Nathaniel Hawthorne

Many authors use symbolism to portray themes throughout a novel. This occurred in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter. The book took place during the Puritan time period which lasted from the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries. The Scarlet Letter is about the main character, Hester Prynne, who commited the crime of adultery. She was publicly shame punished by the community for the felony which she was involved in. The symbols used in this novel were crucial in reinforcing the central…

Has the definition of feminism 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…

The Ocean "The Ocean" written by Nathaniel Hawthorne was published in 1833. This poem describes the ocean and the symbolism that the ocean has. Being written over a century ago, this poem still describes the ocean as it stands today. The ocean is a very difficult place to conquer. It is always changing and is never the same. Hawthorne demonstrates these attributes to the ocean throughout his poem while giving in to a deeper meaning. Nathaniel Hawthorne is a very well-known author. One of…

In the short story “The Birthmark” the author Nathaniel Hawthorne gives the readers a quite cliché ending of a science experiment gone awry even in the mid 1800’s. The story zooms in on a young married couple; a vibrant scientist named Aylmer and his lovely wife Georgiana. Aylmer confesses to Georgiana that he isn’t fond of a small hand-like figure birthmark on her face. Aylmer believes he can remove the birthmark in a science experiment and make her as beautiful as nature intended her to be.…

There were many scientists in the past and many were successful and many were not. These scientists can be either portrayed positively and negatively in many ways. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of “The Birthmark”, Dr.Heidegger’s Experiment”, and “Rappaccini's Daughter”, portrays scientists negatively in these stories. Each of these allegories show how corrupt, inhumane, and manipulative scientist could be. In “The Birthmark”, Aylmer, a scientist married to Georgina, puts his love for…

In “The Birthmark,” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne expresses many themes to readers that appear in the short story. The main theme that occurs throughout the story derives from a request by one of the main characters. The fact that Aylmer says, “Georgiana, has it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed,” (Hawthorne 333) expresses that he wants his wife to look the way he wants her to. As the process of removing a birthmark is challenging, Aylmer, being the…

perceptions of romanticism in the preface to The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne speaks of a “neutral territory.” Hawthorne envisions the neutral territory as a dream-like state that exists between what is real and what is imagined. In the neutral territory, familiar, mundane objects transform and take on a foreign, mystical quality. It is through this mystical, romantic lens that Hawthorne finds the inspiration to write and to create. Hawthorne remarked that ". . . at such an hour, and…

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark," Hawthorne focuses on science vs nature, symbolism, and overall failure. Aylmer seems to believe science can achieve anything, and his craving to make his wife perfect is doomed from the start because only divine beings can achieve perfection. Aylmer is a brilliant but foolish scientist who decides to use science to make his beautiful wife perfect. Aylmer has accomplished many things that he seems to be proud of and willing to show off to Georgiana.…

In the “The Minister’s Black Veil” Nathaniel Hawthorne changes an ordinary black veil into a powerful symbol representative of the intangible barrier that exists between individuals. The veil is worn by the minister, Mr. Hooper, as a physical display of the psychological barrier. The black veil stands for fear and mistrust, that every person deals with while dealing with their own veiled sins. There are four main ways in which the meaning of the veil can stand for: the assumptions of the…

A sin is portrayed as a shameful thing, or is it? Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, is a fictional novel, published in 1850. In the seventh - century in Massachusetts, where the novel takes place, is in a deep rooted Puritan town of Salem. A new young mother to the community, Hester Prynne, has been punished among her Puritan community to be marked with a red letter A on her dress that carries shame and recognition along with it. Hester’s community demand to know who the father is…