The Scarlet Letter Essay

Why did the author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne feel the need to include Pearl in his story? Hester and Dimmesdale could have committed adultery without having Pearl and risking getting caught. So why did Hawthorne feel the need to include Pearl in the story? Pearl isn’t just a character in the story, she has a huge role and is a symbol for the whole book. The significance of Pearl is a hidden meaning. A reminder of what Hester has done and of who she is; part of herself resides in…

force. Nathaniel Hawthorne is also the dark romantic author behind the literary classic, The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter is a novel that serves as a commentary on Puritan beliefs. Puritanism in The Scarlet Letter is unjust and extremely flawed compared to the popular religion of Catholicism. Although Puritans are thought to be sinless and constantly repenting, the characters in The Scarlet Letter are shown with a dark, evil, and sinful side. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s depiction of Puritanism…

I think that the character, Hester, in the scarlet letter, will be Forgiven as long as she wants to. I think this because she believed that God punished you for your sins, but then, when someone had a new theory that God can forgive you, then beliefs started to change. It was just a common belief for the puritans that God punished sinners and that you could become a sinner from being born. In the story Hester said “thou shalt forgive me”. This means that Hester believes that God will forgive her…

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne paints the image of a Puritan Boston which is at best spiritually zealous, and at worse, legalistic. Legalism, in its religious sense, is defined as “the judging of conduct in terms of adherence to precise laws...the doctrine that salvation is gained through good works” (“Legalism.”). In the novel, Hawthorne neither idealizes nor demonizes the Puritans as a whole, although he does attack specific instances of legalism and self-righteousness. Throughout…

Love never dies, but the people who seek revenge do. In two touching stories, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there is a lot to fight for. There are several symbols that are similar with these two pieces, but the differences in the stories keep the reader on edge. Love is a sensational strong bond between two people. Love can bring positive feelings, but it can also cause damage to a relationship. Too much love may lead to an affair, which…

changed over the years, or has it become stagnant? Does the feminism people fight for today correlate with the feminism that Nathaniel Hawthorne witnessed? And finally, does his novel, The Scarlet Letter reflect feminist viewpoints in a positive manner, or masked misogyny? The general consensus is that The Scarlet Letter was written as a pro-feminist novel, seeing as Hester Prynne is considered one of the first feminist role models in American literature. Hester was outcasted in her Puritan…

The Scarlet Letter is a historical fiction novel originally published in 1850 by Ticknor, Reed, and Fields. Written by Nathanial Hawthorne.(http://www.bartleby.com/br/83.html) The novel gives an inside look at the puritan religious structure and the impact of their belief. The setting of the narrative is taken in Boston, Massachusets in the middle of the seventeenth century. The narrator analyzes each character by telling their stories and introducing them to the reader. Yet, never introducing…

“The Crucible”, and “The Scarlet Letter”. Both of these stories give a similar portrayal of the Puritans, the freedom that can be won - or lost - by a symbol, and shows how sin, whether it be lying or adultery, can destroy you. However, these narratives also differ in many ways showing the differences in the roles of ministers in a community, how the community evidenced sin, and what the gender of convicted and 'convictor ' was. “The Crucible” and “The Scarlet Letter” show the 'evil ' and…

that he and Abigail had actually committed adultery. On page 1207 in Act 3 he explains this to the judge, “I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of good name- you will believe me.” The importance of reputation also applies in The Scarlet Letter. When Hester and her husband speak for the first time since the adultery had taken place he told he care more about his reputation. Her husband had wanted revenge and when Hester asked why he didn’t cast her off because he could as her…

Branded on her chest for all to see, Hester Prynne has to wear the letter A for the duration of the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Although it is not explicitly stated, Hawthorne makes it apparent that the letter stands for adultery. Her fellow sinner, Arthur Dimmesdale, her husband, Roger Chillingsworth, and her daughter, Pearl, are all physical manifestations of the letter A. Dimmesdale represents her guilt, Chillingworth represents her fear, and Pearl represents the good that…