Theme Of Mistakes In The Scarlet Letter And The Other Wes Moore

The people and environment that you incorporate into your life affects who you become and the direction in which you develop. An example of this, is seen in the value of education in different areas. In inner city communities, young children are exposed to the high rates of crime and drug activity as well as increased high school dropout rates. Since their primary role models sustain themselves by engaging in illegal activity, the children have nothing else to look up to. This is contrary to the environment on the other side of the city. Since Forest Hills School District is a highly ranked school district in Ohio, students are in a daily environment where graduation rates are high, and teachers are qualified and dedicated to giving students all their academic supplies in order to succeed. This directly correlates to students success in the real world outside of academia due to the positive influences they are surrounded by. The shaping of individuals through their direct environment, is seen in the novels The Other Wes Moore and The Scarlet Letter. The Other Wes Moore follows the differing stories of two men with the same name, but very different fates. The Scarlet Letter follows Hester Prynne, an outcast in the Puritan society of Boston, and her struggle with her sin of adultery. Each of the main characters were affected by the environment and it slowly shaped their identity. The theme of how the environment defines who you become, is displayed throughout The Other Wes

The first Moore, the author, began his deviance in school through failing to do his assignments and performing extremely poorly in class. The second Moore, the prisoner, began through the use of a knife to solve conflicts as a child. Another case of defiance in the two children is evident when the first Moore, the author, started vandalizing public property. On the other hand, the other Moore was busy helping drug peddlers in supplying narcotics in the neighborhood. The mother of the first Moore became concerned of his son’s behavior and enrolled him to a prison school, where he would later become a leader of several cadets. It was while at this school that he gave his deviant behavior after several attempts to escape failed. The discipline levels in the school were extremely high, resulting in the young Moore changing his behavior for the better (Moore, 2011).

It is on a daily basis that people are forced to make decisions as to whether or not they will chose to rise above their challenges and it is these decisions that affect the outcomes of many lives. Each person is presented with their own difficulties and they are given the option to either overcome these difficulties, or let them stand in the way of success. Whether presented by society, certain individuals, or even oneself, the conquering of challenges is what leads many people to their greatest achievements. The main characters in both The Other Wes Moore and The Scarlet Letter learn to overcome their difficulties and it is because of this that they are bettered as individuals. In The Other Wes Moore, written by Wes Moore, Wes is forced to overcome his challenges presented by racist teenagers and his prestigious military school. Wes Moore captivates the importance of overcoming his challenges by using direct characterization and tone. Nathaniel Hawthorne also uses these literary devices to express Hester Prynne’s ability to conquer challenges put forth by her Puritan society in The Scarlet Letter. Through the use of tone and direct characterization, the authors of The Other Wes Moore and The Scarlet Letter are able to exemplify their theme of the importance of one’s ability to rise above their challenges.

At the time that Hester comes out of jail and the Puritan community is “. . . with their eyes fastened on the iron clamped door” (Hawthorne 34). The community’s actions, and the danger of the iron clamped door create a tense and nerve wracking atmosphere, at the time of Hester Prynne’s physical consequences. In The Other Wes Moore, the judge’s verdict on the future of Wes’s life creates an atmosphere. During the trial, two sides of family are in the room, Wes Moore’s and the police office’s. When the judge announced that Wes Moore would receive life in prison the police officer’s “. . . widow. . . hugged her father and sobbed” (Moore 156). The police officer’s widow created a joyous atmosphere for her side of the courtroom, but on the other side of the courtroom “Wes’s mother, Aunt Nicey, and Alicia sat stunned with tears. . .” (Moore 157). Wes’s side of the family was in shock, they were sad, an opposing atmosphere was bought by his family to the courtroom. Together, a mixed atmosphere was created, during Wes Moore’s physical consequence. The atmospheres in The Scarlet Letter and The Other Wes Moore represent the theme that unlawful actions have physical consequences because they bring conflicting emotions to both scenes.

129,864,880 unique books have been published in the world to date. Hundreds of millions of characters, themes, plots, and settings. Each individual book has it’s own writing style, such as things like the author's’ use of literary devices to develop theme. In The Scarlet Letter and The Other Wes Moore, the authors, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Wes Moore, happen to both use identical literary devices to develop and support a common theme between the 2 out of 130 million different books in the world. The literary devices that are used in both novels alike, consist of vivid imagery and direct characterization. Authors, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Wes Moore use similar literary devices in their writing to support a common theme between the two books, The Other Wes Moore and The Scarlet letter, that beauty can come from mistakes, in the case of Pearl in The Scarlet Letter and Wes Moore’s success in The Other Wes Moore.

When two authors from distinctly different societies and historical periods build stories around the same theme, there is an undeniable importance in the message being delivered. One of the authors bringing this message about is author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne tells the story of Hester Prynne, a Puritan women in seventeenth century Boston, Hester, having committed adultery, is branded with a scarlet ‘A’ on her chest. The story describes the animosity that society feels towards her and her daughter Pearl, through the story Hester redefines the meaning of the ‘A’ and Pearl’s life is formed in a new light. While the setting of twentieth century Baltimore is unlike that of early Puritan society, The Other Wes Moore

The Other Wes Moore tells a story of two young men growing up in similar situations. No father, kipping class, drug influence some situations the Wes Moore’s have to deal with, however one ends up a road scholar and influential author the other ends up in prison serving life. This book is a prime example of how certain choices can determine the rest of one’s life.

