Badge of shame

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is an exploration into the protagonist, Hester Prynne. It further examines her intrinsic persona and how internal and external forces affect her and how it transforms the mindsets of those later. Very little is revealed about Hester previous to her affair. Released from prison, Hester appears before the puritan community on a platform where she is to be publicly scorned, exposing the scarlet “A” for adulterer is embroidered on the breast of her garment.…

Sin in the Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter, a historical fiction novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a hopeless tale of one Hester Prynne, who committed adultery and now has to pay for her crime, and her relationship with the rest of the characters in the book; this reveals how a harsh society can ruin lives. The negative impact of committing sin and secret-keeping is seen throughout the entire tale of The Scarlet Letter; it is portrayed through Hester’s fate, the intertwined lives of…

Although the letter’s effect on Hester deviates, the scarlet letter’s original purpose is to shame Hester into revealing the name of her accomplice in her crime by making an example of her. c. I made a smoother transition from my thesis to the context behind the original purpose of the scarlet letter. 7. It is also made to isolate Hester, its distinct…

Isolation in the Scarlet Letter No.2 The Scarlet Letter tells the narrative of the adulterous Hester Prynne and the discipline she endures because of her Puritan community, a community committed to the purification of society. In Hester's community, the wrongdoing of one individual is thought to be the sin of each person. Because of this, the whole community is committed punishing the heathen, and simultaneously, cleansing themselves of the stain she brings. Hester is sentenced to wear always…

Being shunned in your own home can make you go crazy, but Hester Prynne pushes through her rough life after committing adultery and shows the Puritans that she isn’t all bad. After committing adultery, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter to show the crime she committed. Hester and the minister committed adultery and for this Pearl will never know her father and they will live their lives in loneliness. Growing up as a Puritan that was all Hester knew of, but after committing her sin…

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is set during Puritan times, the main character is a female named Hester Prynne. Hester is accused of adultery, and is sentenced to a life of shame, so she is forced to wear a scarlet ‘A’ on her bosom. Through The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne demonstrates that the very condition of being human makes one vulnerable to hypocrisy. Although Puritan laws ban a show of wealth through physical items, such as fancy clothing, there are many instances of which…

Color, a powerful tool in the hands of an author, can completely alter the mood of a scene with a single hue. Run by the mindset of inescapable sin, the Puritan community of Boston in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, thrives upon the monochromatic shades that paint its corrupted principles. Hawthorne uses color strategically to create an ominous atmosphere following the experiences of Hester Prynne, a young woman guilty of committing adultery while simultaneously uncovering Boston’s…

Imagine committing a sinful crime and being publicly shamed for it until death. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel set in the area of present day Boston, Massachusetts, in the 1800s. The story surrounds the life of Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman who has committed adultery and had a child with an unknown man. This specific act of sin was frowned upon in the Puritan culture, so the punishment Hester received was public humiliation by wearing a red letter ‘A’ on her chest at all…

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romantic novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is forced by Puritan leaders in Boston to wear the letter “A” across her chest as a punishment for her sin of adultery. Despite the isolation and humiliation she experiences in the town, Hester decides that this punishment is not enough, so she executes acts of penance. These acts add to her embarrassment, however, it is her own decision to punish herself. Hester is able to express herself in many ways, proving that the…

In The Scarlet Letter, there are three main characters that go by the names: Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. Pearl is the daughter of Hester Prynne, who committed adultery with Dimmesdale, therefore, she must wear a scarlet “A” on her breast. Chillingworth is the true husband of Hester Prynne and he may have some darker secrets than anyone had thought. All three of these names have their own cases of symbolism that is carried on throughout the whole novel. To begin with, Pearl is the…