dimmesdale ’s downfall because its members expect him to be perfect‚ and he is not. His inability to give the people what they require from him ultimately leads to his downfall. Dimmesdale has an affair with Hester Prynne‚ a married Puritan woman. Hester gives birth to their daughter‚ Pearl. "Children have always a sympathy in the agitations of those connected with them; always‚ especially‚ a sense of any
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One of the most complex and elaborate characters in The Scarlet Letter is Pearl‚ the daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Pearl‚ throughout the story‚ develops into a dynamic individual‚ as well as an extremely important symbol. Pearl is shunned because of her mother’s sin. Pearl is a living representation of the scarlet letter - acting as a constant reminder of Hester’s sin. Hawthorne uses vivid descriptions to characterize Pearl. She is first described as the infant; "...whose
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images because she is nearly all symbol‚ little reality. Dimmesdale sees Pearl as the "freedom of a broken law"; Hester sees her as "the living hieroglyphic" of their sin; and the community sees her as the result of the devil’s work. She is the scarlet letter in the flesh‚ a reminder of Hester’s sin. As Hester tells the pious community leaders in Chapter 8‚ ". . . she is my happiness! —
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Symbols in The Scarlet Letter Symbolism plays an important role in many novels. Held with the distinction of implying important themes‚ symbols add depth to a story. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter takes place in Boston‚ Massachusetts‚ in the 1640’s. Embellished with symbols and hidden themes‚ the novel tells “a tale of human frailty and sorrow” (Hawthorne 46). In addition to human flaw and sadness‚ the novel reveals inhumane punishment and torture from the government and citizens
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Section I: Significance of Title: The Scarlet Letter. In the story‚ Hester Prime Committed Adultry‚ and her punishment was that she had to go through out her life for 7 years wearing a shinny scarlet red A. The book could be considered a Metaphor because the scarlet letter was Hester’s symbol of punishment. It was a way for the townspeople to judge Hester literally and figuratively as a woman‚ when it is clearly shown that the townspeople were no better (if not much worse) than Hester. You
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The Scarlet Letter—by Nathaniel Hawthorne Short Response Questions: Respond to the following questions in 100-150 words each. Limit your answers‚ but do use text support where necessary. You may type on this document‚ save it as your own‚ and upload it with answers to turnitin.com. Use an appropriate MLA heading in the upper right. Do this by inserting a header. Use MLA parenthetical citation for all quotes. 1. Which character of The Scarlet Letter is innocent? In The Scarlet Letter‚ Pearl
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In The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne displays many examples of love and hatred throughout the story. Though Hawthorne shows that love and hatred both have the potential to harm‚ hatred has a greater tendency to cause pain. This is clearly seen in Hester’s love for Pearl and Chillingworth’s hatred for Dimmesdale. Pearl is not the easiest child to love‚ but the attributes Hester has attained over the years have allowed her to show motherly love regardless. One aspect of Hester’s love is her
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The Scarlet Letter Questions 1. Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ a dark American Romantic writer‚ was born on July 4th‚ 1804‚ in the town of Salem Massachusetts. Hawthorne wrote many works of literature‚ his first one was The Scarlet Letter. With this novel‚ came enough success for Hawthorne to completely devote himself to his writings. In 1851‚ he left Salem to draft and complete his second book‚ which he called The House of the Seven Gables. His other novels were‚ The Blithedale Romance and The Marble Faun
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Who’s In Charge Here? In The Scarlet Letter‚ the majority of the action happens not between characters‚ but within them. Guilt‚ passion‚ love‚ and hate all play key roles in the development of the novel. “The Sins of the Fathers: Hawthorne’s Psychological Themes‚” a critique penned by Frederick C. Crews‚ explores the inner workings of Hawthorne’s characters. He argues that characters in The Scarlet Letter act not of their own accord‚ but instead are ruled absolutely by “feelings that [they] neither
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Idealism‚ Logic‚ and Puritanism in the Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne ’s novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ is about the struggle three people face while trying to live their lives and find happiness in a Puritan society. In the early 1640s‚ Hester comes to the small town of Boston‚ Massachusetts‚ while her husband‚ Roger Chillingworth‚ settles business in Great Britain. Hester and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale‚ the town ’s priest‚ engage in the act of adultery and produce a baby girl named Pearl; though
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