Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter Essay

Hester Prynne is kind of a role model, almost. I admire her ability to admit to sin and be willing to take the consequences. Surely she was not the only one during Puritan times who had an affair, or even sinned. Everyone sins every day, and so technically everyone should have a scarlet letter of some sort. In my opinion, this makes Hester above everyone else.

We find out how much Roger and Hester have in common. They are both holding a deep secret, they are unhappy and they both have a very desirable skill and both live on the outskirts of this Puritan society.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne presents the reader with the harsh, life changing conflicts of three Puritan characters during the 17th century. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Robert Chillingworth must endure their different, yet surprisingly similar struggles as the novel progresses. Despite their similarities, Hawthorne shows these individuals deal with their conflicts differently, and in the end, only one prevails. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s intricately critical diction helps determine his didactic tone; during the course of The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne reveals that happiness can be harnessed through one’s perseverance.

‘Honesty is the best policy’; ‘Always be yourself”, are common phrases many parents tell their children and as common as they may be, being honest and being true yourself contributes to individual happiness and contentness. ‘The Scarlet Letter’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel that dives deep into these key themes of honesty and integrity and the consequences of doing the opposite action. One of the main characters, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is a minister in 17th century Puritan New England who has deteriorating health because of his lies and guilt. Dimmesdale commits adultery with a beautiful woman in the town, Hester Prynne, whose husband, Roger Chillingworth, returns from Europe later on. Pearl, who is a product of Hester and

Children accept who they are with no influence from society or feelings of guilt. As Hawthorne describes Pearl’s carefree attitude, he writes, “Her final employment was to gather sea-weed… and thus assume the aspect of a little mermaid… Pearl took some eel-grass, and imitated, as best she could, on her own bosom, the decoration with which she was so familiar on her mother’s… the letter A” (Nathaniel Hawthorne 115). As little Pearl plays, the scarlet letter does not symbolize shame for her. Pearl accepts the scarlet letter as nothing out of the ordinary, and even envies its beauty. Through Pearl’s actions, Hawthorne reveals how children view shame and societal pressure. Although the scarlet letter embodies the entirety of Hester’s sin and shame, Pearl does not run from it or feel ashamed because of it. Hawthorne uses Pearl as an example of how adults should view symbols of sin in their society instead of running from the sin, they should forgive readily and accept the reality of their present situation. Furthermore, in his literary criticism, The Obliquity of Signs, Millicent Bell reveals how out of Hester’s societally constructed sin and shame came this perfect example of Pearl. He writes, “Hester’s sin is not only unutterable but involves a name, that of her partner, which she refuses to utter. Her sexual history is so private that it cannot be imagined when we gaze at her in the chaste aftermath of Hawthorne’s novel. And yet that privacy has its public manifestation, the child Pearl” (Millicent Bell 23). Bell reveals how even out of Hester’s most taboo and secret sin came Pearl, whose manifestation publicly

Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of American literature's finest writers; his writing style was very distinct and unusual in some aspects. It is his background that provided this ambiguous and complex approach to writing. Hawthorne's New England heritage has, at times, been said to be the contributing factor in his works. The Puritan view of life itself was considered to be allegorical, their theology rested primarily on the idea of predestination and the separation of the saved and the damned As evident from Hawthorne's writings his intense interest in Puritanical beliefs often carried over to his novels such as, Young Goodman Brown, The Scarlet Letter, and The Minister's Black Veil just to name a few of the more well known pieces of his work.

Ever since her birth, Pearl’s behavior has been a bit “off” relative to the normal Puritan standard. A typical Puritan child would not “play” as a present day child would. They would mature quickly to help with various chores and other duties that had to be done. Pearl, however, was different. She was described on multiple occasions as being “wild” as she truly explored her freedom, and let her imagination work freely. This is prevalent where Hawthorne writes about Pearl that, “At home, within and around her mother’s cottage, Pearl wanted not a wide and various circle of acquaintance. The spell of life went forth from her ever creative spirit, and communicated itself to a thousand objects, as a torch kindles a flame wherever it may be applied.”

