The Scarlet Letter
Josh Bauman
October 1, 2017
Hawthorne, N. (2009). The Scarlet Letter. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote this book because he read almost every book and document in the Salem Athenaeum. He researched the role in history of his ancestors who were among the original settlers of the Massachusetts Bay colony. He also found out that his ancestors found a woman guilty of adultery and she was sentenced to wear a red letter “A” as a brand of her sinfulness. Nathaniel Hawthorne was trying to explain the story in 1642 how the Puritan colony awaits the public humiliation of a sinner among them.
Hester Prynne (the woman found guilty) was to stand on the scaffold in the village square holding her baby for three hours with the letter “A” embroidered on her dress. Hester then …show more content…
On average it takes the reader one hour and fifteen minutes to read the essay. It is very hard to comprehend and is recommended to be read in two or three sittings. The rest of the book by itself will require ten hours for the average reader. The novel consists of twenty-four chapters of various lengths. Hawthorne tells the story through symbolism and imagery. The most important symbol is scarlet letter itself. It represents the various layers of meaning that Hawthorne wants to convey through the predicament of Hester Prynne. Hawthorne never truly defines what the symbol stands for. It is often referred to as “the mark”, “a certain token”, “the letter A”, “the scarlet letter”, “the red letter” and “the ignominious letter”. The symbolism of the heart assumes another huge part in The Scarlet Letter. Arthur Dimmesdale is dependably observed with his hand over his heart. He is supposed to have engraved “A” on his heart, which Chillingworth has a look at when the clergyman is sleeping and towards the end when the pastor dies and a few people see “A” on his
Josh Bauman
October 1, 2017
Hawthorne, N. (2009). The Scarlet Letter. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote this book because he read almost every book and document in the Salem Athenaeum. He researched the role in history of his ancestors who were among the original settlers of the Massachusetts Bay colony. He also found out that his ancestors found a woman guilty of adultery and she was sentenced to wear a red letter “A” as a brand of her sinfulness. Nathaniel Hawthorne was trying to explain the story in 1642 how the Puritan colony awaits the public humiliation of a sinner among them.
Hester Prynne (the woman found guilty) was to stand on the scaffold in the village square holding her baby for three hours with the letter “A” embroidered on her dress. Hester then …show more content…
On average it takes the reader one hour and fifteen minutes to read the essay. It is very hard to comprehend and is recommended to be read in two or three sittings. The rest of the book by itself will require ten hours for the average reader. The novel consists of twenty-four chapters of various lengths. Hawthorne tells the story through symbolism and imagery. The most important symbol is scarlet letter itself. It represents the various layers of meaning that Hawthorne wants to convey through the predicament of Hester Prynne. Hawthorne never truly defines what the symbol stands for. It is often referred to as “the mark”, “a certain token”, “the letter A”, “the scarlet letter”, “the red letter” and “the ignominious letter”. The symbolism of the heart assumes another huge part in The Scarlet Letter. Arthur Dimmesdale is dependably observed with his hand over his heart. He is supposed to have engraved “A” on his heart, which Chillingworth has a look at when the clergyman is sleeping and towards the end when the pastor dies and a few people see “A” on his