Public Humiliation The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter share many themes that are still present in today’s society‚ such as the use of public humiliation as a punishment. Because of their sins‚ both John Proctor and Hester Prynn were alienated and punished by their peers and town leaders. The public humiliation that they faced helped shape the characters in the eyes of the reader and effected the way that they behaved and acted. In The Crucible John Proctor and the other towns people were punished
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Near the beginning of the Scarlet Letter‚ Hester was a passionate and proud woman. Her characteristics reveal themselves throughout her attire‚ attitude‚ and countenance. Hester openly expresses her love for freedom‚ which is encouraged by Romantics. However‚ as she grows older‚ she matures and her rough edges begin to smooth. Since she is permanently distanced from civilization by the Scarlet Letter‚ she becomes independent. Isolated from everyone‚ Hester becomes
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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ the author makes it clear the main idea is sin and guilt. In the puritan world sin is typically punished with death or embarrassment. Embarrassment is the punishment Hester Prynne was punished with. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbols throughout the book to support the main idea. Three symbols in The Scarlet Letter that supports this main idea is: The letter “A‚” Hester’s daughter Pearl‚ and colors. The most obvious symbol is the scarlet letter A. In
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In the novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Hester commits adultery‚ disobeying the Puritan laws‚ and is punished with two constant reminders of her sin‚ the scarlet A and her daughter‚ Pearl. Hawthorne characterizes Pearl with contrasting personalities and roles she plays in Hester’s life. Pearl’s conflicting personality components‚ innocence and defiance‚ both derive from her isolation from society‚ which resulted from her mother’s sin. Pearl represents the conflict between good and
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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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Scarlet Letter Chapter Summaries Chapter 1: The Prison Door The first chapter pretty much sets the scene for the rest of the book. It describes a door‚ the door to the prison in seventeenth century Boston. The door is studded with iron spikes and is surrounded with overgrown weeds and one rosebush. The narrator suggests that it’s a reminder of nature’s kindness to the prisoners. It says it will provide a “sweet moral blossom” in the face of distress. Chapter 2: The Market-Place The women
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wears the letter "A" pinned to her dress as a constant reminder of the sin she has commit which wears away at her heart. The Black Man symbolizes the devil and the evil that is present on Earth. In this quote Pearl who was a product of Hester’s sin asks her mother to tell her a story about the Black Man. In this situation Hester is once more reminded of what awaits her for sinning as the consequence of her sin asks her to tell a story. The story’s three major symbols include Pearl‚ the scarlet letter
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discussion. Chapter 3 1. Why is this chapter called "The Recognition?" Who recognizes whom? 2. Describe the man Hester sees in the crowd. 3. " ’A wise sentence!’ remarked the stranger . . ." (60). What is happening in the chapter at this point? What sentence is being discussed here? 4. Even though it is a "wise sentence‚" there is a problem. What is that problem the stranger finds? 5. What vow does the stranger take in his next few words? 6. What information is Master Dimmesdale expected
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A Feminist Perspective on the Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter is an important piece of literature which offers a notable contribution to all literature with it’s strong female main character and themes of misogyny‚ religious mania‚ and forgiveness. The summary by Mary Ellen Snodgrass in The Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature describes and summarizes this perspective. The excerpt speaks on Hester’s strong character and resistance against the patriarchal oppressive religious male stronghold
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Many of the major themes of The Scarlet Letter are introduced in the opening scene. Some of these themes were sin‚ nature’s kindness to the condemned and the dreary lifestyle of puritan society. The first chapter has little action but it sets up these major themes. The tone of the whole story was set in this chapter. The opening scene of The Scarlet Letter‚ many major themes were introduced. One of the major themes of The Scarket Letter was sin. Much of Puritan society was based on sin. The first
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