The Scarlet Letter, By Nathanial Hawthorne - 2079 Words

Envisage living in a community where one could only be intimate with their husband. Sounds insane, right? Though being sexually active with more than one partner in a lifetime is moderately common in today’s society, it was severely looked down upon in the 1800s. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathanial Hawthorne communicates the story of Hester Prynne, an adulteress. Hester Prynne lived in a Puritan Society in which women were held to high, difficult, and unjust standards by men. Evidently, she undergoes unusual punishments for her infidelities against her estranged husband. She forcibly wears an embroidered, scarlet letter A on her breast for the remainder of her life. Though physically benign, its call of attention to Hester’s transgression is emotionally straining. As a man or woman, adultery must always be perceived as improper and unlawful. However, the author exhibits transcendentalist values when one can conclude that Hawthorne’s words were not demeaning Hester, but more so commending her. His execution of rhetorical devices applauds Hester’s individuality in a conforming society. Through the author’s implementation of diction to illuminate Hester and debase the rest of society, manipulation of symbolism to compliment Hester’s individuality, and application of irony to manifest Hester’s gained dignity from rebelling, Hawthorne illustrates Hester’s journey in a culture against change as one of dauntlessness, and conveys his purpose that individuality is precious. NathanielShow MoreRelatedThe Scarlet Letter By Nathanial Hawthorne1074 Words   |  5 Pagesa young woman found guilty of adultery. She is required to wear a scarlet A on her dress to shame her. She must stand on the scaffold for three hours, to be exposed to public humiliation. As Hester approaches the scaffold, many of the women in the crowd are angered by her beauty and quiet dignity.† The Scarlet Letter written by Nathanial Hawthorne centers on sin, identity and society. The meaning of the A in the Scarlet Letter is meant to mean â€Å"Adulterer†. The meaning is not definite, the A meaningRead MoreScarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne890 Words   |  4 Pagesfloating around letting you see others sin. Finally, you are a product of sin, your life is full of evil, and torture. Until your sin is revealed by your unknown father. These events happened to the character in Nathaniel Hawthorns The Scarlett Letter. Their sin affects the way that these characters live. The Nature of sin can bring the worst and best out of people. Whether it is hidden or know, the sin can bring good and bad things to the people who have sinned. Dimmsdale’s sin was locked insideRead MoreSymbolism Of The Scarlet Letter By Nathanial Hawthorne881 Words   |  4 Pagesmany symbols throughout Nathanial Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. The characters and many differe nt things throughout the book are all symbolic, but the main symbol in the novel is the letter â€Å"A† on Hester Prynne’s gown. Not only are there many symbols throughout the novel, but the letter â€Å"A† has many different representations of itself such as, adultery, which is the main symbol for the â€Å"A,† her ability to do things, and she is even referred to as an angel. The letter is meant to be a symbolRead MoreThe Influences of the Main Characters in The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne961 Words   |  4 PagesWho is Arthur Dimmsdale? Do we, as readers, ever fully understand the extent of Dimmsdale’s character provided to us by Nathaniel Hawthorne? In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, the on-the-surface themes of sin and suffering are very clear, but the development of the different characters and their own personal challenges plays a big factor (and maybe even the biggest factor) to the moral of the story rather than what is shown in plain sight. There are three main characters that reflect the differentRead MoreAntifeminist and Feminism within The Scarlet Letter1388 Words   |  6 PagesAntifeminist and Feminism within The Scarlet Letter In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† Hester Prynne is accused and convicted of adultery. During the puritan era women in this society had specific obligations and rights they had to maintain. By Hester having an affair and acting unladylike the community disapproved of her actions causing everyone to isolate her in her town. Due to Hester Prynne’s Isolation and the harsh judgment she received from everyone in her town, she goes throughRead MoreThe Novel The Scarlet Letter 893 Words   |  4 PagesThe Weight of a Name The Scarlet Letter is a timeless novel because of the timeless characters depicted in the piece. Each character was carefully constructed by Nathanial Hawthorne to represent a specific aspect of sin. He used these characters to tell a story that would translate how distorted the Puritans’ view of sin was. Not only did he thoughtfully plan the characters’ personalities, backgrounds, and beliefs out in order to convey this distortion of sin, but their names were carefully consideredRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Hugues Merle1580 Words   |  7 PagesThe Scarlet Letter (Figure 1) painted by Hugues Merle in 1861 depicts the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, an adulteress forced to wear the letter â€Å"A† upon her bosom forever, becomes an outcast from the community with her daughter, Pearl. Merle was often known for painting scenes of mothers and children. He illustrates the scene of Hester and Pearl sitting in the town square as part of her punishment. The townspeople walk by, pointing fingers and making shrewd remarksRead MoreSins inThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay1517 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred† (Hawthorne). As this sentence is read in the The Scarlet Letter, the reader will realize that the main theme of the book is the sentence above. Throughout the book, secret sin damages the lives, soul, and the integrity of the main characters. However, it could have easily been evaded through open confession of their sins. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s purpose in writing this novel isRead MoreEssay about Nathaniel Hawthornes Use of Symbolism482 Words   |  2 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne is a prominent writer who uses many different elements in his works. He uses elements such as symbolism, figurative language, metaphor, irony and etc. to make his work prominent. In the works by N athaniel Hawthorne, he uses symbols for secret sin in The Scarlet Letter, â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† and â€Å"Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment.† As seen in The Scarlet letter, the symbol for secret sin is the Scarlet letter â€Å"A.† The â€Å"A† represents the sin in which Hester commits adultery withRead More Exposed Sin vs. Hidden Sin in the Scarlet Letter Essay633 Words   |  3 Pageshidden sin as related to The Scarlet Letter, and the effects it has on people. In Nathanial HawthorneÂ’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne represents the exposed sin while Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth represent the hidden sin. Hester PrynneÂ’s sin is exposed on the scaffold in front of the townspeople. For punishment she is made to wear the letter “A”, for adulteress, on her bosom. HesterÂ’s daughter, Pearl, is herself a symbol of the scarlet letter. Pearl is always seen with