The Scarlet Letter Analysis,
“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.” (40) Every aspect of the story of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, whether it be major or minor, stems from this line. From beginning to end, the scarlet letter has a major bearing on the unfolding of the plot. Hester Prynne, an adulteress, is spared death for her sin, but she must wear a scarlet letter “A” for the rest of her life. Her husband, who has been living with Native Americans for the past two years, arrives in town just in time to see her holding a baby and being publicly humiliated for the crime of adultery and vows to get revenge. As
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Through development of the two characters, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, Hawthorne melds a vision of a world in which adversity and freedom enhance the life of the soul. To begin with, Hawthorne presents a tale of persevering though it feels as if everything is crumbling, which is revealed in the metamorphosis of Hester and Dimmesdale, a transformation from hopelessness to hope in both of their cases. In the case of Hester, she cannot give up, even though her future seems terrifyingly dim. She has Pearl to live and make a life for, so she must force herself to push forward through the pain.
“But she named the infant ‘Pearl,’ as being of great price,-purchased with all she had,-her mother’s only treasure! How strange, indeed! Man had marked this woman’s sin by a scarlet letter which had such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her, save it were sinful like herself. God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child, whose place was on that same dishonored bosom, to connect her parent for ever with the race and descent of mortals, and to be finally a blessed soul in heaven!” (67)
God has given Hester this wonderful, lovely baby girl, her one and only treasure, as a result of what the townspeople think is one of the worst acts a woman can commit. Even though her punishment is harsh and results in the alienation of her from the community, Hawthorne makes sure to include
Hawthorne refers to the eye of Dimmsdale. Hester has sinned anew because during this moment of relief she reflects on her love with Dimmsdale.
Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale dealt with their sin in different ways due to their personalities, their positions in society, and their ability to hide their crime. Hester and Dimmesdale’s differing personalities were one reason why they dealt with guilt differently. Hester, like her daughter was rather passionate, bold, and prideful. Hawthorne characterizes Hester through her daughter (6-83). This quote portrays Hester to have a gloom and temper.
While allegory is an explicit and tempting reading of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, I see in this novel also the potential of a psychological reading, interpreting it as a search for one’s own self. Both Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne goes through this process and finally succeeded in finding the duality of one's personality, and the impossibility of complementing the split between individual and community identity. However, they were compelled to take different paths on this journey, and they react quite differently when they finally arrive at the conclusion of this search.
Hawthorne starts the beginning of the story by putting Hester through a sense of isolation when she is sent off by her husband to live in Boston who will join her later although it takes longer than planned. While there, she commits adultery with the minister. “Hester may have violated the seventh commandment, but she emerges as a free spirit who has integrated her sexual life into her being and now Dimmesdale notwithstanding, lives a rather Christ-like life in public.” (Erdirich 5) Unlike Dimmesdale, who keeps his identity as her lover a secret, Hester has to walk around with the guilt of their child and a scarlet
Additionally, the hardships Hester experiences demonstrate Hawthorne’s point of view that women go through much more criticism than men, yet through Hester’s eventual successes, he proves that women are still able to remain strong and live out their lives.
Thou art no Pearl of mine! Said the mother half playfully; for it was often the case that a sportive impulse came over her, in the midst of her deepest suffering, Tell me, then, what thou art, and who sent you here?” Hester's candid and slightly callous tone shows her characters overwhelming and doubting feelings towards Pearl. Having this tone enables the reader to comprehend the troubles Hester is going through. Those troubles being, raising an elvish-child alone and in exile while dealing with the multitudes of her sin. Using imagery and tone Hawthorne was successful in developing (in particular) the characterization of Hester and showing how her intuitive mind attempts to overcome sin.
