The Scarlet Letter Throughout The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne continually uses witchcraft and the devil as a theme. Hester Prynne‚ the main character‚ emerges from a prison in the first few pages of the book. So from the very beginning‚ it is known that she has committed a great sin of some kind. Many other characters other than Hester also have a connection with the dark side. It is this association with the devil that eventually brings about the demise of one of the major characters. Although
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Settings of Scarlet Letter The settings in The Scarlet Letter are very important in displaying the themes of the novel. The settings in this novel are almost characters‚ for they are an important part in developing the story. The scaffold‚ the forest‚ the prison‚ and Hester’s cottage are settings that show sin and its consequences result in shame and suffering. The scaffold shows how the punishment imposed on us by others may not be as destructive as the guilt we impose on ourselves. When Hester
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In Nanthaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ Hester‚ the main character‚ is forced to wear the letter A’ on her chest symbolizing her act of adultery with an unknown person. Through his novel Hawthorne sought to demonstrate how‚ under certain circumstances‚ the personal consequences of a crime may serve as sufficient punishment. In early Puritan America‚ adulterer’s generally suffered execution. Yet‚ in Hester’s case‚ she was only required to wear the scarlet letter as her husband and her lover
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The Scarlet Letter Analysis Throughout history‚ sinners and misfits have been alienated from society by the people of their community. Examples of people out casting others can be found in every day life from the odd peer at school to an adult who does not share the same opinions or ideas as the majority. In the 17th century‚ Puritans became an important part of American history. They had strict laws and punishments and wanted a government that could enforce public morality. In Nathaniel
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Damned if You Do‚ Damned if You Don’t: Contrast in the Scarlet Letter The Puritan society was known for it’s strict morals and religious piety. But despite these supposedly virtuous qualities‚ in the Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ we are shown how twisted this model of society is. The people torment Hester‚ but refuse to see that their beloved minister carries the same sin in his heart; in fact‚ they revere him all the more for it. In his chapters‚ “Hester at Her Needle‚” and “The
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There are many dichotomies that are found throughout the novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Many of the characters in the story present strong dichotomies like Pearl‚ Roger‚ and Hester who show two totally different perspectives of themselves. A dichotomy is the division of something or someone into two parts; it can be good and be bad at the same time. For example spiders‚ no one likes spiders around their house‚ but they can be a use for trapping and killing unwanted flies around
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After reading the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne I came to believe that Adultery is a terrible thing and can have very bad repercussions‚ especially in the early to mid 1700s. Back then committing adultery was a very serious offense to not the just the community but to your family also. Adultery used to destroy family relationships and to this day it still does. Adultery is also more of a religious problem but also goes into social and legal consequences. When it talks about social consequences
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only dead fish swim with the stream. -Malcolm Muggeridge. This famous quote justifies that to be an individual‚ one must break from society and think for himself‚ and only when he has done this‚ is he truly alive. Nathaniel Hawthornes novel The Scarlet Letter is about a courageous woman‚ Hester Prynne‚ and her struggle to split from society in order to live the loving life she has always wanted. By the use of symbolism‚ Hawthorne is effectively able to portray the forest‚ which promotes individuality
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The Scarlet Letter Human Nature falls into two categories: logic and feelings. Humans can split half and half or fall on the extreme end of the spectrum as Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays. The Romantics value impulse and natural intuition. They do not hold any value to reasoning through thinking or through study of literature. The Scarlet Letter‚ shows that Roger Chillingworth‚ Pearl and Hester Prynne characterize the perfect personalities to show a Romantic and Realist point of view. Presented as
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happens all around us. In your everyday life‚ in movies‚ on television‚ in literature‚ it’s everywhere! It can change you‚ someone you know‚ or someone you don’t know. It can even change the world! This axiom is shown in the American classic‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ in chapter 13‚ Hester Prynne was shocked by how different the clergyman had seemed. He had nearly lost his nerve. His moral strength had been reduced to that of a child. But then again‚ his mind was as strong as ever. Hester‚ with insight of
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