Analysis Of `` The Scarlet Letter `` By Edgar Allen Poe

In his book, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells of a story where a young woman has had an adulterous relationship with a respected priest in a Puritan community. Typical of Hawthorne's writings is the use of imagery and symbolism. In Chapter 12, The Minister's Vigil, there are several uses of imagery when Dimmesdale, the priest, is battling with confessing his sin, which has plagued him for seven years. Three evident techniques used to personify symbolism in this chapter are the use of darkness versus light, the use of inner guilt versus confession, and lastly the use of colors (black versus white).

Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the best fiction authors of the 1800’s, and is still highly praised to this day. Hawthorne paved the way for future successful authors such as William Faulkner. Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts, the second of three children born to Nathaniel and Elizabeth Hathorne (their son added the "w" to the family name when he began his writing career). In 1808, Hawthorne’s father, a ship's captain, died of yellow fever in the distant port of Surinam Hawthorne attended college at Bowdoin College where his main concentration was writing.” (Egotism; or, The Bosom Serpent) “In sketches, tales, and romances published in the second third of the nineteenth century, Hawthorne chose mainly American materials,

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem Massachusetts and died on May 19, 1964 in Plymouth New Hampshire. Mr. Hawthorne was injured when he was young and during that time he became fascinated with literature and writing, eventually he went to college and made friends many of whom are famous classic writers. After graduation he returned home and wrote many of his famous book, The Hollows of the Three Hills, An Old Woman's Tale, My Kinsman, and many more. During this time Hawthorne worked for the Boston Custom House, where he met his first wife. They eventually got married, moved to Massachusetts, and had three children. Due to financial reasons they moved back to Salem and he got a job at the Salem Custom House, soon he was let go due to the election of a new president named Zachary Taylor. During this time he started writing again, this is when he wrote The Scarlet Letter.

The characters in the Scarlet Letter are judged greatly through how and who they are able and unable to forgive. Such as the main female lead, Hester Prynne, and her struggle for the town to forgive her, finding the will to forgive herself and having God forgive her. Although, this was hard because every day she had to live with the scarlet letter upon her chest as a reminder of her sin. Another character that had one of the roughest times in the novel was Arthur Dimmesdale. This man kept a sin hidden for most of the novel and let it eat him away. The person that Dimmesdale needed to forgivehim the most was Pearl. He spent most of the novel trying to earn her beloved trust. Pearl would ask him favors to go into town with her but it

Throughout, “The Scarlet Letter,” Hawthorne is able to enhance the plot by intricately incorporating symbols which represent a deeper meaning. One of which, is the infamous, and ambiguous, scarlet letter that lays upon the bosom of Hester Prynne. In the beginning of the book, the audience is immediately introduced to the scarlet letter as a symbol of shame and adultery. The narrator describes the Puritan society as very judgemental and harsh. Comments like, “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die,” creates this negative and unwelcoming atmosphere which surrounds Hester for a majority of the book. From then on, the Puritans constantly refer to the

In a novel that revolves almost solely around sin, the consequences of said sin, and redemption, there is no greater sin than that of revenge. No character in The Scarlet Letter is free of sin, but all gain some sort of redemption, save one Roger Chillingworth, who is arguably the greatest sinner of them all. Hester Prynne may have committed adultery, and Arthur Dimmesdale may have also committed adultery with Hester (as a priest, no less), but sins of passion are not the same as sins of vengeance and anger. These sins of revenge and madness are what Chillingworth is guilty of, ultimately making him the worst sinner in the entire book.

In the corners of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, stand two fascinating characters—Pearl and Roger Chillingsworth. In the story, Pearl is the illegitimate child of the protagonist, Hester Prynne, and the minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, while Chillingsworth is Hester’s estranged husband who everyone thought was dead. Both of these two supporting characters have a surreal presences and each are deeply involved in Hester’s life, particularly her life after the discovery of her adultry. With as many similarities as they have, the reader may question what the respective rolls of these two characters are. Much has been said about the characters individually, but in this paper I will explore how the characters relate to each other in the telling of the story. Based on the similarities, differences, and roles that the characters play in the story; I will explain how they many in fact be read as foils of one another.

