Review Of ' The ' Of The Scarlet Letter '

In his book, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells of a story where a young woman has had an adulterous relationship with a respected priest in a Puritan community. Typical of Hawthorne's writings is the use of imagery and symbolism. In Chapter 12, The Minister's Vigil, there are several uses of imagery when Dimmesdale, the priest, is battling with confessing his sin, which has plagued him for seven years. Three evident techniques used to personify symbolism in this chapter are the use of darkness versus light, the use of inner guilt versus confession, and lastly the use of colors (black versus white).

The settings in The Scarlet Letter are very important in displaying the themes of the novel. The settings in this novel are almost characters, for they are an important part in developing the story. The scaffold, the forest, the prison, and Hester’s cottage are settings that show sin and its consequences result in shame and suffering.

In the novel The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, all of the characters possess specific traits of the seven deadly sins which are lust, gluttony, greed, pride, wrath, envy and sloth. My character Roger Chillingworth possesses the sins, greed, wrath and pride. I will attempt to make a connection between the sins committed by Chillingworth and his motivation behind those sins and sins committed by people in our world today. For example, one could compare wrath to the destructive and horrible feats of today’s murders that feel they have been treated unjustly, therefore, take the lives of those they feel have wronged them. Another comparison is the effects that pride can have on today’s role models such as professional athletes and the result of greed on some of today’s entertainers who need more and more stuff, such as cars, homes, jewels and the list goes on and on.

1. As the story opens a throng is gathered.  Who are these people?  Where and why are they gathered?

The characters in the Scarlet Letter are judged greatly through how and who they are able and unable to forgive. Such as the main female lead, Hester Prynne, and her struggle for the town to forgive her, finding the will to forgive herself and having God forgive her. Although, this was hard because every day she had to live with the scarlet letter upon her chest as a reminder of her sin. Another character that had one of the roughest times in the novel was Arthur Dimmesdale. This man kept a sin hidden for most of the novel and let it eat him away. The person that Dimmesdale needed to forgivehim the most was Pearl. He spent most of the novel trying to earn her beloved trust. Pearl would ask him favors to go into town with her but it

The setting of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet letter” is crucial to the understanding of the event that takes place in the story. The setting of the story is in Salem, Massachusetts during the Puritan era. During the Puritan era, adultery was taken as a very serious sin, and this is what Hester and Dimmesdale committ with each other. Because of the sin, their lives change, Hester has to walk around in public with a Scarlet Letter “A” which stands for adultery, and she is constantly being tortured and is thought of as less than a person. Dimmesdale walks around with his sin kept as secret, because he never admits his sin, his mental state is changing, and the sin degrades his well-being. Chillingworth

Throughout, the history of western civilization, religion and politics have been put together and associate with the major the historical events that have marked the history of humanity on earth. In the following written works, Plato’s apology and Crito, The gospel according to Mark and Date’s Inferno, in each of these works religion and politics are intertwined to show the impact of these in each character in each written work. Also, these written works explain how politics are affected by religion and vice versa.

Throughout, the history of western civilization religion and politics have been put together and associate with the major the historically events that have marked the history of humanity in earth. In the following written works, Plato’s apology and Crito, The gospel according to Mark and Date’s inferno, in each of these work religion and politics are intertwined to show the impact of these in each character in each written work. Also, these written works explain how politics is affected by religion and vise versa.

In June 1642, the townspeople of the Massachusetts Bay Colony gathered together in front of the scaffold to see the the punishment that would be levied on the young women, Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne was guilty of adultery and forced to stand upon the scaffold for three hours. While Hester was standinding on the scaffold, she was subject to name calling and constant questioning, by the other women of the town. As Hester was being shamed, she noticed and man in the crowd, it was her husband, who was presumed to be dead. Her husband, angered deeply by this, vowed to find the man responsible for this, and selected the new name Roger Chillingworth. The reverend, John Wilson, and the Minister, Arthur Dimmesdale questioned Hester, but she refused to reveal the the father.