Although both suffered greatly in the recent aftermath of his/her crime, Hester’s situation improved tremendously afterwards. The citizens of Boston, impressed by her humble nature and good deeds, began to stop staring at her scarlet letter and making the harsh comments about her. In fact, members of the town would tell outsiders proudly about her kindness and helpfulness (157). Also, she was ordained a Sister of Mercy: a position that would not have had been considered in the first few years of her suffering. By sympathizing and helping other
His word choice throughout the critical piece is extremely precise. Van Doren discusses the novel’s heroine specifically when he states “Hawthorne is known how to put a unique importance.” Van Doren emphasizes Hester’s ture relevance in the world. Hawthorne has not merely created a character but a truly real person who is able to teach others through her actions. In a similar fashion, Van Doren continues to analyze Hawthorne’s creation of Hester when he articulates that readers understand that “the life of Hester increases, not diminishes.”
Using a simile, Hawthorne compares Hester to a ghost to indicate her lack of presence in the community. The contrast of light and dark imagery between the fireside and where Hester stands suggests the Puritan’s biased and merciless perception that banishes her into darkness and disregards her attempts in redemption. The struggle between inner self and the community’s view creates tension in her character. Hawthorne establishes the duality in Hester’s character to suggest that one’s heart can remain virtuous regardless of their past sins, contradicting the Puritan’s
With the given opportunity she started to help others and her consequence was rectified and changed to a new meaning, Abel. “They said that it meant Abel, so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength. It was only the darkened house that could contain her” (242). Surprisingly after the positive description of Hester she is still bound to her one sinful badge. Yet this must not be looked at negatively because it shows the switch Hawthorne created of the meaning of light and dark. Society still does not accept her blemish and only darkness invites her true self, tenderness, warmth, and kindness. So then what does light welcome
Despite being judged and discriminated against, Hester’s character can be seen through changes in her physical appearance as well as her persistence through a time of judgement and repercussions from sin.
As Larzer Ziff states that the omnious occurrence of Scaffold is to condemn Puritan,s cruelity : “The strong Puritan sense of evil as an active principle was more serviceable when personified. ”(1964:254 1st edition) This symbol represents shame sin and the concept of loneliness. The next important symbol in this novel is the “Forest” that is actually the place where the sin took place .This symbol is associated with adultery and other sin as dark magic .This is a place where all the puritan laws were broken. As Jamie Barlowe notes : “Hawthorne represents his Puritan fathers as desiring Hester Prynne’s punishment,which of course she is seen as deserving. Prynne has been fearfully transgressive, and the combination of fear and desire that
Hawthorne applies visual imagery through the novel to display Hester’s confinement and detachment from society even from her own self. Hawthorne exhibits Hester’s closure from the public eyes when the Salem society sends her off to a cottage in the “… the forest, covered hills, towards the west,” with including a “… concealed the cottage from view” (Hawthorne 73). During this, we readers understand the situation Hester’s sadness causes her to “… be shut out from … human charities,” (Hawthorne 73). Hester then secludes herself for when she feels the need to speak with the Revered Arthur Dimmesdale about her adultery and also the true identity of Roger Chillingworth being her
Hester Prynne, because of her adultery, was driven away by the people of Boston. When Hester commits this crime she thinks she has done the worst sin imaginable. So as the judges sentenced her to three hours standing on the scaffold in the blazing heat, she takes it. When they make her wear an “A” upon her bosom for the rest of her life, she does. The towns people hate her at first saying “ this women has brought shame upon us all”(Hawthorne 49). They then exile her to the outskirts of town so they do not have to lay their eyes on her. When ever she would come into town clergymen would preach about her in their sermons,and when she went to church she would “find herself in the text”(79).As she passed by children they would call her names that they don 't even understand. But she took all this pain and anguish because she thought she deserved it. So as penance she would donate whatever money she had to the poor. She would spend hours with the sick tending to them. She even sowed for the people who condemned her and made them the nicest
Hawthorne’s embodiment of tenderness emphasises that Hester is no longer the same person. She does not look as soft and loving. Hawthorne states that she has the capacity to return to her prior state, one that is locked deep in her heart.