The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne

In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, readers are faced with the obstacles of hiding one’s true intentions. Through the lens of three characters, Dimmesdale the priest, Chillingworth the medic, and Hester the typical citizen, the audience is able to learn a valuable lesson. No matter how people may present themselves, if they have a duplicitous nature, this behavior will ultimately be exposed. No man or woman is able to hide who they truly are forever, because eventually people will know what their true motives are.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, symbolsim is constantly present in the actual scarlet letter “A” as it is viewed as a symbol of sin and the gradally changes its meanign, guilt is also a mejore symbol, and Pearl’s role in this novel is symbolic as well. The Scarlet Letter includes many profound and crucial symbols. these devices of symbolism are best portayed in the novel, most noticably through the letter “A” best exemplifies the changes in the symbolic meaning throughout the novel.

““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.” (Hawthorne 145) This, is a misleading description that Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts of Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne, in his classic novel The Scarlet Letter. Pearl is the living product of sin for her mother. Born out of wedlock, Pearl is a unique child that tends to be very moody and unpredictable. However, Pearl, at such a young age, demonstrates outstanding knowledge and exhibits curiosity to her mother’s scarlet letter, and the hypocrisy of Puritan society. Although Pearl portrays devilish characteristics and performs mischievous behaviour, she

To start the book, we find that a young woman has committed adultery and when standing in front of a mocking crowd, she is ashamed of her actions. Continuing through the book we find that the adulteress, Hester Prynne, displays many examples of positive outcomes arising from negative situations. She becomes more and more aware of the faults of society and becomes wiser as she deals with the consequences of her actions. Even though Hester made a terrible decision that came with many extremely negative effects, she gained personality traits, perceptions, and people that rose from her mistake.

Surveillance can be considered the act of being watched under a close eye and can have either a positive or negative effect on a person. Some individuals feel more at ease knowing that someone is always there watching which is to create a supposedly safe environment. Others feel pressure from society or their peers to live up to their respected positions and morals of the society, much like Dimmesdale, which causes extreme paranoia. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dimmesdale is an example that demonstrates negative effects that surveillance can have on a person. In the romance, Dimmesdale is faced with both his own surveillance and Chillingworth’s surveillance. However, Dimmesdale’s own scrutiny causes more damage to himself than Chillingworth’s does.

Children have sponge-like mindsets that are full of curiosity and through each negative and positive encounter, they are able to learn from their experiences. Through their experiences, they are able to be more perceptive about their surroundings and are more honest than adults because they do not know what they say is either right or wrong. Children differ from adults in their potential for expressing these perceptions because they are not afraid to say or express anything but the truth. The children in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, are presented as more perceptive and honest than adults due to their actions of perceiving Hester’s scarlet letter, expressing their opinions without knowing if it is right or wrong, and their willingness to ask questions. In the Scarlet Letter, Hester’s daughter, Pearl, has a willingness to ask questions about the scarlet letter on Hesters chest to help her have a better understanding of why her mother wears it. Pearl shows how different a childs mind is from an adults since she does not understand the mark on her mother 's chest is a punishment. Children are able to be more perceptive and honest than adults because they express their ideas out loud without knowing if it is either correct or incorrect; despite how rude it might be. The ideas that children pick up are usually picked up by the action of their parents. Children are shown to be blunt and innocent because they are young and curious about everything leading them

The Buddha once said, “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” The romantic novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the importance of the truth and the effects on an individual when they attempt to escape from it. This novel mostly follows the main character Hester, who is doomed to display the scarlet letter, signifying adultery, for the rest of the duration of her life. Pearl, Hester’s daughter and the result of her adultery, is thought of by the Puritan community to be unworldly, wild, and an offspring of Satan. However, despite the Puritans’ ill view on her, Hawthorne purposely uses her character to portray truth and nature in this gloomy and dark setting. The actions of Pearl make it apparent that one cannot hide or escape from the truth.

