many factors, such as societal misinterpretation, but is likely because many are not exposed to true feminist personalities found in classical writing. These personalities exist quite often, but very few as powerful as Hester Prynne, a character in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Hester was a young woman who moved to America in the seventeenth century to create a new life for herself. While waiting for her husband she committed the “great sin” of adultery. She was discovered of this…
people commit sins that are deemed unforgivable by society’s standards. However, it is not the sin that determines the way the person lives their life, instead it is the way that they go about handling the situation that surrounds them. In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's, The Scarlet Letter, a young woman named, Hester Prynne, committed adultery which stunned the pious community of Boston, MA. Arthur Dimmesdale, the idolized pastor of the church, was the secret lover of Hester Prynne, and the father of…
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the story of a young puritan woman, Hester Prynne, who commits adultery with a minister and bears a child into a small, judgmental town in the mid-1600s. The character of Hester Prynne changes a considerable amount throughout the novel. Although, three words that would undoubtedly describe her, are courageous, determined, and selfless. The Scarlet Letter presents a tale of love and betrayal set within the seventeenth century in Puritan, New…
humanity. But which one prevails in the end? In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses parallelism between symbols and characters, along with fulfilling of the rosebush motif to portray that stoicism can outlast both love and hate. Hawthorne employed three different symbols throughout The Scarlet Letter: a rosebush, iron, and wood. This clever repetition acts as a double-edged blade within the story. In the first chapter, Hawthorne tells the reader of a rosebush resting on the edge of a…
In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the Puritan society and its doctrine have dictated the people’s lives and makes their devotion to God to cause them to see the worse of its people. Hester Prynne, the main character, has her reputation ruined by committing adultery which causes the Puritan society to punish and continuously judge her. In addition, the minister Arthur Dimmesdale, is stuck between confessing to his sin of adultery or keeping it a secret which causes him to…
can put subtle pressure on the individual to abandon many of their personal choices in order to conform to the greater community. Hawthorne finds in the Scarlet Letter that “It is remarkable, that a persons speculate the most boldly often conform the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society” (Hawthorne 144). In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne contrasts Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale by exploring the different challenges they each face. While conforming to the…
to [attract hate and was] looked upon with awe [ . . . ]” (Hawthorne 225). Hester endures a lot of hatred throughout her life, but she compensates her mistakes and helps the Puritans in multiple ways. When Hester passes away, the Puritans bury her next to Dimmesdale, and they share a simple tombstone. Although Hester endures a lot of hatred throughout her life, she recompenses her mistakes and helps the Puritans in multiple ways. Hawthorne exploits the symbolism of the scaffold to enhance…
hypocritical people can be. Throughout most of the book the people sin, but they assume it’s alright since Hester’s is worse. This helps develop the story, symbols, and theme that is displayed throughout the book. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter using a descriptive, narrative style. Hawthorne chose this style to intricately explain a difficult topic: Adultery. The descriptiveness of the story is needed to see all the details of Hester’s sin and what her life is like afterwards. By…
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, has captivated the eyes of many readers for a myriad of decades. Although, the novel has a highly disputed origin, from Hawthorne’s personal life, to this day, it still maintains a highly praised status among many readers and critics. Hawthorne uses many gothic and romantic elements in his literary work, specifically how romantics postulate children as pure beings. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses children, being of the purest nature, as…
a vigil to the square to consider his guilty conscious. He climbs the scaffold and finds Hester and Pearl; Arthur admits his guilt but never confesses to the public. “Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom!” (Hawthorne 164). The readers of The Scarlet Letter know that Hester never stands as a happy person after she sins; she continually chastises herself for her crime. However, both Hester and Arthur wear scarlet letters that act as the consequences of their…