In the stories of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the antagonist characters display parallel story lines through their searches for the enemy. Roger Chillingworth, the former husband of Hester Prynne and the antagonist of The Scarlet Letter, works against his wife in order to find her untold second lover. Frankenstein is a contrasting story in which an unnamed monster is the antagonist towards his human creator, Dr. Frankenstein. Yet despite quite different story lines, the two characters possess traits that exibit parallels between them. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingworth displays the startling passionate characteristics of an unwavering drive to seek out his foe, madness as his focus on his search takes over his entire being, and terrible anguish when his task is unexpectedly over, all of which are reflected in the daemon created at the hand of Dr. Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley 's novel Frankenstein.

“Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted for too long a series of generations in the same worn-out soil. My children have had other birthplaces, and, so far as their fortunes may be within my control, shall strike their roots into unaccustomed earth.” (23)-Nameless narrator’s narration

The Crucible is a story that revolves around the Salem Witch Trials. The novel takes place in Salem Massachusetts in 1692. It starts off with the local pastor, Reverend Parris, catching a group of girls, one of them his daughter and one of them being his niece, practicing witchcraft in the woods. Abigail is the leader of the group of girls, and her motive for the whole occurrence is to get revenge on Elizabeth Proctor for being kicked out of the house. The story presents itself in a much more complicated manner. Abigail was caught cheating with John Proctor, Elizabeth’s husband. She tells him,“You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!” but he tells her to forget him. After being caught, fear grips the group of girls, allowing them to blame anyone they don’t like. The girls, with their newfound power, abuse it with grudges. The main plot is formed from the fear that grips the townspeople, as they are afraid of their secrets being exposed. Elizabeth talk to John about his affair with Abigail saying that he should confess and call her out with the accusation blasphemies. Soon after, Elizabeth is arrested for witchcraft. Reverend Parris calls Reverend Hale, who is an expert in witchcraft, to investigate. 91 people who are accused by the girls are arrested under the authority of chief judge Danforth. Soon, Mary and

One of the most common fears for public today is the fear of being forgotten. In the present media, pop stars and athletes are worshipped and praised; incredible athletes like Michael “Air” Jordan and the “Pistol” Pete Maravich are inducted into the Hall of Fame, where the best of the best go to be remembered. Even the tombstones of loved ones often echo their final moments, eulogizing their time on Earth. Human nature naturally yearns for identity and a sense of “eternity” in things deemed worthy and satisfying by the world. Olympic athletes who dedicate their lives to working hard are stripped of their medals; their scandal of the usage of steroids and other enhancement drugs leave a stain on their otherwise reputable, “god-like” reputation. What one does in their last moments often leave an impression and final cast for their true character and virtues. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, the author knows the importance of “lasts” in the novel and uses the last moments of characters to explore common themes of human nature and to further develop a character. The author Nathaniel Hawthorne of The Scarlet Letter uses literary artistry, the final decisive acts of Reverend Dimmesdale, and the last exposition and the responses of the Puritan community to further explore the character of Dimmesdale to ultimately convey a message about value of virtues, perserverance, and the hypocrisy of human nature.

Once the recent mutiny came to a close, all the townspeople hoped that their quiet little Puritan town would return to the normality that they held so dearly. Now, of course, they missed their beloved reverend, Arthur Dimmesdale, but many believed that the sacrificing if his life was a fair payment to end the madness. His dramatic demise would never be forgotten in the town and he, even being the sinner that he is, would be gravely missed and hold a special place in their hearts. The main purpose for this was the fact that he showed such great courage in his confession. The great reverend could have just slipped into the hands of God without telling any of the townspeople what he had done. This would have spared him the public humiliation that surfaced in his last few seconds of life. For this reason, most of the settlers in the community saw him as a very courageous man. A sharp contrast to the image they saw of Hester when the knowledge of her crime, the exact same as that of Dimmesdale, spread throughout the community.

The Scarlet Letter Critical Analysis Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, the direct descendant of John Hawthorne, and a judge at the infamous Salemwitchcraft trials. The guilt that Hawthorne felt over the actions of his ancestor had an enormous impact on his writings. In his introduction of "The Scarlet Letter", Hawthorne accepts the guilt from his forefathers and offers to repent for their crimes (Waggoner, 5). This unusual way of viewing guilt and sin is one driving factor in Hawthorne's writing. The other, which is closely related to the first, is the relationship between men, and of man to humanity as a whole.