Why are human beings tempted to conceal their transgressions? Is it for the fear of punishment or the loss of one’s standing with the public? In the insightful novel The Scarlet Letter, a seventeenth-century Boston minister named Arthur Dimmesdale committed, in the eyes of the townsfolk, the most evil of sins: adultery. Unlike his partner in this offense, Hester Prynne, he did not accept responsibility for his crime; instead he veiled his infraction of the Puritan law from the populace of Boston. As a consequence of his attempt to hide the truth, Minister Dimmesdale felt the guilt course through him, and that inner feeling of remorse caused his health to decline, his speeches to feel hypocritical, and his belief in the Lord’s mercy to

The the “A” serves as a warning against engaging in immoral conduct. The scarlet letter’s personification appears through the characters. The scarlet letter symbolizes adultery at the beginning of the novel. Hawthorne’s description ,”in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold” (Hawthorne 60), establishes the importance of this emblem.

A symbol is often used to represent an idea or a concept of value. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbols that changes throughout the novel, particularly his characters who all serve a symbolic purpose. Hawthorne uses themes of sin to demonstrate how unavoidable sin is and shows the idea that sin results in suffering. The Scarlet Letter contains many symbols, including Pearl, The Scarlet Letter and the rose bush, which all contribute to the main themes of sin and its effects to the characters.

As Christians, we know that all men are capable of sinning; Puritans, on the other hand, do not believe such. Their doctrine states that any and all sin that one commits is proof of being lost. This is the belief of the people of early Salem and Arthur Dimmesdale when he commits the sin of adultery with Hester Prynne, who bears him a child. Not only is this believe unscriptural. The Bible gives us further good news in Romans 8:28, “For all things work together for good to them that love God. “ This, also, is particularly evident in the life of Arthur Dimmesdale, A character from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. All through Dimmesdale’s trials and punishments, if one care’s to look closes enough, there is evidence of a silver lining, trace as though it may be in some cases, showing the grace and goodness of the lord shining through the filth of sin.

Othering is the act of differentiating oneself from another, often used to maintain a role of dominance. Because of this, it is no wonder large groups and societies use this thought process on smaller groups or against those who dissent against the dominating beliefs, roles, or ideologies. In the case of the characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and his short story “The Maypole of Merry Mount, othering is implemented by the Puritan groups against those they view as corrupt or morally wrong. This often leads to isolation, cutting the offending party off from the rest of society in an effort to control.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the scarlet letter “A” is the main symbol. Like any other symbol, there is not just one word or characteristic to identify it. There are many different meanings to capture the true symbolism of the scarlet letter. The letter is a result of Hester Prynne’s unlawful act, originally representing adultery, shame, sin, and guilt.

The Novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne is about a woman named Hester Prynne who is married to an older man, but not for love. Mrs. Pryne has an affair with another man named Arthur Dimmsdale and is completely ostracized by the community. It is revealed that because of this affair she gave birth to a daughter, Pearl. The main conflict Is external with Hester, but internal with her lover, Arthur. It is later revealed, Hester had taken full blame for the affair, but that is eating away at Dimmsdale’s conscience. Arthur’s health is slowly deteriorating. The climax is when Dimmsdale becomes an idol in the town after preaching powerful and influential sermons. Arthur would love nothing more than to confess, but such

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, the main character, Hester Prynne, is a true contemporary of the modern era, being cast into 17th century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts. The Scarlet Letter is a revolutionary novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne examining the ugliness, complexity, and strength of the human spirit and character that shares new ideas about independence and the struggles women faced in 17th century America. Throughout the novel, Hester’s refusal to remove the scarlet letter becomes more poignant. The acknowledgement of the letter and her sins, removes the subconscious power that it holds over her and in determining who she is. While exploring the obedience of her society under the rules and regulations of the Bible. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s depiction of Hester Prynne makes her a true contemporary of the 17th century.