The Theme Of Imperfection In 'The Scarlet Letter' By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne is known as the author of one of the single most perfect pieces to be found in American Literature. Hawthorne is also the great-great grandson of one of the three judges that were involved in the Salem Witch trials that were held in 1692 (Day, 1). Hawthorne was the author of many literary works including Fanshawe: A tale and “The Scarlet Letter” (Day, 1). Hawthorne received recognition from prominent authors such as Edgar Allen Poe. Hawthorne was joined in matrimony with Sophia Amelia Peabody Hawthorne (Day, 1). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” emphasizes on the strict disciplinary system of the puritans, which may be a result of his upbringing.

Lastly, Hawthorne uses Pearl to emphasize flaws of human nature. However, in this case, Hawthorne is trying to demonstrate that Pearl is the polar opposite from the other characters in that she does not fault in human

On July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Hathorne was born to Nathaniel Hathorne and Elizabeth Clark Manning Hathorne. Not wanting his name to be thought of in the likes of John Hathorne, a distinguished figure in the Salem witch trials of the late 1600s, Nathaniel added a ‘w’ to his name when he began his writing career. Nathaniel Hawthorne was only four when his father, the captain of a ship, died from yellow fever. Much of Hawthorne’s childhood was spend living with his mother, sisters, and uncles. Robert Manning, one of his uncles, was quite taken by a young Nathaniel and was the financing behind Hawthorne’s years at Bowdoin College. He began publishing short stories during his college education and continued to write after his graduation in 1925.

Nathaniel Hawthorne is an Anti-Transcendentalist. An Anti-Transcendentalist is someone who believes all natural things contain evil. Hawthorne’s great uncle is John Hathorne a judge who presided during the Salem witch trials. Nathaniel Hawthorne disliked his uncle because of his actions during the witch trials. Yet, Hawthorne is also obsessed with his great uncle and the Puritanism of the 1600s, because of his great uncle. Hawthorne is so obsessed with Puritanism that he writes many books on the subject, such as The Scarlet Letter. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of the Wild Rosebush, Pearl, and the Forest and Sunlight to develop the overall theme of Imperfection.

Throughout the literary work of art, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the characters that he created to express the dysfunctionality of the Puritan society’s process of punishment for sins. The Scarlet Letter was written in 1840 and published in 1850 by Ticknor and Fields. Hawthorne portrays themes of sin and redemption through The Scarlet Letter’s intricate narrative of how a woman, Hesther Prynne, commits adultery with a highly respected religious figure within the Puritan society, whose name is Arthur Dimmesdale, while the woman’s former husband seeks for justice. Hawthorne also incorporates his own story into The Scarlet Letter, using his experience as an ancestor of John Hathorne, a vicious judge for The Salem Witch Trials, which took place in Salem, MA 1692-1693. Hesther, the adulterer, was punished by the Puritan society and was sentenced to wear a scarlet letter “A” upon the chest of gown for the remainder of her days whereas, her partner, Dimmesdale was not initially revealed to the society as Hesther’s lover. Hesther’s former husband Roger Prynne, soon to be named Chillingworth because of his embarrassment of his affiliation with Hester, was seeking to bring the partner of Hesther’s affair to justice in the light of God’s punishment. Hawthorne argues the difficulties of how sin and redemption causes a ripple effect in which it not only affects the sinners, but all those around them.

Hawthorne uses vivid descriptions to characterize Pearl. She is first described as the infant, "...whose innocent life had sprung, by the inscrutable decree of Providence, a lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion." (Hawthorne 81). From the beginning of her life she is viewed as the

Nathaniel Hawthorne was the great nephew of the infamous judge of the Salem witch trials John Hathorn. Also an anti transcendentalist Nathaniel was obsessed with John Hathorne. Nathaniel wrote many great books such as The Blithedale Romance and The Scarlet letter. The Scarlet Letter is a story set in colonial 1600’s about a woman named Hester Prynne who has committed Adultery with a minister of the name Dimmesdale. With their only reminder of guilt a child Pearl. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of The Scarlet Letter, Pearl, and Dimmesdale to contribute to the theme of Secret sin.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a brilliant American novelist and short story writer whose stories greatly contributed to the growth of American literature in the nineteenth century. Born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts, Hawthorne was a descendent of both William and John Hathorne, both Puritan leaders in Salem in the seventeenth century. John Hathorne, Nathaniel’s great-great-grandfather, was one of the three judges during the Salem Witch Trials; for this reason, Nathaniel added a “w” to his surname to avoid association with him. Hawthorne had many great works, among them are: The Scarlet Letter, Twice-Told Tales, and “Young Goodman Brown.” Hawthorne was influenced by his Puritan ancestry when he wrote some of his works including “Young

Nathaniel Hawthorne, in The Scarlet Letter, and Daniel Solove in his piece about “Shaming and the Digital Scarlet Letter” show that one who lives two lives with two dual personalities, purposefully or accidentally, can live the lie for only so long before he makes a mistake, becomes confused, and betrays his identity.

