Passion is a double edged sword; on one side there is a serendipitous fantasy like rush of delight while on the other, a deadly reality. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynee and Mr. Dimmesdale exemplify the notion of passion being multifaceted; specifically through their ignominious act of adultery and the consequences thereafter. In both cases, the act of adultery proves fatal, but specially for Mr. Dimmesdale, the minister of the Puritan community, it leads to a psychosomatic disorder and masochistic behavior. As a consequence of his adulterous actions and going astray from his religious beliefs, Mr. Dimmesdale shrivels away: becoming merely a shadow of the man whom he once was.…
In the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne there are many concepts that show throughout the book. Some of the concepts are judgment and isolation, these two concepts show up the most throughout the book mostly with Hester. It is either that Hester is being judged about her crime and sin she had committed. Also Hester sometimes feels that she has to isolate herself from the rest of the colony because she is sort of an outcast. Hester Prynne is not the only character in the book that shows these concepts so does Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth.…
Character development shows how a character changes negatively or positively. Also, how they can respond to helpful or harmful comments or actions. Hester is a very strong and respectful person. She is very thoughtful, because she donated food and clothes to people who were in need. Even though she committed a crime of adultery, and was humiliated.…
Every society has certain standards and social norms which are acceptable and those which are not. As a result, people often will conform to comply with the standards which are socially acceptable. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, conformity is a central theme demonstrated by several characters. One character in particular who is plagued with guilt and tries to conform is Arthur Dimmesdale. This character experiences tension between conforming outwardly while questioning inwardly.…
The Scarlet Letter Draft “All greatness of character is dependent on individuality. The man who has no other existence than that which he partakes in common with all around him, will never have any other than an existence of mediocrity”-James Fenimore Cooper. Throughout the Romantic novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne establishes the idea individuality and conformity and how it defines one’s identity. By utilizing a cast of characters such as the young adultress, Hester Prynne and her secret lover, and young minister Arthur Dimmesdale, Hawthornes illustrates the internal struggle concerning one’s identity and position in society.…
Suffering in Silence Guilt is a universal human experience. Stealing food from other family members, telling a white lie, forgetting a close friend’s birthday, cheating on your significant other - these are examples of situations that cause guilt to different degrees. The varying intensity of guilt dictates how one allows their action to effect them. In some cases, guilt hardly has an affect on an individual, while in others it can crush a person. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, guilt looms over Hester Prynne after committing the scandalous sin of adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale.…
The great victim of togetherness is the one who feels like he does not belong. In Puritanical society, public humiliation and confession are staples of the group. This is a result of the theme of conformity and a lack of self responsibility. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, The society demonstrates the theme of conformity by adopting turn on forgiving attitude toward others, by alienating sinners, and by discouraging individualism. The townspeople are not quick to forgive.…
In the "Scarlet Letter", written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the characters, Hester Prynne and Roger Chillingworth exhibits a plethora of examples of rugged individualism. Hester Prynne is an "inmate" of a puritan crime, that she committed as an adulteress. Her husband, Roger Chillingworth, disappeared and his fate remained to be unknown. Hester Prynne believing he's gone for good, becomes involved with another man and then becomes pregnant with his baby. She now has to raise a child on her own, due to the paternal father not wanting to face his own embarrassment and disappointment to all the townspeople.…
This alludes to the idea of original sin. Man is born sinful. Puritans believed we lived in a “fallen” world. The result of sin is always punishment and suffering.…
Symbolism has been in human history since the very beginning, especially in books and poems. It is a way to teach and reach a better understanding of our world or an idea. Nathaniel Hawthorne provides many examples of symbolism in his novel, The Scarlet Letter. Every character provides a different idea, but they are all related and share the topic of sin. You might ask what the scarlet letter, the central symbol of the book, could mean.…
Remember when you were little, and you broke your mom’s favorite vase, or stole some candy out of the candy jar? Then your mom, asked whether you did the act, but you insisted that you hadn 't. Then, as time went on, you felt bad, that you didn’t tell the truth. Well, that’s called guilt, and it has a different way of affecting people. When people do wrong, such as sinning, they tend to feel guilty, and the guilt can affect them in different ways.…
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was written in a time when conformity was necessary for survival, while individuality was condemned. Those who conform to society do so because they fear being different and value being accepted. Those who choose not to conform, are often punished, whether that meaning literally or socially. Those who fear differences, humiliate and ridicule those who are different and use them to scare others to stick to the social norm. It is necessary for societies to possess strong individuals even though they struggle against it.…
Universal Truths of the Human Condition The Scarlet Letter, although written in the 1850’s, continues to speak truly about many universal truths of the human condition. The Novel displays all-consuming effects of guilt on a sinner and how it can be worse than the punishment itself, although religion can guide a person, it can not guide a government, and that no person is without sin. As displayed by Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, guilt can affect a person worse than the punishment for the crime. After committing adultery, Dimmesdale attempts to keep it hidden from the community for fear of execution.…
Her sin has determined the letter to be worn on her bosom. As a seamstress the letter took a lot of time, patience and skill to make and she wont take it off because that letter has a price. Quote 5: "But there is a fatality, a feeling so irresistible and inevitable that it has the force of doom, which almost invariably compels human beings to linger around and haunt, ghostlike, the spot where some great and marked event has given the color to their lifetime; and still the more irresistibly, the darker the tinge that saddens it." Chapter 5, pg. 73 - Human life’s are not perfect they always have “something hard” carrying on themselves, where a color to their life’s makes a difference.…
“‘The judgment of God is on me,’ answered the conscience-stricken priest. ‘It is too mighty for me to struggle with!’. ‘Heaven would show mercy,’ rejoined Hester, ‘hadst thou but the strength to take advantage of it.’”. In the Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale cannot handle the guilt of his sin and when Hester offers advice to help him deal with his sin like she did, he cannot accept it. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale allows his guilt to consume him because he is unable to deal with it, as he physically deteriorates his mind is weakening, it plays tricks on him causing hallucinations and torturous visions.…