The Scarlet Pimpernell

The Scarlet Letter is a well known novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The novel is composed and written in Salem and Concord, as well as Boston, Massachusetts in the late 1840's. The narrator of the novel is in an omniscent state, meaning he knows more about the characters than the characters know about themselves. Although the narrartor is omniscent, he also makes sure to include his ideas and opinions on situations, making him also greatly subjective. Being subjective, as well as omniscent, historical fiction along with a story displaying constant symbolism is evident.

In, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, Marguerite Blakeney, struggles with the man vs. self-conflict as she was forced to make a terrifying life or death decision. Marguerite was torn between her former life as an orphan with her brother, Armand, and her current life of fame in England. The basis of the conflict is that she was divided in her opinions of France’s new republic, and fell prey to collaborating with many of their evil wishes. The conflict began when Marguerite was threatened by the corrupt French agent, Chauvelin. He gave her the choice of life for her brother, in exchange for The Scarlet Pimpernel. Out of fear for her brother’s life, she consented to his biddings, and betrayed

For all of Marguerite’s life she has dealt with the horrible rude effects of racism. Regardless of these bad events she is a very smart and is imaginative. The major things that the young girl Marguerite encountered were white prejudice, black powerlessness, and strong female subjugation. All of these have strong effects on anyone who would have to deal with problems such as these horrible ones listed. She grew up in this era of racism and was affected by it on a regular basis. She would have these extravagant dreams of being Caucasian in skin tone and being a beautiful girl instead of a dark skinned

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.

Marguerite Blakeney can be quite ruthless at times. When someone is displeasing towards her or something doesn’t go her way she becomes uncivil. After the Countess rejected Marguerite by saying “Suzanne, I forbid you to speak to that woman” (Orczy 11), the reader can tell by her small actions after that she was bothered. As well as “For the moment Marguerite’s sweet face had become as white as the soft fichu which swathed her throat, and a very keen observer might have noted that the hand which held the tall, beribboned stick was clenched, and trembled somewhat” (Orczy 11). Her response was insulting the Countess by saying “Sir Andrew, did you ever see such an unpleasant person? I hope when I grow old I sha’n’t look like that” (Orczy 11). This was also followed by Lady Blakeney mimicking the Countess, so the reader would think Marguerite is ruthless because of her childish and impolite actions due to a minor rejection. Obviously people going against her in any way is a great issue to her, and imagine what she might have done if Suzanne (who was more relaxed in this situation) had not convened with her. Imagine what other impolite or harsh comments or actions she might have added. Nevertheless, this kind of behavior should help the reader see how incredibly ruthless she is at times, however, Other people may believe that she’s quite kind and she just hides her feelings. Readers would think Marguerite is kind due to her act of kindness towards a homeless man by buying him a meal before entering The Fisherman's Rest (Orczy 9). While they have a reasonable position, it’s wrong because that single act of kindness was in reality the only act of kindness she showed for the rest of the

A 1636 Plymouth Colony law required anyone convicted of adultery to "wear two Capital letters viz AD cut out in cloth and sowed on theire uppermost Garments on their arme or backe; and if att any time they shallbee taken without the said letters whiles they are in the Govrment soewarn to bee forthwith taken and publickly whipt."[1] Other Massachusetts colonies had their own versions of this law. In fact, "The Capitall Lawes of New-England, as they stand now in force in the Common-wealth, by the Court, in the years 1641, 1642, established within the jurisdiction of Massachusetts," proclaim that "if any person committeth adultery with a married or espoused wife, the

