Winthrop

Had Hester sinned alone? Nathaniel Hawthorne explores this question of group morality throughout The Scarlet Letter. After making her first appearance branded with the scarlet A, the author conveys how the shame inflicted by her fellow Puritans will forever be a part of Hester Prynne’s identity and how she will “become the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of woman’s frailty and sinful passion” (71). In order to…

In “The Scarlet Letter,” the Puritan’s cruelty towards Hester Prynne functions as a mean to develop Hawthorne’s idea of how people naturally react negatively towards others and in this case, those who have made mistakes. Hester’s mistake unfolds the plot and reveals truths about how Puritans, who were people that were persecuted due to their religion, punished her for breaking one of their rules given by God, which was to not commit adultery. This mistake also sparks the interest of another…

There are three things in the world that deserve no mercy, hypocrisy, fraud, and tyranny. Frederick William Robertson. The setting is seventeenth-century Puritan inhabited, Boston Massachusetts: a society that is dull, incarcerating, unforgiving, and parochial. The narrative is repetitive in describing the Puritans as hypocrites, for example, Puritans claim to not believe in luxury and abstain from activities that are luxurious, however, Governor Bellingham, a Puritan, enjoys luxuries in the…

In The Scarlet Letter we see how private turmoil is worse than public shame. Throughout the book we are shown the struggle of Hester as she deals with the consequences of her actions after she commits adultery and bears a child from the affair. She is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her chest to symbol adultery and further outcast her from her community. She takes this punishment to heart and makes a extremely flashy letter “A” which she wears with no regret and for much longer than…

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1850’s revolves around Hester Prynne, a woman suffering the repercussions of committing adultery with Dimmesdale, the minister of a small Puritan town. As the characters develop they learn that their sins may always be with them, but it does not have to define who they become. Three of the symbols Hawthorne uses to represent the concept of sin are The Scarlet Letter on Hester’s Bosom, Hester and Dimmesdale's daughter Pearl, and…

Pearl Prynne, The Angel of Sinners In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s purpose of creating the character of Pearl is to show his opinion on sin and guilt. Pearl is the living proof of Hester’s sin and every time Hester looks at her she will remember her sin and Pearl will not allow Hester nor Dimmesdale to hide from their sins. On multiple occasions, Pearl made it clear that Hester’s sin must be shown, such as when she was uncooperative with Hester after Hester had removed her scarlet…

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses conflicts to further progress the characters in The Scarlet Letter. These conflicts affect Hester and Dimmesdale’s appearance and role in society. Although Hester is an adulteress, she is progressively able to live a normal life; Dimmesdale, on the other hand, lives with guilt which slowly deteriorates his health. Dimmesdale is most affected by the events that occur between Hester and him. In The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale lives in a society that looks upon him as “a…

Around and Inside the Walls of the Woods “There are only two worlds - your world, which is the real world, and other worlds, the fantasy. These worlds provide an alternative. Provide an escape.” Neil Gaiman writes about the two worlds all people live through. One side of a personality is shown to the world, while the other side is hidden. Hester Prynne, the main character in The Scarlet Letter, which is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, experiences the negative and positive aspects of two worlds…

The Scarlet Letter Draft “All greatness of character is dependent on individuality. The man who has no other existence than that which he partakes in common with all around him, will never have any other than an existence of mediocrity”-James Fenimore Cooper. Throughout the Romantic novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne establishes the idea individuality and conformity and how it defines one’s identity. By utilizing a cast of characters such as the young adultress, Hester Prynne and her secret…

Sin and its Consequences in the ScArlet Letter Nathanial Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” is a novel with numerous themes, spanning from revenge to femininity to the supernatural. One of the most prominent themes, is the theme of sin and its consequences on peoples mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of their lives. In “The Scarlet Letter”, Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth epitomize the theme of sin with each of their unique situations of sin and in how…