The Scarlet Letter And The Crucible

In society today, men are often in a position of power over women. Sometimes it even gets to the point where women no longer have the power to decide their own future. However, in the Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, the female characters place themselves in positions of power. Puritan society was very strict in their time, and was very controlling. In a way, the Puritan Society’s strict rules prompted the women to rebel and gain power for themselves, breaking away from their social standards.

The central theme in The Scarlet Letter is that manifested sin will ostracize one from society and un-confessed sin will lead to the destruction of the inner spirit. Hawthorne uses the symbol of the scarlet letter to bring out this idea. In the novel, Hester is forced to wear the scarlet letter A (the symbol of her sin) because she committed adultery

The literary works, The Scarlet Letter, a romantic work of an American writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the Crucible, a play written by an American playwright, Arthur Miller both show two different narratives of the Salem Witch Trials. The Scarlet Letter is mainly on adultery, meanwhile, The Crucible is about witchcraft. Amongst these two literary works, there are several similarities and contrasts: setting, sin, reasons behind committing the misdemeanor, guilt, and loyalty of the Puritan people to their appointed officials. Although there are several similarities and comparisons, the greatest controversy is how the authors portray the female characters. Women get treated differently than men; it is the idea of women being inferior creatures and lesser human beings.

The edgy tale of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is comparable in many ways to Arthur Miller’s haunting play The Crucible. Both are set in Puritan New England in the 17th century and revolve around the harsh law enforcement of the time. However, The Scarlet Letter tells the story of a woman as she deals with her heavy Puritan punishment, whereas The Crucible follows hysteria as it spreads throughout an entire town. Hester Prynne, the main character of The Scarlet Letter, was found guilty for adultery and sentenced to wear a red letter A on her chest to inform people of her sin. Similarly, The Crucible’s main character John Proctor admits to having committed lechery and is sent to jail for this and for being a

“The Scarlet Letter” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “The Crucible” written by Arthur Miller are two pieces of literature written around the same era. They were written in the early days of the Massachusetts colony. Both of the pieces of literature have many similarities including the theme, setting, conflicts, and some major plot elements. But the two pieces of literature are also very different. They both use have a common theme but are completely different stories. Each of the plays tell a different portrayal of the effects of sin on the protagonist, how they deal with the situation, and also how they will be effected by their choices made throughout the play.

The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible are two stories both set in the early days of the Massachusetts colony. Both of these stories have many similarities between them, including setting, situations, and conflict. The two stories were also very different. The effects of sin on the characters, how they deal with their sin, and the consequences of their actions are different in each story. The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter are different works and although they deal with similar conflicts the consequences and end results are very different.

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Arthur Miller both used their writings to comment on the state of the world at their current times. Miller’s Play The Crucible and Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter both share several similar concepts, despite the fact that they were written just over one hundred years apart. The Scarlet Letter is about a Puritan woman by the name of Hester Prynne, who has an illegitimate child (called Pearl) with the religious leader of the town, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The Crucible is a play featuring the Puritan town of Salem, which is suffering through a hysterical, supernatural paranoia started by a vengeful adulteress named Abigail Williams. The similarities between these two texts have been compared and explored by many before, and three such explorations are investigated over the course of this paper.

Most people agree that Nathaniel Hawthorne changed his last name from “Hathorne” to “Hawthorne”. This is one of the many signs that suggest that Hawthorne was ashamed of his Puritan past and tried to do anything to remove that “black mark” on his past. Furthermore, it can be seen through the themes and symbols in his play that Arthur Miller was no fan of Puritanism as well. Both Miller and Hawthorne take negative stances against Puritanism. This can be seen in their works The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter deals with the Puritan intolerance of those who committed a sin. In Hester Prynne’s situation, her adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale seemed to have sparked a particular hatred for her within her community. The Crucible deals with the Puritan fight against witchcraft. Many people in the town are accused of being witches and are forced to confess in order to save their lives. The intolerance that the Puritans show to witchcraft symbolize Miller’s complete dislike of Puritanism and their strictness. Both Miller and Hawthorne’s negative views on Puritanism are strongly seen in their respective works of literature. Also, both authors seem to think that the outsider is treated quite brutally. Miller’s take on the Puritan way of forgiveness of sins is somewhat painless compared to Hawthorne’s version of forgiveness. Hawthorne’s novel highlights hypocrisy and its detrimental impact. Miller similarly writes about hypocrisy and how it can destroy society as a

