The Scarlet Letter

community. Original sin is said to be one thing that humans cannot escape; it has no exceptions. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne develops the story of Hester Prynne and Roger Chillingworth to explore sin in a Puritan Settlement. Hawthorne utilizes the romantic novel to depict just how indifferent Puritans could be toward sinners of their congregation in the 17th century. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne portrays sin as a passionate act that transforms individuals by displaying the…

Symbolism is a literary device where authors use different things, known as symbols to represent ideas in their writing. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, almost every important person, place, or item is a symbolism for an idea. Hawthorne uses an impressive amount of symbolism and has the ability to essentially create the novel’s story, moral, and theme through this symbolism. Some of the symbolism in the book is simple, and shallow such as sunshine and light symbolizing truth and…

As has been well established in The Scarlet Letter, there are sins and sinners galore, no matter your definition of it. Who is actually at fault for these sins, though? Should we put more blame on the sinner themselves, or maybe turn to look at the enforcers and the ones who encouraged and even perhaps helped the sinner commit their crime? Is there only one side to the story, or are there several? While it very well could be argued that Chillingworth/Dimmesdale/Hester is the sole person to…

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was written in a time when conformity was necessary for survival, while individuality was condemned. Hester Prynne is conflicted with the need to conform to the Puritan society and the desire to be an individual. These opposing factors illuminate Hawthorne’s meaning that one must eventually look past the conformity and find, as well as embrace their individual identity. Within the Puritan society, it is vital to conform in order to survive. The…

Pearl, a child born from sin and a living embodiment of the act itself, is a complex character in The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Pearl’s personality and actions throughout the novel are reflective of her surroundings, as ignorance to the sin which created her prevents any influence from the concept that her existence is a result of an act which those in a Puritan community find so repugnant that Hester is punished with being the permanent representation of adultery. The…

I will be writing about feminism. I’m going to explain what feminism is, how it relates to The Scarlet Letter, why it is important, Hawthorne’s view of women in the book, whether or not Hawthorne portrays women accurately, and will be providing specific examples from the book to support my analysis. Women have been discriminated against from the very beginning in my beliefs. It started out with Adam and Eve; Eve took the first bite of the apple not Adam. Now I’m not saying God is feminist but…

The Scarlet Letter is deemed as an American classic novel, having sold 2,500 copies in the first ten days of release, causing them to be sold out. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of the book, sold a whopping 7,800 copies during his lifetime, with many more being printed and sold later on. His oldest known copy of The Scarlet Letter went on sale at an auction for around $545,000. Through its relatable display of emotion, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a classic that embodies…

What is The Scarlet Letter about? The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel about a woman named Hester Prynne who committed the sin of adultery and was sent to prison for it. She was required to wear an embroidered “A”, standing for adultery, on all of her clothes so people would know what she had done. When she had the baby, it was named Pearl. She was forced into standing on a scaffold with her baby as a public humiliation. While she being publicly humiliated, her husband, Roger…

personalities and actions, but also pushes the misperceptions held by their society towards these two characters. This contrast further proves that people are often misjudged by appearance or a singular action/first impression. Through the symbol of the Scarlet Letter, Hester is shown as a confident and powerful character who stands out, but through the eyes of her society she is seen as sinful and disrespectful character who is easy to pity and judge. Hester’s A is described as…

In Hawthorne’s ‘The Scarlet Letter’, nature is presented as a sympathetic and forgiving force that is in direct contrast with the stringent Puritanical society and authoritative figures which are representative of civilisation in the novel. Some characters in the novel align themselves with nature, such as Hester and Pearl, whilst the majority of the townspeople vehemently avoid places such as the forest and seem to even live in fear of it. The former characters – Hester especially – are more…