Quotes and Meanings from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem Massachusetts and died on May 19, 1964 in Plymouth New Hampshire. Mr. Hawthorne was injured when he was young and during that time he became fascinated with literature and writing, eventually he went to college and made friends many of whom are famous classic writers. After graduation he returned home and wrote many of his famous book, The Hollows of the Three Hills, An Old Woman's Tale, My Kinsman, and many more. During this time Hawthorne worked for the Boston Custom House, where he met his first wife. They eventually got married, moved to Massachusetts, and had three children. Due to financial reasons they moved back to Salem and he got a job at the Salem Custom House, soon he was let go due to the election of a new president named Zachary Taylor. During this time he started writing again, this is when he wrote The Scarlet Letter.

In the novel, “The Scarlet Letter,” the townspeople of the village judge Hester Prynne for her sin of adultery with a man whom she is not married to. In which they have made her wear the scarlet letter “A” to remind her daily of her sin, not to mention her baby, Pearl, also being a daily reminder. Yet the townspeople themselves are not all high and mighty either, because they to have secrets of their own. The puritan children of the

When Hester committed this sin, she wasn’t doing it intentionally to hurt someone, she did it out of passion and love as oppose to hate and vengeance. " But this had been a sin of passion, not of principle, nor even purpose. " Her sin was not for a purpose but just of the passion she felt. “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A. "

One the gossips come to terms with the fact that Hester Prynne is not going to be killed for her doing they decide that she should at last be stripped of her nice clothes. One of them says, “if we stripped Madame Hester’s rich gown off her dainty shoulders; and as for the red letter which she hath stitched so curiously, I’ll bestow a rag of mine own

With society mocking and roaring at Hester Prynne, it is evident that they are against her, and that the Puritan society has, at a whole, condemned her act of adultery and abandoned her and her child. In the narrator's description, “...the heavy weight of a thousand unrelenting eyes...” it is clear that society holds a rather disapproving view of Hester.

Going through all this shame and embarrassment, the feelings of torment and ridicule begin to change her. She does not realize until later that she is becoming a better person due to all that is happening to

Hester’s needlework grew in this particular industry, so much that “it would now be termed the fashion,”(para1,p.76) and, “her needlework was seen on the ruff of the Governor,” (para 2,p.76). The exception however, was that her work was never on a bride due to her sin. Her needlework allows Hester to make her way into the community as, the society tolerated her and no longer closed her off from society completely as described towards the bottom of page 79. She wasn’t accepted but, she wasn’t ignored.

This letter signifies her crime to all who lay eyes on it. She is made to publicly stand on a scaffold, a place of shame, for all to see. She was given this sentence by men who thought they were punishing an evil person because she had sinned. Hester Prynne’s entire life is altered by not only her actions but also the actions of the community. “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast—at her, the child of honorable parents—at her, the mother of a babe that would hereafter be a woman—at her who had once been innocent—at the figure, the body, the reality of sin.” (5.1)

Hester faces conflict with Puritan society again when she cannot use her elaborate seamstress skills to make bride veils. Although Hester is very talented she is restricted from anything that would offend the Puritan society, which becomes evident when it is stated, “But it is not recorded that, in a single instance, her skill was called in aid to embroider the white veil which was to cover the pure blushes of a bride” (73). The moral sin of Hester Prynne leads to conflict with the Puritan way of life.

Hester chooses to boldly submit to the Puritan method of penitence rather than to reveal cowardice and flee New England for a new life. She does this, not to preserve the social order, but rather to deconstruct it. In this deconstruction process Hester is able to prove her moral and ethical critics wrong through her self-defining behavior, while at the same time instilling both courage and pride in her beloved daughter. Hester does not feel any remorse for the unfaithfulness to her husband, Roger Chillingworth, as she brazenly explains in thought here:...It seemed a fouler offence committed by Roger Chillingworth, than any which had since been done him, that, in the time when her heart knew no better, he had persuaded her to fancy herself happy by his

The scarlet letter represents how societies would shame females for their sexuality in past (and in current) times. Hester adorns her

There I was minding my own nevermind when like a bolt of lightning from the heavens I saw Mistress Hester Prynne with her daughter. Mistress Prynne sticks out like a sore thumb. She is an odd one. She walked with the child holding her hand, slowly, as heads to turned. She stood so clear of everyone else that I saw the brand clearly. It was a work of art. Never have I seen such good stitching. Standing in the light, her hair taken back, looking without expression. A picturesque woman, voluptuous breasts and smooth curves seem to be noticeable even though the scarlet letter seemed to steal much of the attention. Her complexion so fair, and so white in the light. Her dress, though simple, hung on her like a she was wearing a garment made of gold. The letter, as if it were a large broach, so majestic, it was almost ridiculous to think it as a mark of shame. I moved closer to her general direction, hoping that I could get a closer look, as if that would let me into her mind, or into her thoughts. My curiosity grew larger, and I wondered how she felt knowing all eyes were upon her chest, upon the mark. She showed no signs of emotion, not a smile, let alone a frown, as if none around her existed. Could she feel the eyes burning upon her? Well as sure as day, she turned around and looked me in the eye. I froze. I saw a glistening in her eyes,

This quote gives the reader more information about Hester. First of all, it lets them know that she embroidered the letter. She made her own punishment, how ironic is that? It also says that she is very good in the skill of embroidery. Another thing the reader knows is that the letter illuminated upon her bosom. In other words, Hester is beautiful and looks good in anything.

The Scarlet Letter, is a very aclaimed story, for it's amazing character's, and original plot. The book itself is good, people can relate to the characters, such as Hester, or Dimmsdale. There was one thing that did stick out though. The book is very long, drawn-out, wordy, and the book Uses words that we don't usually see in today's dailect.

Hester’s sin and public punishment are very similar to that of Eve, who is condemned to a life of sin, in addition to pain in childbearing. The most immediate effects of Hester’s sin is the scarlet letter, showing her immorality to all who