read and were fans of Hawthorne’s through his good writings and his bad. He wanted to avoid any social biases in his writings because he could form some enemies and lose some fans. The arrangement of Hawthorne’s introduction is constructed to demonstrate his main purpose and his inspiration. The purpose of the piece was to explain on why he wrote “The Scarlett Letter” and to be informative as well. His purpose also was to explain his inspiration, which was the artifact while working in Salem’s Common House.…
F. O. Matthiessen argues that Hawthorne’s use of symbolism developed differences in people’s interpretations of the symbols. Matthiessen described it as “the device of multiple choice” meaning the reader can choose, based on his interpretation, what the symbol means to them. According to Matthiessen Hawthorne does not fully explain any of the symbols in The Scarlet Letter, he only leaves vague clues which lead the reader to interpret the symbol on their own. Therefore, many theories about the actual meaning arise and “with that Hawthorne leaves the reader to choose among these theories.” Moreover, Hawthorne himself does not accept his allegory even though he still finds it valid due to its psychological exactness.…
In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter, there are many events in which he uses to contrast one another in order to highlight certain aspects of the message he is trying to convey. Some people might say that the Scaffold would prove to be a suitable contrast to the Forest, however, the Town provides a much better contrasting element to the Forest; as truth is welcomed in the Forest and punished in the Town. That opinion is evident throughout the novel as the themes of secrets, nature, and the hypocrisy of the Puritan society exemplify it clearly. Throughout the novel, the foundation has been based upon two main points, humility and the impact of secrets on an individual character.…
Pearl refuses because this is all she knows of her and since her mother wears the a on her chest and always had she doesn't understand why it's not there and doesn't know what it means because she's a child. Pearl seems to see the letter on her mother's chest as a metaphorical lack of sunshine on her mother's life. She thinks that all grown women wear a scarlet letter and once she sees others do not she doesn't want to accept the symbol as being something to do with sin. She thinks it's a part of her mother, so she wants Hester to put it back on. Hester has worn this letter A on her chest to stand for the crime she committed and once in the beginning she's ashamed to wear it because who wants to wear something around all the time to let people know you've committed adultery?…
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn, many symbols are present. The largest and most know of the symbols is the scarlet letter A. The scarlet letter A was prominent thought out the whole story and was surrounded by other smaller symbols. The first third of "The Scarlet Letter" is when the scarlet letter is introduced along with the explanation surrounding it.…
He was an anti-transcendentalist, which meant he believed that humans were naturally evil, and society was good and needed. Most of his stories include anti-transcendentalist ideas and elements such as The House of the Seven Gables and The Minister’s Black Veil. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of the Wild Rosebush, Hester’s Cabin, and the Sunlight and the Forest to contribute to the overall theme of imperfection. To begin, Hawthorne uses the Wild Rosebush to contribute to the theme of imperfection. It is located outside of the town’s prison, so the bright red of the bush and the dullness…
The Mysterious Being! The first chapter of “The Scarlet Letter” sets in motion the rest of the story in a few aspects including; the setting, an imagined world, and hidden in the text, is Mother Nature. Something that one may overlook throughout simple daily life is the gift, protection, and unforgiveable powers of nature.…
Hawthorne’s Diversified Use of the Scarlet Letter Hawthorne’s use of symbolism within “The Scarlet Letter” constitutes the use of objects, characters, settings and etc. to help unfurl an extravagantly woven tale around the ‘moral’ of the book from beginning to end. Within this though Hawthorne’s use of symbolism is one at times that takes certain signature symbols within his stories and applies a different meaning of that symbol towards the characters within his stories such as the scarlet letter in this case. The scarlet letter is the main symbol of the book itself and Hathorne’s highbrow use of literary techniques helps to apply different meanings of the symbol to different characters which can be mainly seen through Hester, Dimmesdale and…
On this note, using a rosebush, Hawthorne shows the wonderful effects that can happen after sinning. The rosebush coming up from the ground in front of a prison shows that the criminals still get to see one last mark of beauty even after all their mistakes. When the narrator is describing when a person goes into the prison he describes the rosebush “with its delicate gems […] their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity…
In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses many symbols, for example the sunshine, the forest, and water. Symbols of things would be the scarlet letter itself and the symbols of places would be like the scaffold. Finally, symbols of people would include Dimmesdale and Pearl, also being a symbol, are one of the heavily symbolized characters in the book. Some of these symbols can help characters understand their lives or even foreshadow events that appear later in the story.. In this novel, the symbols are used frequently throughout the novel and help the reader understand the book bit by bit with each characters’ input.…
Hawthorne ensures the reader understands his theme of mortality. Throughout the story, Hawthorne makes much use of foreshadowing. He is foreshadowing the dangerous outcome of testing the limits of nature. Page 212 includes phrases such as “it was not unusual for the love of science to rival the love of woman” and “we don’t know if he wanted ultimate control…
To begin, Hawthorne uses the Wild Rosebush to contribute to the theme of imperfection. The Wild Rosebush in it’s beauty also has evil which means there’s…
Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story The Birthmark features Aylmer, a famed scientist, and Georgiana, a beautiful woman with a unique birthmark. Throughout the story, the couple delves into the world of science as Aylmer devotes himself to removing Georgiana’s birthmark with his experiments. Hawthorne purposely pokes at scientists who envision themselves as godlike, meaning that they can control nature at their will. As the story delves further and further into Aylmer’s madness, the distinction between nature and science is made clear. The Birthmark tells readers that although science can allude humans into taking they can determine fate, at the end of it all, the true destiny of everyone and everything relies on nature.…
Psychological Literary Criticism: Different Methods in which Individuals Respond to Shame Individuals respond differently from one another when society bestows shame upon them. Many, but not all, individuals utilize various coping mechanisms in order to deal with their guilt. For example, from a psychological perspective, Freud’s defense mechanisms protectively serve to reduce one’s anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality. Some individuals may practice repression and avoid any thoughts that remind them of their guilt, while others may practice displacement by trying to blame their guilt on someone else.…
Nathaniel Hawthorne is no different. In all of his literary works, symbols can be found that show the reader deeper meanings in his text. One example of this is the scarlet letter that Hester Prynne is required to wear in The Scarlet Letter. This letter comes to express many meanings. One such meaning is adultery.…