Desire, passion, love, sex, adultery, evil, religion, law, and judgement are the primary topics that make reading The Scarlet Letter more interesting. Caught up in passion, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, succumb to their desire in the forest. Hester is a married woman and Arthur Dimmesdale is the Puritan community minister. Their affair is adultery and brought to light when Hester becomes pregnant. Pearl is the illegitimate daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale.

Conflict can take on many forms in one’s life, such as conflict with self, with society, with religion and with others. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, develops the theme of conflict through the moral sin of Hester Prynne. Conflict is observed through Hester’s difficulties with the townspeople, challenges with the Puritan way of life, struggles with herself and tensions with Roger Chillingworth. Committing sin in the Puritan society leads to a great deal of conflicts.

An intriguing novel typically consists of multiple elements that contribute to the overall impact of the book. Those elements may include plot, setting, moods, or themes. The Scarlet Letter, penned by Nathaniel Hawthorne, not only includes all of those elements, but also engages and intrigues the reader through the development of the characters. Throughout the novel, many of the characters change or evolve in some way. These changes are shown through their actions, words, thoughts, and feelings. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the author develops the characters of Pearl Prynne as candid, Hester Prynne as strong-willed, and Reverend Dimmesdale as hypocritical.

As so perceived in chapter twelve, “There was witchcraft in little Pearl's eyes; and her face, as she glanced upward at the minister, wore that naughty smile which made its expression frequently so elvish. She withdrew her hand from Mr. Dimmesdale's, and pointed across the street. But he clasped both his hands over his breast, and cast his eyes towards the zenith” (Hawthorne pg.

You are my Sunshine “Where there is discord, may we bring harmony? Where there is error, may we bring truth? Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope” (Margaret Thatcher). If you think good and evil is black and white, let this essay tell you why you are wrong.

Wilson’s question, a question testing Pearl’s religious knowledge and belief in god, exemplified her courage. An outspoken character, Pearl was beyond her age in knowledge as well as many other aspects. The fact that Hawthorne created this girl as an unyielding character illustrates his support for the feminist cause. Yet another time Pearl’s aptitude surfaced was the warning to her mother. “Come away, mother! Come away, or yonder old Black Man will catch you! He hath got hold of the minister already.” (Hawthorne 123) This realization Pearl possessed between good and bad coupled with her intellect allows for her empowerment. Moreover, Pearl’s role as a strong, prominent character showed 19th century Americans an alternative side young girls could possess.

Authors have a responsibility that they subconsciously accept when they chose their path as a writer. They have a specific duty to raise awareness through their writing. Although these issues could easily be dealt with and discussed through simple articles or speeches, authors have a special advantage. They have the power through their art of dramatization to show people who they are and influence them. Author, Isabel Allende, articulated this responsibility of writers when she said, “Maybe the most important reason for writing is to prevent the erosion of time, so that memories will not be blown away by the wind.

The Scarlett Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850. The story is set in the 17th century Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony. It follows the hard circumstances of a young woman named Hester Prynne and her dealings with her own sin. She commits adultery while her husband is away and becomes pregnant with her daughter, Pearl. She is tried and is given the cruel punishment of wearing a scarlet letter “A” on her chest as a sign that she is an adulterer. Hester is the protagonist in the story. The antagonist happens to be her aliased husband, Roger Chillingworth, whom she has committed adultery against. The other crucial characters in the story include Pearl, Hester Prynne’s illegitimate daughter, and Reverend Dimmesdale, the man whom she committed adultery with. Each of these characters have symbolic value. Hester symbolizes the sinner who has a desire to change their own life. Roger Chillingworth represents the uncompassionate people of the town and the overall theme of revenge in the story. Pearl represents sin, but more specifically, the product of sin. Reverend Dimmesdale is symbolize the sinner who lives in concealed guilt. He acknowledges what he has done wrong, like Hester, but he cannot bear to reveal his iniquity. Another character, who acts as a sort of foil to the story’s plot is Governor Bellingham. Bellingham represents the law, and judgement of sin.