Scarlet Macaw

Throughout the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne explores themes of conformity through Hester Prynne´s various relationships. Hawthorne illustrates three relationships in which Hester can frequently be seen both conforming to and rejecting societal expectations regarding how a woman should act, and for different purposes. As is demonstrated throughout the novel, Hester will -by nature- resist norms and expectations, but can be seen conforming when doing so will ultimately benefit her. Hester…

Scarlet Letter Essay The word “object” has a tremendous amount of different meanings. One of them is, “A thing that has physical existence”. This definition is a nearly perfect description of Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Once Hester is forced to wear the scarlet letter, she is nothing more than just a physical existence. The way that townspeople originally treat Hester after her punishment is declared is truly shocking. Throughout most of the novel,…

Symbolism of The Scarlet Letter “A” “On a field, sable, the letter A, gules” (Hawthorne 259). The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story of a woman named Hester Prynne who overcomes the pestering punishment of wearing the scarlet “A”. This letter is given to her by the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester changes the symbolic meaning of the letter “A” from her sin of “adultery,” to being an “able” woman, to gracious, ultimately defining her own…

The effects of guilt can be seen at the beginning of the story in regards to the way that individuals in the colony perceive inappropriate actions. By first setting the stage by providing a context in which adultery is viewed as an extremely odious offense, Hawthorne creates an apt world which sets the stage for the rest of the story. As Puritan ideals that emphasize the need to remain accepted in society according to a strict set of values exist, so does the greater potential to be judged…

seventeenth century. During this era in American history, the religious Puritans had no tolerance for those who did not live by their rules and punished those individuals in an effort to keep Puritan morals in line. In the historical fiction novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne writes in satire about the iron spikes of Puritan law and conforming to such a society. Three of the main characters, Hester Prynne, her daughter, Pearl, and her lover, Reverend Dimmesdale, stand out from…

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a story entirely focused on public shame. During the time of the Puritans in the mid-1600s, ignominy was one way punishment was granted unto those who had committed sins. Ignominy, though a foreign word to many, is no old topic. Seen in nearly every aspect of society today, public shaming nearly completely controls the image society gives to those who have done wrong. The reputation of a poor action is on the shoulders of the wrongdoer for nearly the…

Mature or Responsible “In Analysis: Should the Government Change the Driving Age” When you look around the world all you see is regulations after regulations. For a while the state wanted to put a curfew on the teenagers. Is there such a thing as freedom? Why does the government want to control and change things? Things are going well enough as they are, why change? Although there are pros to changing the driving age to eighteen, there are more pros to keeping it the same and not changing it…

partially inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. Written by Bert V. Royal and directed by Will Gluck, the story follows a teenage girl after telling a white lie about losing her virginity and how it effects her life and those around her. The film premiered in 2010, winning both a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Comedy Film and an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance. Created as a modern adaptation to The Scarlet Letter, Easy A invents a creative and…

them in the Puritan society. Women were not viewed as strong, independent characters because that image was usually associated with men. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the main heroine, Hester, is an exception to the viewpoint of women being incompetent. Although the book is not entirely centered on women’s rights, The Scarlet Letter shows Hester as a courageous woman, and that contributes to the novel being perceived as feminist. Being strong was not a quality commonly…

The Scarlet Letter Through a Feminist Lens In a 17th century puritanical society one definitely does not get too much freedom. Especially if one is like that of Hester Prynne, an adulteress with a child from her affair. While Hester may be a cheater and stands for all of the things that are wrong in the world, there is two sides to every story. Hester could be seen as a hero, a 17th century feminist role model for all of the girls in the Puritan community despite the sins that she has…