Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Diction of the Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne’s use of diction in the novel suggest his disapproval toward the Puritan way of life. Hawthorne begins the novel describing the site of a prison. The Puritans had made it a priority to “allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery and another portion as the cite of a prison” (41). The use of the words “virgin soil” he depicts the land as new and innocent. However, by introducing the prison and cemetery it presents a bleak view of the Puritan society. This contrasts the view that the puritans had created the perfect society when they had that much distrust in mankind. This view continues with the description of the jail “already marked with weather-stains” giving it “a yet darker aspect to its beetle-browed and gloomy front” (41).

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter possesses various significant recurring events. The Scarlet Letter depicts the hardships withstood by characters in 17th century Puritan Massachusetts (Bay Colony). Under the pressure of religion being equivalent to the law and societal traditions, Hester Pynne the main character endures the consequences of her actions. Sentenced to everlasting shame, Hester continues to live everyday life as an outcast. The novel presents numerous events with multiple similarities and also differences such as repeat visits to the shame scaffold, the scarlet letter itself and the symbolism of sunshine.

When considering the underlying aspects of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the most common themes that arise include the faulty utopian disposition Puritans had upon themselves and how the devious behavior of one woman can lead those same individuals to chastise and dehumanize the very character that is Hester Prynne. However, one of the many subjects that are more often than not left out of most debate is whether the judgment of others or the judgment of one’s self is more inflicting on an individual. Now throughout the duration of this novel we see the transformation of two polar opposite characters in Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale as both share the same crime of adultery. To pursue this further, Prynne who is publically reprimanded for her wrongdoings handles her precarious situation with a rather graceful and oblivious attitude. Hence this is where the two passionate lovers greatly differ as Dimmesdale (a high-standing priest in Puritan Society) is crippled by his nefarious act and as we indulge deeper into the premise of the story, he eventually pays the piper and meets his inevitable maker. Both individuals faced rather sadistic judgment for the duration of the story but the one question that lingers in the audiences’ minds are just what kind of judgment proved to be the most impactful upon the characters. Societal or self-judgment?

He tries more than once to “put a cheat upon himself by making the avowal of a guilty conscience, but he gained only one other sin, and a self-acknowledged shame” (99). This young clergyman takes advantage of the misunderstanding of the public, because he “well knew...the light in which his vague confession would be viewed” (99). The more Dimmesdale asserts his wrongdoing in his sermon, the holier the congregation believes he is. Burdened by this mingled emotion which tortures Dimmesdale horribly, he leaves the house and seeks peace by himself on the night. He walks to the scaffold where Hester and Pearl stand to be judged many years ago. Hester and Pearl, returning from governor Winthrop’s deathbed, mount to the scaffold. Pearl asks Dimmesdale at what time he can stand with them, but Dimmesdale responds, "at the great judgement" (105). Although Dimmesdale suffers from his sin terribly and wants to seek relief, he still hesitates to stand in front of everyone and confess all his sins. The reason that his first step towards salvation is delayed is that "he had been driven hither by the impulse of that Remorse.[and]..Cowardice which invariably drew him back" (101). The sense of ''remorse'' exists inside Dimmesdale but it is outweighed by his "cowardice".

“The Scarlet Letter is the most nearly static of all Hawthorne’s novels.” (73) This opinion-based quote from the article “The Characters Reveal the Story’s Meaning,” written by Hyatt H. Waggoner, can properly introduce Nathaniel Hawthorne’s most familiar novel, “The Scarlet Letter.” After close observation of said novel, it can be inferred that there is very little external conflict when comparing the amount of space devoted to exposition and description; the evidence for this can also be taken from the amount devoted to the narration of the listed literary terms. From the four main characters (Pearl, Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth), each person is symbolically described to an extent where the reader can make accurate assumptions over the story’s overall meaning; this can be done just by perceiving the sheer description of the character and their developments throughout the plot. Hester’s role along with her daughter Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth is vital in the analysis of the Hawthorne’s personal view on Puritan Condemnation.

In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne asserts that Puritan society judges an individual largely from their exterior. Hawthorne substantiates his argument by contrasting the interior emotions and exterior visages of several characters, particularly Hester Prynne, through the use of symbolism, contrasting diction, and juxtaposition. By the contradictory existence of Hester's marble exterior and her inner emotional turmoil, portrayed by the symbol of Pearl, Hawthorne’s purpose is to juxtapose the laws of Puritan society with the sentiments of nature. The author evokes an contemplative tone for the reader.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter there are two main forces acting upon the main characters (Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth), the first being “their own inner world of frustrated desires” (Crews), and the second being the imposition of Puritan ideals. The characters in the novel act in ignorance of passions strength on their psyche, and their decisions; which leads to a submission of the self. While, the inner world of the characters is of paramount importance, the way in which the story unfolds is only possible due to the setting in New England — a Puritan colony. The highly conservative, and suppressive Puritan does not allow for the characters to properly express themselves, and to handle their emotions in a

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” has always been one of the most well known pieces of literature to this day. From the infamous letter “A” the protagonist Hester Prynne wears on her breast to the hypocritical puritan beliefs the book mentions - the book remains both romantic and complex. It takes place in the mid seventeenth century in Boston, Massachusetts where Hester is publicly humiliated in front of her entire village for committing adultery and having a child that is considered illegitimate to society. Throughout the entire novel, her husband Roger Chillingworth spends the next several years of his life plotting revenge against Hester’s adulterer, Arthur Dimmesdale, which is not revealed until the second half of the book.

