Scarlet Letter Setting

After meeting with Dimmesdale in the forest, Hester had lost her shine that made her the kind youthful figure from before. After confirmation of Dimmesdale’s affection for her, “ she took off the formal cap that confined her hair, and down it fell upon her shoulders, dark and rich”(Hawthorne 139). The cap confining Hester’s hair parallels her confined expression of identity. The release of hair down her shoulders portrays a freedom from her guilt controlling her. This makes her a representation of her love and purity instead of simply her sin.

Although the forest represent darkness and fear for most puritans, for Hester the forest represents solace and peace. When in the forest Hester is able to be free from the prejudice surround her and her daughter. The town’s people do not dare enter the forest, for they believe it to be evil, but Hester enjoys her time alone where she can find solace with Pearl. The “mystery of the primeval forest (Hawthorne, 16)” represents a sort of paradox within Hester’s life. Hester is meant to feel shame for the rest of her time being in Boston, but the forest serves a location in which she is able to feel free from pain and humiliation.

Hester and Pearl venture into the forest in order for Hester to talk with Dimmesdale in order “to make known to [him]...the true character of the man who had crept into his intimacy” (125), hence, she wanted to warn Dimmesdale of Chillingworth. Pearl goes with Hester because she was was the “companion of all her mother’s expeditions”(125), regardless of how inconvenient it may be to Hester.

With the symbol (the scarlet letter) she feels like she undid everything that lead up to her getting the letter. Also once Hester took off the scarlet letter she had never felt so free in her life. “Hester heaved a long deep sigh, in which the burden of shame and anguish departed from her spirit. O exquisite relief! She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom!”

From the start of the novel, Hester is portrayed in exile. She begins in the jail, and soon after is paraded through the streets to start her public exile with her child, Pearl. This first public shame caused Hester to feel “as if her hear had been flung in the street for them all to spurn and trample upon (Hawthorne 52).” The

The "forest" only shines bright when both Hester and Arthur are happy, and it is only when Arthur too, lets go and feels joy that the forest glistens in response. Therefore, the "forest" in this scenario represents Hester, as it is only when Arthur and her feel free that the atmosphere and tone of the forest change into an upbeat, sunny, and joyous one, due to Hester being happy that Arthur feels similarly in this moment. Going off of this, the way nature revolves around Pearl throws a fork in the road for Hester and Arthur. During this scene Pearl represents not only the forest they are in, but nature as a whole. Being the daughter of Hester and Arthur, as well as nature itself, the way Pearl views Arthur is crucial to the future of them.

Hester is the black shadow when she has the letter A on, but when she removes the A, the sunshine appears. “All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine” (Hawthorne 186). The quote is saying that the sunshine appeared when Hester removed the letter. Without the letter on, Hester is a beautiful women with a happy life. “Like a black shadow emerging in sunshine” (Hawthorne 49).

Her being forced to wear the scarlet letter which led her to becoming a women’s advocate reflects the theme that good things come from bad. There was plenty of negative backlash to Hester's mistake, however she gained the ability to help other women struggling just like her. “They said that it meant Able, so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength” (pg 177, Hawthorne). The sin she committed and the experience gained through the aftermath of that sin, gives her insight on what it's like to be a woman who's being discriminated. Raising her daughter on her own and her saving her from harming herself reflects the theme that everyone makes mistakes. After all Hester is human just like everyone else. It is in our nature to make mistakes or even sin. “It is remarkable, that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society” (pg 181, Hawthorne). The actions we take to reverse or to compensate for that sin is what makes us who we are as individuals. Her being alienated from society and developing an independent thinking mindset mirrors the theme that one must acknowledge their mistakes to learn from them. Hester’s society made it abundantly clear that what she did was absolutely heinous and that she needs to repent and beg for forgiveness. The isolation she suffered through helped her become an independent thinker and develop thoughts that we would consider ahead of her time. “The world's law was no law for her mind” (pg 180, Hawthorne). Being excluded socially gave her a chance to dwell in her own thoughts and gather perceptions different from that of other puritans. This decision that Hester makes is very important to the story because it mirrors many of the major themes the author tried getting across to its

Hester brings up this idea because she has had time away from the town and had no one to guide her on this path that she took. She does not think about how townspeople are going to perceive her and Dimmesdale leaving simultaneously. Hester very much resembles the forest because the forest cannot be tamed. The forest grows how it wants and only stops when others force it to. Hester will only gain guidance when the town forces her to listen to them. The forest also knows to show who Hester and Dimmesdale are inside: “Such was the sympathy of Nature-that wild, heathen Nature of the forest, never subjugated by human law, nor illuminated by higher truth- with the bliss of these two spirits!” (139). The forest shows the truth about the townspeople. The forest was always dark around Hester when she had her letter on because of her sin. Hester removes her letter once she and Dimmesdale confirm that they are going to go to Europe. Once Hester removes her scarlet letter, the whole forest lights up. Hester has removed the symbol of her wrongdoing because it no longer is a part of her. Seven years has past and no one in the town remembers what the A stands for anymore. They believe that it means able because Hester has dedicated her life to making clothes for the townspeople. She never commits her transgression again and works to make her life good. The forest reflects who the townspeople are and shows their true self once they realise

Empathy- The ability to understand and share the feelings of another. To Kill A Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee, has many valuable themes. Several themes are developed throughout the storyline. One prominent and recurring theme throughout the novel is the idea that you have to try to understand others and think about how their lives are. Several characters in the novel tell the children to put themselves in someone else’s shoes before they judge or make assumptions about him or her. One example of when Atticus Finch shows empathy is when he says, “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes for a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. [...] so if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there” (Lee 292). Empathy is shown through Link Deas, Atticus Finch, and Arthur “Boo” Radley’s effect on Scout’s life.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, the author uses three scaffold scenes to mark the development of Hester Prynne. The image of Hester atop the scaffolding is a metaphor for her forced solitude; for her banishment from society; and for the futility of her punishment. In the first scene, Hawthorne uses the scaffold to explain how Hester can not believe that the “A'; and the baby are real. In the second scaffold scene, Hawthorne tries to convey to the reader that Hester has fully repented for her sin, however this is not true. In the final scaffold scene, Hester does not yet fully repent for her sin because her love for Dimmesdale is still strong. Through Hester, Hawthorne is trying to communicate to the

Because of this she lives in the forest with her daughter, Pearl. Hester has the freedom to not be gawked at by the townspeople in her little cottage in the woods. It is a safe place where she can live happily without constant

     After her horrible ordeal, and her release from prison, Hester and Pearl reside for the next few years in a hut by the sea. Hester tries to keep her distance from the Puritans. She does not want them to influence Pearl. Hester wants to raise Pearl, and find peace within herself. Pearl, however,

Hester was isolated from the community because of her sin. All of this negativity she was receiving from the community did not affect her, she held her head high. Dimmesdale never got the opportunity to hold his head high and embrace a scarlet letter. Although, Dimmesdale may have been struggling in his private life, at church, he preached one of his most powerful sermons. Hesters “A” on her bosom now meant “Able” because she was able to continue with her life, even after committing such a sin.

There are differing stigmas of teenage pregnancy, which can affect teenage mothers. Teenage mothers face the risk of not being accepted by their peers and community. Acquiring a position in society, that is often the subject of negative criticism and judgment, can profoundly impact teenage mothers (Luttrell, 2014). This research paper will analyze teenage pregnancy stigmas and how they can impact young mothers. This paper will include a literature review, analyzing adolescent sexuality and behavior, teenage pregnancy and motherhood and perceptions of teenage pregnancy. Lastly, recommendations for future practice will be discussed.