Poe wrote in a time when American romanticism and gothic literature were in their prime. American romanticism grew in popularity because it went against the ideas of the church. It focused more on individualism and freedom. By turning away from the traditions in the 18th century, American romanticism targeted finding oneself through the forces of nature. Believed religion should be chosen, and not forced on from the public (A Look at American Romanticism). Gothic literature also played a major role in this era. Gothic literature almost always included decaying castles, secrets, mysterious passageways, and or hidden desires. It is also believed that the authors of gothic literature not only wrote haunting, thrilling stories but had underlying messages within the text. The authors express their deepest darkest thoughts in their writing. The scariest part is the writing relates to the audience, even in today's society. Which means the haunted inner workings of the authors, are also understood by most readers (Weinauer). Obsession and love drive people to commit unthinkable acts as portrayed in Edgar Allan Poe's short stories “The Tell- Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,”

Chapters 9 and 10 investigate the relationship in the middle of Chillingworth and Dimmesdale. On one level, Chillingworth speaks to "science" and Dimmesdale speaks to "deep sense of being." Like Chillingworth 's disfigured shoulders, Dimmesdale 's disease is an outward sign of an internal condition, and not medication or religion suffices to cure it. What hampers his recuperation is his failure to admit his infidelity with Hester, which is by all accounts due, in any event to a limited extent, to the group 's reliance on the adolescent priest. He comprehends that he, in the same way as Hester, is an image of an option that is bigger than himself—for his situation, devotion and goodness. As it were, admitting would mean mending himself at the cost of the community.dimmesdale considers other, apparently hopeless good contemplations. The numerous disagreements that he experiences may come from the constrictive and off and on again two-faced nature of the ethical framework. For instance, the priest declines to wed any of the ladies in the group who show sympathy toward him, both out of a feeling of duty to Hester and out of an unwillingness to embroil a blameless outsider in a dim history of "sin." On the other hand, by inactively holding up for God to deal with things, as he proclaims himself to be doing, Dimmesdale causes Hester to endure awfully.

In chapter 16, how does Pearl show that she is different from the rest of the citizens of the community?

Form, Structure and Plot: The structure that Hawthorne puts the Scarlet Letter is very tight, and is in essentially three parts, each revolving around the scaffold. The first scaffold scene, Hester confesses her sin of adultery to the crowd in the light of day. The second scaffold scene takes place in the middle of the book at night; it is the climax of the plot. Dimmesdale climbs onto the scaffold, and asks for Hester and Pearl to join him. This is not a confession, as there are no witnesses, except for Chillington. The third scaffold scene is at the end of the novel. Here, Dimmesdale is on the scaffold, with Hester and Pearl. It is light out, and they are speaking to a crowd. Here, Dimmesdale confesses his sin.

William Shehane English Honors Mrs. Schroder 28 November 2016 Frankenstein Essay: Gothic Literature Gothic literature is a style of writing that consists of elements of death, fear, horror, and gloom, with an incorporation of romantic elements and emotion. During the late 17th century, this extreme version of romanticism became very popular throughout England and Germany. The first major piece of gothic literature was introduced by author, Horace Walpole, in 1764 when he wrote The Castle of Otranto. However, gothic literature found much more success during the 19th century thanks to the workings of Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, and Charles Maturin.

What Does the construction and furnishing of Governor Bellingham’s Mansion reveal about the Governor and Puritan culture?

Gothic literature originated in the 19th century, having diverged from the larger Romantic Movement. Like the Romantics, Gothic writers embraced the sublime nature and endeavored to evoke deep emotions in their readers. However, their motives were manifested in a fascination with the exotic and eerie human nature and the effects of guilt, evil, isolation and terror on a human being. Authors employ isolated and grotesque settings, supernatural beings and events, combines horror and romance as well as highlighting overwrought emotions. The ability to captivate reader’s emotional experience through the exploration of human weakness has allowed the Gothic genre to continue into the twenty-first century, modifying to reflect current societal concerns.

The Scarlet Letter Critical Analysis Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, the direct descendant of John Hawthorne, and a judge at the infamous Salemwitchcraft trials. The guilt that Hawthorne felt over the actions of his ancestor had an enormous impact on his writings. In his introduction of "The Scarlet Letter", Hawthorne accepts the guilt from his forefathers and offers to repent for their crimes (Waggoner, 5). This unusual way of viewing guilt and sin is one driving factor in Hawthorne's writing. The other, which is closely related to the first, is the relationship between men, and of man to humanity as a whole.