other ambiguous concepts. One of those is the significance of the three scaffold scenes throughout the work. The scaffold scenes signify religious and moral ideas, such as sinfulness, the spiritual figures the characters each portray, and the character development achieved by public and private absolution. The first scaffold scene begins the novel. In chapters two through three, the protagonist Hester Prynne stands on the scaffold, bearing a scarlet “A” and a child at her breast as signs of her adultery
the novel, each scaffold scene conveys something different. One could say, arguably, that nearly everything in The Scarlet Letter is a symbol for something else. In the novel, there are four different versions of the letter “A”. The first is presented at the beginning of the book, where Hester is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” upon her breast. The second occurrence is during the second scaffold
Scarlet Letter Analysis 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
The character of the reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, despite the apparent single-line interpretation of his character is a difficult phenomenon. Based on the topic of our analysis, first of all we have to find out if this image bears a symbolic meaning. In the case of Dimmesdale we don’t speak about any sweeping generalizations that go beyond the narrative. This character remains in the circle of the known, to him puritanical notions of sin and punishment and the possibility of rebellion could never
focuses on. Through my analysis of the Scarlet Letter I noticed that there were three different types of love. The act of hatred plays a vile role throughout the novel. Hawthorne uses Pearl as a blatant symbol of purity, from her birth till the end of the novel. As you will see Love, Hate, Sin, and Purity does play a vital role in this story. Hester Prynne's love for Roger Chillingworth shall be the first that I will speak on. From the beginning Hester is placed on the scaffold with daughter Pearl
Hawthorne, perhaps the greatest sinner was Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Many of Hawthorne's works center around what is right or wrong, and the consequences of breaking the basic links between humans by committing acts of sin (Brown). In this book, Reverend Dimmesdale is Hester Prynne's secret lover, with whom he shares his sin, the sin of adultery. It is ironic that dispite Dimmesdale's profession, he commits this sin. For
device worked upon Chillingworth, corrupting him into Satan himself. Furthermore, this form of analysis can be seen during the second scaffold scene when a meteorite appeared bearing the Letter A accompanied by a ray of light which shined upon Chillingworth’s face and revealed “the malevolence with which he looked upon his victim” (pg.145). From here his true nature was revealed to his victim, Dimmesdale that his trusted companion of seven years who took care of him during his chronic illness was
Scarlet Letter - Dimmesdale is Good, but Lacks Courage There is a fine line between hypocrisy and cowardice. Arthur Dimmesdale, a principal character in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter provides a perfect example of how thin that line can be. The Scarlet Letter relates a story about sin and the many consequences of not having strength of character. The true nature of Reverend Dimmesdale's character has been debated since the first publication of the novel. Dimmesdale is considered
Symbolism, Use of Color, and Themes in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter is regarded as the first symbolic novel in American Literature for Nathaniel Hawthorne 's skillful use of symbolism and allegory. The novel is also said to be the greatest accomplishment of American short story and is viewed as the first American psychological novel, which makes Hawthorne win an incomparable position in American Literature. Hawthorne’s “unique gift” for using this kind of skills taps into the roots of man
"Nathaniel Hawthorne has made a beautiful, admirable, extraordinary approach in this novel" said Henry James regarding The Scarlet Letter. It has the beauty and harmony of all original and complete conceptions and its weaker spots are not of its essence, but mere light flaws and inequalities of surface. The novel has the inexhaustible charm and mystery of great works of art. It has a high style of polish as well as a charming freshness. Hawthorne has cultivated with great industry his natural sense