Many of us have missteps in our lives, some may define you for the rest of your life and other times they will not. In the books, The Other Wes Moore written by Wes Moore and The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the audience will see how characters in the books make missteps and how they define them. In The Other Wes Moore, the protagonist Wes Moore is caught doing graffiti with his new friend. In The Scarlet Letter, The protagonist Hester Prynne commits adultery and is forced to wear a Scarlet letter “A” on her chest.

Children and young-adults look up to their parents for the hard choices they need to face and for support when needed. When a child is taught to make their own decisions, they can learn to be more independent in the future. According to Psychology Today, “Decision making is crucial because the decisions your children make dictate the path that their lives take.” To become a healthier and more mature adult, it is critical to a young person that they make positive judgement calls. In the novels, The Other Wes Moore and The Scarlet Letter, the authors focus on the point that children are greatly influenced by their parents to make the right choice. In The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester, the main character, has a child named Pearl who is considerably impacted by her mother. Pearl is compared to her mother using direct characterization and tone, but is also seen as more valuable than a symbol of disgrace. The same thing occurs in The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore. The author, Wes Moore, and the other Wes Moore both grew up in the same area with similar home situations, but they ended up taking different paths as adults. The author captures their similarities and disparity through the use of literary devices to bring about the idea that their parent’s decisions affect them. The direct characterization and tone present throughout The Scarlet Letter and The Other Wes Moore gives the message that the choices the parents make influence their children’s decisions in the future.

Throughout the novel, Hawthorne consistently uses the heart as a symbol to illustrate the characters’ inner identities that are hidden from the public. However, as the novel progresses, the secrets that each of the characters hide corrupt their hearts, gradually leading to their misery. By displaying the decay of the heart, Hawthorne conveys the message that hidden sins that are not repented for will result in a miserable life constantly looking for relief and atonement. The Scarlet Letter builds its story upon the secrets that the main characters hold.

According to the back ground history of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne had a bond with his puritan ancestors and created a story that both highlighted their weaknesses and their strengths. His knowledge of their beliefs and his admiration for their strengths were balanced by his concerns for their strict and harsh rules. The scarlet letter shows his attitude towards these puritans of Boston by portraying characters, plot and the themes in the novel. The early Puritans who first came to America in 1620 founded unstable colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts. First settlers were followed ten years later as Puritans were flourished and continued in the 1630s and thereafter. Twenty five thousand English settlers were there in New England during 1640 and the second group settled in that area which in present, it is known as Boston and as a community they named it as Massachusetts Bay Colony. Due to this colony, the setting of The Scarlet Letter was formed. “The Scarlet Letter “by Nathaniel Hawthorne is centered on the puritan society. Hester Prynne is the heroine of The Scarlet Letter, it is possible to sympathise with her because Hester’s sin is not that big but the comments of the puritan society makes it a great they say that she deserves a punishment more severe than the one she got,

The first critical thing in this section is when hester and Mr.Dimmesdale talk in the woods. Hester and him meet here and talk about pearl. At This point they decide He will admit to the people that he is the father of the child. Dimmesdale says he will love Pearl and see her beauty. A powerful part in this section is when hester says to him ”Our Pearl is a fitful and fantastic little elf.” page 162. This is so crutial becuase here instead of refering to pearl as hers she says ours, expressing that pearl will now be seen as both Hester’s and Dimmesdale's. Here they also reflect on how things will be once the truth is out, they plan to tell everyone then run away. They want to run away and disappear where no one knows of their family

Martin Luther King Junior, the American pastor, humanitarian, activist and leader in the African- American Civil Rights Movements, once said, “Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals.” This memorable statement that has echoed throughout history expresses the idea that facing problems and loving those who are the source of them is the way to redemption. In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a Puritan woman named Hester Prynne commits the crime of adultery with the reverend of the town and bears a child from this unlawful union. Hester faces punishment in the form of a large scarlet letter “A” that she must wear upon her bosom so that all may know the sin of infidelity she has committed. In The Scarlet Letter, the evolvement and fate of the character of Hester Prynne demonstrates that redemption can be gained for those who face their wrongdoings. In making the decision to accept her punishment instead of running away from it and loving those who persecuted and made an outcast out of her, Hester was able to gain the admiration of the community and overcome the shame that she held in her heart.

Main Characters is usually easy to spot in a book, movie, shows, and plays but in “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne it's really hard to tell. Main Characters is usually a protagonist and a protagonist is the main figure in a real situation. The book has four main characters but two of them plays bigger roles in the novel. Hester and Dimmesdale are the most talk about in the book and share the main character role. Problem is that only one can have the main role, so who is it? Hester is the main character because the action revolves all around her and she gives the title its name.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, takes place in a 17th century, puritan, New England town. Hawthorne did not see the people and the world as good, also known as an Anti Transcendentalist. Which is you only believe in bad and don't think the world and people have good in the only evil. In this novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of The Wild Rosebush, Pearl, and Dimmesdale to contribute to the overall theme of imperfection.