The first chapter of Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne describes a rose-bush in front of an old wooden prison door. Telling the reader that the rose symbolize some sweet moral blossom to the condemned. I can surmise that the author is foreshadowing the events that will take place throughout the story. The second chapter begins with women gossiping about a young lady named Hester Prynne and the consequence the magistrates decided on. The woman calls her a hussy, another women declares that the magistrates should have put a brand on her forehead, believing that having her wear the A on the bodice of her gown wouldn’t be enough. The woman’s crudity towards Hester was suprising, knowing these same women probably talked to her before she perpetrated her crime,

It is leaning more on historical fiction. In historical fiction, writers will incorporate past events or people into their fictitious stories. Though the characters and the story are fiction, this lifestyle and rule was far from fiction. It is even believed that even though Hester Prynne was fictitious there was a similar scandal that Hawthorne was referring to. The life of the Puritans has been a subject of interest for years, with works of literature such as The Scarlett Letter, and the Crucible that depict this time period of extreme conservatism and harsh punishment. After further analysis and research it has come to my attention that the Scarlett Letter is actually categorized as a Gothic Romance novel. It shouldn’t be that difficult to believe since Pearl was the result of passionate love affair. I think what sets it apart from other romance novel is it isn’t like other novels.

Several symbols that are found within Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, represent a greater idea found outside of the story itself. The uses of symbols throughout the novel portray a truthful version of reality, one that people can relate to and find in their daily lives. He uses symbols found within nature to develop the setting, characters, and mood. The use of light and color play a significant role in depicting the symbolism of the scenery and background of the novel. The forest is a predominant setting that is also symbolic. The forest portrays the character’s psychological state of mind as well as it being a place where one can escape the grim realities of life.

Hawthorne opens the novel with an in depth description of the Prison door, but puts more of a focus on the description of the rose bush. The prison described as dark and gloomy jail cell with no life in it, except the rose bush that continues to flourish. The color of the rose ties together with the color of the scarlett letter

Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne's dark romantic “the Scarlet Letter” symbolism is used in order to express themes throughout the novel. From the beginning of the narrative Hawthorne introduces the protagonist Hester Prynne bearing a scarlet letter representing her sin of adultery. Shortly after Hester is introduced, Hawthorne displays another piece of symbolism when she is forced onto the town scaffold and publically humiliated in front of the townspeople. Finally, Through later progression of the novel Hawthorne bestows an additional sample of symbolism through Nathaniel Hawthorne's incorporation of light and dark within the novel.

In colonial times the puritan settlers thought poorly of people who committed sins like adultery. The Puritans had only one way of dealing with these people and it was public execution. In the story The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is on trial for adultery in Puritan Boston, and was about to be sentenced to death. However, at the last minute the judges came up with an alternative plan, which was to keep Hester alive and use her as a symbol of shame and sin. Symbols are often used in stories to convey a deeper meaning on a topic or idea, however they can also be used in a story to help convey the central theme of the story. In the story The Scarlet Letter has one central theme of sin. This theme is carried out by many characters who perform sinful acts as the story continues and there are symbols used to bring emphasis on sins committed by characters in the story. The Scarlet Letter is filled with many symbols that drive the main plot and carve deeper meanings including, the scarlet letter “A”, Hester’s daughter Pearl, and Hester. Hester herself is an essential symbol conveying the theme of sin, since she turns the scarlet letter “A” from a symbol of sin and punishment to a symbol of strength. These symbols are all constant reminders to Hester about her adultery, her punishment and loneliness. All these symbols help convey The Scarlet Letter theme of sins and figuring out a way to deal with their sins.

In conclusion, it is obvious that the symbols in The Scarlet Letter make the novel what it is. Pearl’s symbolism of the rose and rosebush define her character and her connection to nature. The scaffold represents the public affliction because of the sin. Lastly, the Letter A represents not only Hester’s sin, but also her ability to help in addition to Dimmesdale’s sin. Some of these symbols, such as the letter A, prove to be fateful, but as for the novel, it could not and would not be the same without these characterizing