Nathaniel Hawthorne is widely known for his mysterious, symbolic, and thought provoking work. Contrary to popular belief, he was not born Nathaniel Hawthorne but in fact added the W in his last name in order to unlink himself from his lineage. Specifically, Hawthorne’s uncle, John Hathorne, was a judge in the Salem Witch Trials. Foreseeing judgment for his family name, Hawthorne had the bright idea to transform it so, in turn, his literary work would be viewed unbiased and he would get the credit…
are little previews into one’s persona and each subsequent meeting helps further develop towards one’s last impression. Which is an ideal that eventually contributes to the bigger picture of who a person actually is. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne emphasizes Dimmesdale as a pivotal character who embodies qualities from both the good and the bad. Throughout the novel, the author displays Dimmesdale as a contradictory character in the means of how his actions refute his high position…
Diverging A Nathaniel Hawthorne composed a voluminous quantity of arts during his lifetime. Hawthorne was a gifted American author. He was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts to a family with a long New England history. Hathorne was his given name at birth. Nathaniel added a 'w ' to distinguish himself from his family’s history. The Hathorne’s legacy was one of strict Puritanism. Hawthorne used his religious teachings to create works encountering those aspects of humanity. His writings…
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s main motto in The Scarlet Letter is “be true, be true, be true, show freely to the world.” Pearl, Hester Prynne’s daughter, and Roger Chillingworth, Hester Prynne’s estranged husband, have similar roles throughout the novel, yet they have extremely different motives and tactics in order to achieve their goals. Pearl and Chillingworth both have the task of attempting to get Hester Prynne, a young mother and accused adulteress, and Arthur Dimmesdale, a Puritan minister, to be…
When Nathaniel Hawthorne set out to write “The Great American Novel” in the late 1840s, he knew a level of complexity would be necessary to convey the many aspects of each character. Hawthorne achieved this level of complexity partially by using visible characteristics to show the internal development of each character. Throughout the novel, Hester Prynne evolves from a position of pure, haughty defiance to a more resigned, complacent position in society. Hawthorne uses Hester’s beauty and outward…
The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne was and still is one of the most influential writers of all time. Although Hawthorne is often recognized for his successful novel, The Scarlet Letter, he became noticed for his excellence in short stories. One of the most commonly mentioned is “Young Goodman Brown” published in 1835, fifteen years earlier than The Scarlet Letter. Blending isolation and sin, “Young Goodman Brown” displays a theme of sin and felt the isolation from others after confessing…
In this quote, Hawthorne uses symbolism to convey the differences between Puritanism and nature. The prison, which is ugly and overgrown with weeds, represents Puritanism as cold and unforgiving. A metaphor also describes the prison as a black flower of society. Black represents sin, and the prison is a black flower because it feeds on sin. In stark contrast, the beautiful rose-bush embodies the forgiving demeanor of nature. Prisons punish sin, while nature forgives sin. This quote is an allusion…
The Prison Door: Throughout “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne there are many symbols that are used to represent a bigger idea or create a mood or emotion. In the first chapter we are introduced to the first symbol. Hawthorne uses the prison door to symbolize the idea of a strict Puritan society and the harsh punishments for sin in the Puritan age. Hawthorne symbolizes this through the description of the prison door. “A throng of bearded men, in sad- colored garments, and gray, steeple-…
Seckler 10.23.15 Living on the Edge Who sets the social standards in a society: the people or the institution? Do individuals have real influence or do they blindly follow along? Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter, explores the individual versus society through the lense of Puritan life in the 1600s. Hawthorne not only criticizes society in general but also specifically targets authority by making the Church seem hypocritical. In the novel, Hester Prynne, a woman living in 17th century…
The Effects of Symbolism The Scarlet Letter is the magnum opus of Nathaniel Hawthorne and one of the most groundbreaking creations in American literature. As Hawthorne takes a society established to be a role model for all other immigrants like a City upon a Hill, he challenged the religious and political basis that formed our great nation. Simultaneously he discusses the morality, and moreover the immorality of the human race as a whole. The Scarlet Letter as a whole is an allegory of sin and…