Scarlet Letter Hypocrisy

Hester’s righteous battle against the villagers in defending her name does nothing more than display her courage and respectability. Throughout the novel, “The Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne manages to implement various symbols in order to add meaning and understanding of certain aspects of the novel. In the novel, many symbols, such as the “Black Man,” are conflicted in the idea of meaning between the Puritans of the society and Hawthorne, but at the same time, some uses of symbolism represent similar ideas, as conveyed by the author. Hawthorne’s uses of symbolism represent the same religious idea as in comparison between Hawthorne and the Puritans, but some contrast the Puritan beliefs and rather are presented to foreshadow

In The Scarlet Letter Hypocrisy is evident everywhere. The characters of Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and the very society that the characters lived in, were steeped in hypocrisy. Hawthorne was not subtle in his portrayal of the terrible sin of hypocrisy; he made sure it was easy to see the sin at work , at the same time however, parallels can be drawn between the characters of The Scarlet Letter and of today’s society.

The central theme in The Scarlet Letter is that manifested sin will ostracize one from society and un-confessed sin will lead to the destruction of the inner spirit. Hawthorne uses the symbol of the scarlet letter to bring out this idea. In the novel, Hester is forced to wear the scarlet letter A (the symbol of her sin) because she committed adultery

The very scarlet letter from which the novel’s name is derived from is a symbol of sinning; the scarlet letter represents how Puritan society views sinning as unforgivable and something for public speculation. Hester is punished by wearing hers out for the world to see. The letter is “so fantastically embroidered” that one townswoman argues that its intricacy and design defeat the entire purpose of wearing it. The scarlet letter serves as an

To begin, Hawthorne uses the scarlet letter “A” to reinforce the theme of Guilt. Hester Prynne, the protagonist of The Scarlet Letter, is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” upon her bosom because she has committed the sin of adultery. This leads Hester to feel guilty for the rest of her life. Hawthorne states, “... that scarlet letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself” (Hawthorne 51). The quote shows how feeling guilt has made her much more distant from the rest of the townspeople. Hester experiences this agonizing guilt whenever she glances in a mirror, or down at her chest. Pearl is the result of Hester’s

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

First off, Hawthorne uses the symbol of the scarlet letter to contribute to the theme of Guilt. The scarlet letter is forced upon the bosom of Hester, who is the protagonist of this novel. Hester had a child after her husband was known to be missing. She was accused of Adultery, and the scarlet colored letter was put on her as a token of shame to cast a shadow on her eternally. Hawthorne explains, “In a moment however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would poorly serve to hide another” (Hawthorne 50). This quote shows that the scarlet letter is a profound symbol of guilt, it could not have been hidden with

       Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter seems to be created around Hawthorne's obsession with the forbidding quality of the scarlet "A", the symbol from which the novel takes its title. Rrom the rose-bush which Hawthorne selects a flower from as an offering to the reader(1) to the "elfish" child Pearl, every aspect of the story is drenched in this letter's scarlet hue. Perhaps this repetition reflects Hawthorne's own repressed desires, as some critics suggest(2). However, what seems more compelling is the function which the symbol serves for Hester Prynne and the community which has condemned her. For Hester the symbol is clearly a literary one; she fashions the scarlet "A" to

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays a Puritan society plagued with guilt and corruption. Throughout the novel, characters are punished for their hypocrisy and Hawthorne shows the flaws in Puritan societies. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Robert Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter become so consumed in their ambitions that they are unable to discern the hypocrisy of their beliefs, and as a result, Hawthorne critics and punishes these members of the Puritan society.

In the Puritan society, the Scarlet Letter represents the Puritan’s view on the "sin of adultery" that Hester has committed in her life. However, Hawthorne shows throughout the novel that the Scarlet Letter evolved to be a potent symbol of Hester’s identity. The scarlet letter "A" again was originate to represents adultery, however it also represents rebellion against the puritan culture. Hester's attachment to the scarlet letter isolates her from the puritan’s society but it allows her to have freedom on her beliefs and actions as quote “She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom” (Hawthorne). Later when she believes her relationship with the town minister, Dimmesdale is pure base on her 'free will’; she separates her 'free will' against the Puritan definition of 'sin'. As a result, it is a symbol of Hester's pride and burden. Because of this, Hester was forced to carry the scarlet letter of which she later accept the letter and the identity that it has placed upon her as quote, “She had wandered, without rule or guidance, into a moral wilderness... Her intellect and heart had their home, as it were, in desert places, where she roamed as freely as the wild Indian in his woods... The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers—stern and wild ones—and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss” (Hawthorne). Overall, her sin teaches her a lesson while obstructs her at the same

While Hester stands on the scaffold, “the rude market place of the Puritan settlement, appears Hester Prynne who stood on the scaffold, an infant on her arm, and the letter “A” in scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom!” (Hawthorne 57). When the townspeople arrived, they gave her stern looks, the women especially did so. She stands on the scaffold with her child, Pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter is clearly visible to the judgmental Puritans. As Hawthorne describes to the reader, the gold embroidery surrounding the letter shows the time and effort Hester took to make the letter stand out and look stunning. Hester made it noticeable that she sinned, but she was forced to wear the letter. She owned up to her sin and accepted the punishment of wearing the letter and did not fight this. The judgment and thoughts on Hester from the community played a role into how Hester dealt with the letter. People saw the letter displayed upon her chest and thought of her “as the figure, the body, the reality of sin” (Hawthorne 76). This is important because Hawthorne outlines that the Puritan community views her as the one and only great example of what sin is. They teach their kids to look at her that way, once innocent and now not. Hester took it into thought for a little while, but realized that it does not

In Puritan societies they placed great importance on a person's reputation, without an honorable reputation a person is not worthy of respect from others in their society. Characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, go through their lives struggling with themselves trying to cope with the guilt and shame associated with their sins. The novel is mainly based on the main characters sin which is adultery, but many others in the novel are sinners as well. The three main characters have sinned and they all cope with their sins in different ways. The novel shows the lasting effect that sin and guilt has on Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth.

First, each character provides their personal view of the scarlet letter. For Hester, it’s about her suffering and loneliness. It also symbolizes her rejuvenation at the end. In this book, it appears as a materialistic object in The Custom House at first. Then, it later becomes a gold-embroidered A

     Throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter there are many symbols. One of the biggest symbols of the novel is the scarlet letter A that Hester Prynne is sentenced to wear after she commits adultery. It is a symbol that is sewn onto her clothes for everyone to see. It is a punishment that is meant to humiliate her for the duration of the time that she stays in Puritanical Boston. During the novel, the scarlet letter changes and evolves from meaning adultery to meaning ability and even physically changes its form.

To begin, Hawthorne uses the Scarlet Letter “A” to contribute to the theme of secret sins. Hester prynne is the protagonist in the novel. She is forced to wear the “A” for the rest of her time. Even when she is buried, her name will not be on the grave only the letter “A.” She is forced to wear this because she commited a secret sin of Adultery. The color scarlet alone represents sexy, blood and evil. Hawthorne says,” On the breast of her gown in fine red cloth… the letter “A” (hawthorne 51). This quote shows that Hester is now being released from prison and the people automatically see the letter on her chest. The letter on her chest constantly reminds people she is nothing but a sin. As the book continues, Hester is now standing on a platform where she is being punished by letting the yell and throw things at her. Hawthorne explains the letter “ Had the effect of a spell, taking her out of ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself”(Hawthorne 52). This quote proves by committing the sin Hester is being isolated by society because when the people look at her they see only the sin. The Scarlet Letter is a reminder to Hester of her