As a very famous author, Nathaniel Hawthorne mostly wrote about the puritans in colonial America. Even though the puritan religion died soon after the Salem Witch Trials, Hawthorne is obsessed with their society and writes a lot about the 1600’s. The Scarlet Letter is also based around the puritan community in the 1600’s. While it is not known whether this novel is based on a true story or not it still captures the attention of many readers. The story contains a lot of symbolism that is hidden and encourages the reader to dig deeper into the book. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of the Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale, and Burrs to contribute to the theme of guilt.

Nathaniel Hawthorne is an American novelist, who writes and focuses on sin, punishment, and atonement. However, he mainly focuses on the Puritan legacy. Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. From 1825-1837, Hawthorne perfected his writing and spent this time to help generate ideas for his novels and poems. One of the most well known novels by Nathaniel Hawthorne is “The Scarlet Letter.” The Scarlet Letter helped Hawthorne’s career to become one of the most successful of his time. The Scarlet Letter contained passion and strength that all of his other works lacked. However, before his death Hawthorne released one more novel and a collection of articles, “The Marble Faun and Our Old Home.” On May 18, while on a journey to Plymouth, New Hampshire with his dear friend Franklin Pierce, Hawthorne died in his sleep. Bloom once said about Hawthorne, “He was a beautiful, natural, original genius.” (Bloom, Nathaniel Hawthorne as a short story writer, 1). Hawthorne left behind a legacy of imagination and perception in the world of Literature. (Bloom, 1)

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a prominent author of the era of American Romanticism. His original surname was “Hathorne”; however, due to his ancestry’s involvement in the Salem Witch Trials and his wish to distance himself from their heinous actions, he changed it to “Hawthorne” when he began writing as an occupation. The Salem Witch Trials became a recurring theme in his works, including in The House of Seven Gables.

The author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, was born into a Puritan family, as was Hester Prynne, in the city of Salem Massachusetts on July 4, 1804. Hawthorne never fully had a male head-figure in his life because at the age of four, Hawthorne’s father died in Surinam. His dad worked full-time as a ship-captain. One of Hawthorne’s fore-fathers was a judge in the Salem Witch Trials. Hawthorne shunned his family because of their involvement in the Salem Witch Trials by adding the “w” in what should have been his last name, Hathorne. Adding the “w” characterizes the relationship between Hester and the letter “A”. Hester knew that she could not run away from the past, but Hawthorne let this problem torment him for the rest of his life. Hawthorne, for the majority of his adult life, had to deal with the self-imposed guilt of shunning his own family, which he reflected in the characters of Reverend Dimmesdale, and Robert Chillingworth. Hawthorne came across the files of Hester Prynne while working as a surveyor at the Salem Custom-House. These files triggered Hawthorne to write The Scarlet Letter. The years following the publication of The Scarlet Letter were probably the happiest years of his life. At one

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an anti-transcendentalist who lived during the 19th century. Obsessed with his great uncle, judge Hathorne, he studied the Puritan way of life. Hawthorne wrote an array of short stories and books about Puritan societies. His anti-transcendentalist ideas and beliefs are seen all throughout his pieces of work. In in one of his books, The Scarlet Letter, he depicts the lives of Hester Prynne, her daughter Pearl, and the people in the town with her. Hester is the town seamstress and she commits adultery with Mr. Dimmesdale, the reverend. Hester has a child whom she names Pearl. As punishment for her crime she has to wear a scarlet letter A on her chest. In the Scarlet Letter Hawthorne uses Reverend Dimmesdale, a

He got his idea to write this novel when he heard the tale of a young women that was condemned to wear an “A” on her bosom. He was able to relate real life to the book during the time he lived in. A biography on Hawthorne expresses “In The Scarlet Letter , Hawthorne turned back to the age of his first American ancestor for a historical background against which to display a tragic drama of guilt.” Some believe that he felt responsible for some of the Salem Witch deaths, because his family had members in generations past that condemned some of the men and women to death. Critics have mixed views on this romantic for different reasons. Overall, it is still considered one of the greatest American classics ever written and is taught in school curriculums all across America