American Romanticism uses literature to explore topics such as individualism, imagination, and nature. Emotions are frequently highlighted in this movement and expressed strongly by characters. Throughout the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, emotions of love, solitude and anguish are the primary focus. The article “Solitude and Love, and Anguish”: The Tragic Design of ‘The Scarlet Letter’, by Seymour Gross, concentrates on the tragedy of The Scarlet Letter, and illustrates the strong emotional themes Hawthorne incorporates into the novel. Gross’ article shows that Hester’s view of her sin, Dimmesdale and Hester’s contrasting moralities, and Dimmesdale’s death are tremendously important when analyzing the novel and realizing

Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter, asserts that we must try to change situations if one feels like they can have control to do so. One should attempt to change conditions in the attempt to make life more joyful for themselves and if possible their community as well. It is the responsibility of an individual to make the world a better place to live for the future generations. The concept of making the best of every situation while spreading positive ideas accentuates the responsibilities of the individual. It is impertinent to make the best out if every situation and accept your fate however, it is equally important to make the community a better place to live because it the responsibility of an individual in the society.

Appealing to the society that Hawthorne found himself in at that time was a very crafty strategy that surely picked up many fans of his writing. The conception of women’s rights movements was a perfect edifice on which Hawthorne crafted the ideas of his novel. Contrast would be a perfect word to describe reasoning behind the success of Hawthorne’s book. The fact that women did just not simply have a large role in Puritan society was an incredibly effective contrast to Hawthorne placing Hester at the center of the book, almost effectively negating the pure facts of history at the time. A thorough exhumation of the background of Hawthorne and the time period of the novel really gave insight into the style of The Scarlet Letter.

The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850, is one of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s most renowned novels. The matter of subject in the novel is revered almost 170 years after publication. Hawthorne walks his readers through the fate of Hester Prynne. He exhibits a woman who has been condemned by Puritan law to wear a scarlet A on her breast as a reflection of her punishment for adultery. Not only is Hester the protagonist of the novel, but she is also “the embodiment of deep contradictions,” which has delegated her as one of the most fascinating and mysterious female characters in American literature (Seabrook NPR). Not only does Hawthorne discuss the sadness and infirmity of humanity, he also dives deep into the consciousness of guilt in relation to the body, mind, and soul. He covertly criticizes the philosophy of the Puritans and examines the conscious struggle between authority and freedom. The main idea Hawthorne presents to his readers throughout the novel is the difference between the conventional idea of freedom and the unbreakable stance of patriarchal authority. He also sticks with the convention of his time by maintaining the standard feminine status as subservient, justifying the patriarchal society by creating a misogynistic village, and counters these aspects by disrupting the traditional ideology that the female is an object. He is able to do this by giving Hester Prynne a resolute attitude and Arthur Dimmesdale a fatalistic outlook.

The feeling of exasperating love defies the health of the mind and body through a vital time in literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne accomplishes this through the book, “The Scarlet Letter”. He emphasizes puritanic views in his writing as well as romanticism through four different characters: Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Pearl. The basis of the story was that Hester Prynne was being punished and shamed for her sin of adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale in proof of the baby girl named Pearl, leaving Hester to overtake this ever longing shame for seven years. The relationship between all of these characters of “The Scarlet Letter” exhibits the period of romanticism in American literature and the significance that enhanced the many writings of other authors of this time.

Everything in life comes with a cost, be it a cost that can be paid with money or a cost that cannot be remedied in the physical world. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne illustrates the high cost of identity and selfhood in society. Through the protagonist Hester Prynne, Hawthorne reveals the societal standards regarding chastity and sin that drive the high cost of identity and selfhood in society and their relation to the physical and metaphysical worlds. In addition, Hawthorne uses the townspeople of Boston, such as the old women in the town, high ranking officials, such as Governor Bellingham, Hester’s former husband, Roger Chillingworth, and her daughter, Pearl to further illustrate the high cost that Hester pays for her identity and selfhood.

The human desire for passion, secrecy, and retaliation noticeably impacts the Puritan colony of Massachusetts Bay in Nathaniel Hawthorne's thought-provoking novel, The Scarlet Letter. In a colony built on hyper critical beliefs especially in regards to pleasure, characters such as Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth break the conformity of the religious Puritan beliefs. The Scarlet Letter portrays several different themes that readers can identify with while reading the book. One prominent theme depicted in the book reminds readers that people must recognize responsibility for their actions or endure the consequences.