Essay Test: The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne’s "The Scarlet Letter" is set in the early days of Puritan America. Hester Prynne‚ a seamstress‚ comes to the New World before her husband in order to prepare a place for them. During his absence‚ she develops a relationship with Arthur Dimmesdale‚ a rising minister in the newly founded Puritan community. Hester becomes pregnant. The novel is widely viewed to be a story about her trials and tribulations; however‚ critic Randall Steward argues
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the book‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ I think Nathaniel Hawthorne is making the scarlet letter seem so terrible and cruel for Hester. But as the book comes to a close‚ you realize that it has done some good things for Hester. Though this punishment of wearing a red “A” on your chest to show adultery seems cold‚ there were some positive outcomes and it was effective after all. In Massachusetts‚ during the 1600’s‚ Hester Prynne is punished for adultery by having to carry around a scarlet “A” on her chest
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Sin in The Scarlet Letter Since the dawn of time people have read‚ studied and enjoyed books in which the hero or heroes fall from grace. No matter who those heroes are- the human race in The Bible‚the demon prince Lestat in Anne Rice’s "Vampire Chronicles"or a certain Thane of Cawdor in "Macbeth"- sin plays a greatpart in all of their downfalls and subsequent ressurections.And the three main characters in Hawthorne’s "The Scarlet Letter"-Dimmesdale‚ Chillingsworth
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The Scarlet Letter Analytical Essay By: Lydia Burkhart By reading and analyzing the Scarlet Letter and “Young Goodman Brown”‚ it can be inferred that the general influence of both stories is constant monitoring and harsh scrutiny from the community and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s experiences of the loss of innocence‚ the acts of sin and the punishment from the community that comes not long after. There is also the belief that everything outside of their town is deep and dark; very few
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mistakes. So‚ no one person can rightfully point their finger in judgement‚ when he too has fallen short of perfection. In The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne contrasts between outward appearance and inner secrets using elaborate symbolism‚ distinct irony‚ and theatrical dialogue to develop his argument that hypocrisy is eminent in all societies. The Scarlet Letter portrays the townspeople as a fierce and judgmental group symbolizing the hypocritical characteristics in the members of a society
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people interested in reading The Scarlet Letter for years to come. In writing this book he used themes evident throughout the entirety of the novel. These themes are illustrated in what happens to the characters and how they react. By examining how these themes affect the main characters‚ Hester‚ Dimmesdale‚ and Chillingworth‚ one can obtain a better understanding of what Hawthorne was trying to impress upon his readers. The first theme expressed in The Scarlet Letter is that even well meaning deceptions
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Scarlet Letter: Guilt Will Destroy “Be true to yourself‚ and everyone else” This is the main point that the author of the “Scarlet Letter‚” Nathaniel Hawthorne is trying to convey when he says “Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world‚ if not your worst‚ yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred! (200).” One can come back and learn from their mistakes‚ and their sin. In the novel‚ Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale both commit the same crime. The difference is that‚ everyday
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8-18-13 AP English The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter is a story that characters have to live and deal with the effects of sin in different ways. Of all the characters in the book‚ the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is the character represented as the most weak. He is a much stronger guy than he is given credit for. The amount of control he has over handling and dealing with burdens is out of this world. The first time we see Dimmesdale‚ he is represented as a very nervous and sensitive
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In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter the story takes place in Puritanical America where the young Hester Prynne‚ after committing adultery is punished on the basis of what the town thinks is right. She is simultaneously a part of the town and is also pushed away from it. Hawthorne explores the theme of liminality between society and nature through the motif of setting to convey the isolation that comes with sin. The scaffold (where Hester stands to face her consequences)‚ Hester and Pearl’s
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In this book all the good stuff goes down in the woods. Nature is almost like a character in the world of The Scarlet Letter. It is often personified as listening‚ commenting on‚ and interacting with other characters. The society itself (Puritan Boston society) is like an island surrounded by nature. The town is bordered on one side by a huge expanse of woods‚ home to Native Americans (the Wampanoag tribes). On the other side lies the big blue Atlantic Ocean. From the beginning of this story‚ our
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