Literary Criticism of The Scarlet Letter E.P. Whipple- author of “Review of ‘The Scarlet Letter’‚ a Romance”- essentially describes Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter as a genius work of art by letting the reader see the near and far side of the spiritual laws‚ and praises Nathaniel Hawthorne for creating such an intensifying and objective novel. Whipple reminds us of the first part of the book when Nathaniel Hawthorne reminiscences about his times in the Old Custom House of Salem‚ Massachusetts
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In a novel of sin and redemption‚ symbolism is used to broaden the significance of certain aspects. Throughout The Scarlet Letter‚ Hawthorne uses a barrage of themes‚ motifs‚ and symbolisms. These images help to unify the novel and enrich the meaning behind the work. Early in the novel‚ Hawthorne refers to iron‚ oak‚ chains mainly to demonstrate the Puritanism that takes place in the novel. However‚ he also uses these symbolic items to display the bonds between characters and what they believe in
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misinterpretation of who she really is. In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Pearl is seen as an unworldly creature‚ incapable of any good. Her personality is unusual and difficult to comprehend‚ which prompts the puritanical society to question her ethical development. Pearl is constantly viewed as a mischievous elf-child by all the Puritans in Boston‚ yet Hawthorne intensely compares her to a glorious work of art. She is the representation of the Scarlet letter in human form. A child who is as significant
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The Scarlet Letter: The Theme of Punishment Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter deals with many themes‚ the most powerful being punishment. In this novel‚ Hester Prynne becomes a highly respected person in a Puritan society by overcoming one of the harshest punishments‚ the scarlet letter. This object on "her bosom"; however‚ does the exact opposite of that which it was meant for. Eventually‚ Hester Prynne inverts all the odds against here due to her
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The role of Pearl in the Scarlet Letter This essay will be analysing the significance of the selected passage as well as emphasizing how this passage helps give the reader a more vivid insight to the lives of the protagonists of the Scarlet Letter as well as developing the plot further. The passage‚ taken from Chapter 16‚ “A Forest Walk‚” is illustrative of the role Pearl plays in the text. It is also an insight on the significance of the scarlet letter as a symbol. Pearl is aware of things that
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Whether it is in symbolism or dialogue; speculation‚ imagination‚ freedom from judgment‚ and non-conformity are all used in the Scarlet Letter. These can be used to prove that Hawthorne’s assessment of The Scarlet Letter being a work of romanticism was correct. In the Scarlet letter‚ it displays uses of values and intuition over reasoning through Pearls questioning of Dimmesdale‚ and in Hester’s concerns about Chillingworth. From the beginning Pearl always asks her mother why Dimmesdale always holds
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The preface to Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ “The Custom House”‚ serves to introduce the society and times in which the story is set; also‚ this essay provides the background story for the finding of the scarlet letter. The Custom House also provides a definition of what a romance is. Excerpts from “The Custom House” essay closely link to The Scarlet Letter’s text. Two notable examples of these parallels can be found in the descriptions given of the townspeople in Salem who live by ancient moral
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EXAMINE THE SCARLET LETTER AS AN OPEN-ENDED NOVEL Hawthorne wrote during the Romantic Period in American literature which lasted from 1830 to 1865. Ralph Waldo Emerson‚ Henry David Thoreau‚ Herman Melville‚ Harriet Beecher Stowe‚ Edgar Allen Poe‚ and Walt Whitman were his literary contemporaries. The Scarlet Letter is considered a piece of American Romantic literature because it is set in a remote past‚ the Puritan era 200 years prior to Hawthorne’s time‚ and because it deals with the interior
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The Scarlet Letter‚ Pearl is endowed with the proclivity to unveil the truth that shrouds the sinners of the Puritan society‚ especially those of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Pearl‚ a product of two sinners’ passion‚ is cast aside from the harsh Puritan society‚ which envelops her in the utmost freedom that is neither confined by Puritan laws nor thinking. In truth‚ Pearl is able to induce philosophical insight into human nature through her connection and fascination with the scarlet letter
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In the novel “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Hawthorne makes Hester the most “free” character by showcasing her transformation from ostracized sinner to an able woman of her letter in order to display the idea that repressed sin destroys the soul while openness and honesty sets a soul free. Hester was not burdened with the internal guilt that consumed her “fellow sinner”‚ Arthur Dimmesdale‚ because she had to wear her sin openly on her chest‚ forcing her to confront her sin and the stigma
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