Artifice In The Scarlet Letter Essay

In a society where many people pride themselves on their honesty, condemning deceit as abhorrent and lies as cowardly, only a small percent glorify the ability to convincingly mislead others. While hiding behind lies is not the optimal approach, when used with a modicum of discretion, it can be the key to survival. In the widely read fictional story, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne’s use of artifice was the support she needed to keep both herself and her daughter, Pearl, alive. While Hester appeared chastised, wearing bland clothing and donning the Scarlet Letter, her thoughts did not reflect the demure persona she had adopted. Having lived in accordance to the Puritan scripture her entire life, Hester could not cope with her sudden ostracization …show more content…
Undercover officers are part of this endeavor, as they attempt to preempt dangerous crimes. However, undercover officers could never be successful in their job were it not for artifice. They rely on their ability to create a fake persona believable enough to fool criminals. This deception allows them to infiltrate large operations and report critical information back to their teammates. If this fake identity doesn’t incorrectly portray the officer, the criminals may compromise and kill the officer. Artifice is essential to undercover officers by enabling them to carry out their jobs and keep their community …show more content…
However, this is not true. Animals in the wild are also guilty of this with the use of camouflage and mimicry for survival purposes. The Fork-Tailed Drongo bird can mimic the call of meerkat predators, as well as the warning call of the meerkat, which they use to steal meerkat prey. The Lyre Bird can mimic almost any sound, including water, engines, cameras, and other birds. The Cuckoo bird mimics the call of a hawk to scare off smaller birds from their nest, allowing the Cuckoo to destroy the other birds eggs, lay their own, and then leave. The smaller bird will return to the nest and raise the Cuckoo’s eggs. The Leaf Fish, as its name suggests, mimics a leaf floating in water. It uses this tactic to hunt, devouring unsuspecting fish. And mimicry is not used only for hunting; it is also used in defense. The Robber Fly mimics the sound and coloration of large bumblebees to warn off predators. The Milk Snake has adopted the same coloration as coral snakes, highly venomous predators, to scare of potential threats. The Owl Butterfly has large eye spots surrounded by a brown mottled coloration, which gives the appearance of an owl eye and tree bark. And, the Mimic Octopus uses movement and coloration to mimic crabs, venomous sole, lion fish, sea snakes, jellyfish, sea anemones, mantis shrimp, and rocks. The adaption of biological artifice allows these