“The ‘A’ Is For Able”
The mantra of the Era of Romanticism is “Imitation is suicide”, Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates the need to be an individual in his novel The Scarlet Letter. At the time, puritans were forced by the pressures of society and the church to lead these sinless lives in order to reach their ultimate goal and transcend their mortal lives.. In the story, Puritans followed the example set by the church and lived what society considered a perfect life. In short, Puritans have idea of purity thrust upon them when in reality purity can not be obtained through following the masses. Hester Prynne, the protagonist, strays from the beaten path and separates herself from society in life rather than in death. Hawthorne’s idea that the …show more content…
Still it is Hester is ostracized from society. Hester wears a crimson “A” for all to see, marking her as an adulteress, a warning to those of a pure faith. However the “A” does not serve as a warning sign at first, but rather as a symbol of fascination. The puritans were fascinated with the golden embroidery and lush scarlet fabric. In Chapter six of The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne elaborates on the beauty and vibrance of both the letter and Pearl, “however white and clear originally, they had taken the deep stains of crimson and gold, the fiery lustre, the black shadow, and the untempered light of the intervening substance.” (Ch 6 Hawthorne).In the story, the red is a constant symbol of Hester’s pride, often mistaken for her sin or seen as a her downfall when actually her pride is what allows Hester to endure the torment of their lifeless society and ultimately transcend it. The gold embroidery surrounding the thread is representative of Hester’s virtue. Her virtue is what people see before her “downfall”. She dies so much for the people that hate her and separate themselves from her that they begin to see her more as a saint and caregiver than a sinner. Hetster is an example of someone who is pure without following the rules of a puritan society. …show more content…
The contrast in words is present because Hawthorne wanted to accentuate the the religious restrictions of the time versus the freedom to think and to be of Hester and her family. Within the first paragraph of the story, Hawthorne describes the town as a desolate place where religion is the foundation upon which puritans live their lives at impossible standards, “A throng of bearded men, in sad-coloured garments and grey steeple-crowned hats, inter-mixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes” (Hawthorne Ch 1). Using words such as “gray” “Bareheaded” and others negative words paint the picture of a bleak and dreary town. Hawthorne also uses the last phrase “and studded with iron spikes” to convey the sense of being trapped to that Puritans feel with their own religion. In contrast to when Hester comes face to face with an angry mob and they see her with a child in arms and her “A” worn proudly on her breasts,
The mantra of the Era of Romanticism is “Imitation is suicide”, Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates the need to be an individual in his novel The Scarlet Letter. At the time, puritans were forced by the pressures of society and the church to lead these sinless lives in order to reach their ultimate goal and transcend their mortal lives.. In the story, Puritans followed the example set by the church and lived what society considered a perfect life. In short, Puritans have idea of purity thrust upon them when in reality purity can not be obtained through following the masses. Hester Prynne, the protagonist, strays from the beaten path and separates herself from society in life rather than in death. Hawthorne’s idea that the …show more content…
Still it is Hester is ostracized from society. Hester wears a crimson “A” for all to see, marking her as an adulteress, a warning to those of a pure faith. However the “A” does not serve as a warning sign at first, but rather as a symbol of fascination. The puritans were fascinated with the golden embroidery and lush scarlet fabric. In Chapter six of The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne elaborates on the beauty and vibrance of both the letter and Pearl, “however white and clear originally, they had taken the deep stains of crimson and gold, the fiery lustre, the black shadow, and the untempered light of the intervening substance.” (Ch 6 Hawthorne).In the story, the red is a constant symbol of Hester’s pride, often mistaken for her sin or seen as a her downfall when actually her pride is what allows Hester to endure the torment of their lifeless society and ultimately transcend it. The gold embroidery surrounding the thread is representative of Hester’s virtue. Her virtue is what people see before her “downfall”. She dies so much for the people that hate her and separate themselves from her that they begin to see her more as a saint and caregiver than a sinner. Hetster is an example of someone who is pure without following the rules of a puritan society. …show more content…
The contrast in words is present because Hawthorne wanted to accentuate the the religious restrictions of the time versus the freedom to think and to be of Hester and her family. Within the first paragraph of the story, Hawthorne describes the town as a desolate place where religion is the foundation upon which puritans live their lives at impossible standards, “A throng of bearded men, in sad-coloured garments and grey steeple-crowned hats, inter-mixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes” (Hawthorne Ch 1). Using words such as “gray” “Bareheaded” and others negative words paint the picture of a bleak and dreary town. Hawthorne also uses the last phrase “and studded with iron spikes” to convey the sense of being trapped to that Puritans feel with their own religion. In contrast to when Hester comes face to face with an angry mob and they see her with a child in arms and her “A” worn proudly on her breasts,