Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

Nathaniel Hawthorne lived from 1804 until 1864. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts. He came from a family with a long history and he added a ‘w’ to his last name because he did not want to be associated with the history of the Salem witch trials, because the name Hathorne was tied to a judge in Salem. The Scarlett Letter was published in 1850. The Scarlet Letter was a way to address Puritanism and witch trials and deal with his families past. And

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

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 was greatly influenced by his great- great grandfather, John Hathorne, to develop the novel The Scarlet Letter.  John hathorne was involved in the persecution of several people in the Salem, Massachusetts (encyclopedia).

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a writer in the 1800s, an anti-transcendentalist, and the great-nephew of John Hathorne, a judge in the Salem Witch Trials. Hawthorne is obsessed with Puritanism and, due to being obsessed, bases all his writings on Puritan towns. All of his stories take place in New England in the 1600s, before the Salem Witch Trials; The Scarlet Letter is one of these stories. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of the Wild Rosebush, Hester’s Cabin, and the sunlight and the forest to contribute to the overall theme of imperfection.

    To begin, Hawthorne uses The Scarlet Letter to symbolize sin. Hester is the main character in the story, she wears The Scarlet Letter as a symbol of shame, because the letter she wears on her chest stands for Adultery. Hester Prynne was a woman who had been married by one man then had a baby with another man. Doing this caused a secret sin upon Hester and

Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the most contemporary American writers of all time, was the great nephew of Judge Hathorne. Who was one of the prime judges of the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts. Although Nathaniel hated his uncle for his efforts during the horrific trials, he became obsessed with his ideals of puritanism. Through these ideals he became a anti-transcendentalist; someone who believes that naturally we are born evil and society is the only thing that keeps us from provoking chaos. Therefore, Hawthorne’s novels, The Minister’s Black Veil and The Scarlet Letter were both set in puritan towns in the 1600’s, even though he was alive in the 18th century. The Scarlet Letter, which Hawthorne is best known for, is a fictional story

Children encompass parents’ lives from the day they are born into this world, often altering their plans for the future and their desired outcomes for life. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the most seemingly complex and misinterpreted of characters is Pearl, the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The deviations in Pearl’s temperament, conduct, and character in the progression of the plot are a guide to the varying moral statuses of Hester and Dimmesdale. Performing the role of a compelling, rather than static force within the novel, Pearl saves both Hester and Dimmesdale, even motivating Dimmesdale to confess publically his sins and reminding Hester of her sin. As a result, Pearl serves as a moral guide to both her mother and father throughout the entirety of the novel.

Throughout history, Puritans have been known for extremely strict views towards other religions and people of other religions. Because they “deeply and fervently believed that they were doing the work of God”, Puritans often punished and shunned those who did not follow their rules or share their same views (Collier 62). In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne presents these popular ideas and truths about the Puritan way of living in a symbolic story of submissive defiance. He creates a strong feminist that contradicts the majority of the Puritan views on feminism. This rebellious main character, Hester Prynne, greatly sins and, thus, the town punishes her and shuns her in hope that she will repent and take on her proper duties once more. However, Hester shows the strength of a woman through this public humiliation, and takes on the role of a feminist by showing this feminine strength. Despite the attempts from society to force Hester into their Puritan ways, Hester Prynne fulfills the notion of a feminist through her rebellious qualities and actions, and she proves to be a contrast by assimilating into the role of a Puritan woman and thriving in this role despite her public humiliation.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born to his father Nathaniel and his mother Elizabeth Clark Hawthorne on July 4,1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. Nathaniel Hawthorne Sr. was a sea captain that unfortunately died while he was lost at sea from yellow fever. This resulted in his family having financial problems that eventually forced them to move in with Elizabeth’s well-off brothers. At a young age, Nathaniel Hawthorne suffered a leg injury that had made him unable to get around for some time. While recovering, he became interested in reading and soon that

The scaffold is a symbol of isolation and guilt throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. All three of the scenes that take place on the scaffold show major character development that deal with the realities of being alone in suffering, punishment, and guilt. All the scenes have at least the four main Characters: Hester, Pearl, Rev. Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. Chillingworth is Hester’s husband’s pseudo name to protect his identity while he exacts revenge. Since the scaffold scenes are such major parts of Hawthorne’s story, I believe that they also directly impact the overall theme.

On May 19th, 1864 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of such stories as The Scarlet Letter, Young Goodman Brown, and The Birthmark dies of an unknown cause. He was 59 years old. During the latter part of his life the once active Hawthorne’s health began to decline for mysterious reasons. He wrote little during the final years of his life, and what he did write was often little more than incoherent babbling. It was clear the once brilliant Nathaniel Hawthorne was not in full possession of his mental faculties.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter” depicts a young woman, Hester Prynne, who committed adultery and bears a daughter, Pearl, because of the sin. Hester Prynne is then punished for her actions by being forced to wear the scarlet letter “A” by the community. This punishment produces many relationships between Hester and the community such as isolation, being a criminal, dependency, and the feeling of each other’s sin.

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?

3.Nathaniel Hawthorne is an American author who emigrated from England to the Americas in 1630, and settled in Salem, Massachusetts.