to do with her mother’s scarlet letter. Pearl Hester’s daughter‚ Pearl‚ functions primarily as a symbol. She is quite young during most of the events of this novel—when Dimmesdale dies she is only seven years old—and her real importance lies in her ability to provoke the adult characters in the book. She asks them pointed questions and draws their attention‚ and the reader’s‚ to the denied or overlooked truths of the adult world. In general‚ children in The Scarlet Letter are portrayed as more perceptive
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Romanticism in The Scarlet Letter “The Scarlet Letter” written by Nathaniel Hawthorn is a book about a woman named Hester Prynne and her life after she is found guilty of committing adultery. Hawthorn uses romanticism throughout his novel often using symbols‚ fanciful objects and nature. The scarlet A‚ Hester’s daughter pearl and the rose bush are all examples of this. The scarlet A is first described to the reader in Chapter Two. It is very extravagant and decorative despite its purpose; which
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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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Sadomasochists Will Not Be Satisfied With The Scarlet Letter “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor‚ both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death” (Leviticus 20:10). Puritans carried this Biblical credence to the very letter. Puritans were all about order in their society‚ achieved through strict laws and rules. The love between a married couple equated moral and religious duties (eHow)‚ and so when adultery was
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Literature 9 April 2014 ‘The Scarlet Letter’ as a Tragedy The Scarlet Letter is a literature monument of the American Romantic era. The intensely tragic drama‚ written by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ has been analyzed by American literature analysts and critics alike. The aim of this paper is to specifically highlight the tragedy it narrates. Tragedy‚ considered to be the highest poetic element by Aristotle‚ has elements and characteristics portrayed in the text of The Scarlet Letter‚ that the weave of the
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In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel‚ The Scarlet letter‚ we are presented to a Puritanical society that resides adulteress Hester Prynne‚ whom must wear a scarlet letter to mark her shame. Within the novel‚ Hawthorne uses detailed descriptions of nature and introduces comprehensive characters such as Arthur Dimmesdale and Pearl with the intention of portraying the central message of good versus evil. To begin‚ Hawthorne illustrates the images of the brook and the forest to put emphasis on the
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Such is the case with the youthful Pearl from the novel The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorn. As the daughter of the adulteress Hester Prynne‚ the townspeople view Pearl as a demon in an angel’s clothing; as an imp who not only knows exactly what the letter "A" signifies on the breast of her mother‚ but as the demon who placed it there as well. They also believe Pearl uses this information against Hester by constantly mentioning the letter in order to make Hester extremely uncomfortable. This is
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The Scarlet Letter Essay Topics Below I have given you several essay topics on The Scarlet Letter. Choose one and compose an essay in response to the questions it raises. The essay should be 3-5 pages in length‚ should be carefully proofread‚ and should follow the guidelines defined by MLA. Due Tuesday‚ September 27‚ 2011‚ at the beginning of class. 1. Explain how The Scarlet Letter may be read as a “psychological novel.” You may want to focus on the psychological nature of one or two
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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter has much to instruct psychoanalysts and psychotherapists‚ probably no other American novel lends itself so well to an study in gravity of the dynamics‚ conflicts‚ and aggressive attribute of shame. Hawthorne‘s novels deal with persons caught in a fight between individual desires and the ethical weight of society‚ a struggle which the being usually loses. More importantly‚ Hawthorne‘s characters are secluded individuals‚ who refuse society‘s principles but
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Jonathan Alessi 10/16/11 Period 4 Who Are You?: An analysis of identities in The Scarlet Letter Identity‚ what is it? Is it a name? Is it defined by what we do‚ where we work or how hard we play? Is identity categorized by a moment from our past or is it defined by the present? Is identity of a person only one definite thing or is it dependent upon the observer? According to Nathaniel Hawthorne identity is definite‚ unchangeable‚ and can be defined by one single moment in a person’s life
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