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

1. Hester Prynne is portrayed as a Christ figure in The Scarlet Letter. She displays self-sacrifice, saintlike features, and exemplifies some biblical teachings throughout the book. The first, which is self-sacrifice, is shown when Hester is standing on the scaffold in front of the whole town and will not uncover the other participant in the adultery. Reverend Wilson questions her of this man that helped commit this crime, “Speak out thy name! That, and thy repentance, may avail to take the scarlet letter off thy breast” (60), with the attempt to bribe her by promising the possible removal of the scarlet A. She refuses to sell out her secret lover with the responses “Never” and “I will not speak!” (60) but the young clergyman keeps questioning Hester. She is willing to take the fall for the both of them and stand up there with the humiliation of their actions. “It is too deeply branded. Ye cannot take it off. And would that I might endure his agony, as well as mine!” (60). This reinforces her firmness in protecting Dimmesdale and from completely razing his name as a minister by telling the public. She is willing to endure the ignominy from the public without exposing him, which is an example of self-sacrifice. With saying that, Hester is like Jesus Christ because he was crucified for our sins as a form of self-sacrifice so we could have eternal life and go to Heaven. Hester's actions for Dimmesdale caused her much more agony and humiliation by the public because of the

In the thrilling novel The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, Percy, whose alias is the Scarlet Pimpernel, dedicates his life to freeing innocent aristocrats from certain death by the guillotine. He does this at a time when it is very dangerous to do so, with the Chauvelin awaiting his capture, and traitorous people everywhere ready to turn him in. Even in the face of adversary, Percy never stopped liberating the nobility of France from certain death. Throughout the story, Percy exemplified bravery, cleverness, and emphatically showed loyalty to the French aristocrats.

In the novel, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, a hero with an unlikely identity saves the French aristocrats from a horrific fate of death by the guillotine, in this swashbuckling tale.

Marguerite’s physical appearance itself is representative of stereotypical beauty admired in woman. She is described as a tall actress with auburn hair and blue eyes, a childlike mouth and a

The Scarlet Pimpernel exceeded my qualifications. A hero does the things ordinary people wouldn’t. They are willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. The Scarlet Pimpernel was not afraid to be captured, or even killed as long as he was rescuing aristocrats from the guillotine. Although he acted dumb and lazy, his alternate ego made him a hero. His identity was kept anonymous, and no one suspected him as the Pimpernel. The Scarlet Pimpernel had many responsibilities. He had to hide his identity, rescue condemned French aristocrats, and to do this all while being undercover. The Scarlet Pimpernel was a great man, but a greater

The Scarlett Pimpernel is a novel written by Baroness Orczy who is an author that was born in 1865 Hungary. The Scarlet Pimpernel is often considered the first superhero in relation of United States comic books: he is a rich dude with a secret identity which he maintains in action by disguises much like batman, while in public life he appears as a normal guy that has no idea what is going on around him to draw attention away from himself. In his disguise, he accomplishes good, by saving many French lives that without him were bound for the guillotine, But is superior fighting and ability to think on his feet leads him to over power his enemies. However, he never killed anyone in the whole story, which

With each letter in Les Liaisons dangereuses, Choderlos de Laclos advances a great many games of chess being played simultaneously. In each, the pieces—women of the eighteenth-century Parisian aristocracy—are tossed about mercilessly but with great precision on the part of the author. One is a pawn: a convent girl pulled out of a world of simplicity and offered as an entree to a public impossible to sate; another is a queen: a calculating monument to debauchery with fissures from a struggle with true love. By examining their similarities and differences, Laclos explores women’s constitutions in a world that promises ruin for even the most formidable among them. Presenting the reader glimpses of femininity from a young innocent’s daunting debut to a faithful woman’s conflicted quest for heavenly virtue to another’s ruthless pursuit of vengeance and earthly pleasures, he insinuates the harrowing journey undertaken by every girl as she is forced to make a name for herself as a woman amongst the tumult of a community that machinates at every turn her downfall at the hands of the opposite sex. In his careful presentation of the novel’s female characters, Laclos condemns this unrelenting subjugation of women by making clear that every woman’s fate in such a society is a definitive and resounding checkmate.

Actress Rebecca Hall once complained, it’s not often you get female characters who don’t fit into a box.” Rebecca is implying that it is rare in literature to have a female character be portrayed as a real person with complex human emotions. In novels, authors tend to try and put all female characters into a box. The error in this is that women are just as complicated as any person in real life. In the classic literature the Scarlet Pimpernel, Marguerite Blakeney and Comtesse de Tournay are two of the most intricate female characters in the book that are never put into that box.