Wes Moore Scarlet Letter

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.

Society has unintentionally been guided by the same themes since the beginning of time. The recurring themes that are present in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic The Scarlet Letter are still relevant in today’s society. When high school students and teachers claim that Hawthorne’s novel is archaic and should be removed from the curriculum, they are absolutely wrong. Hester Prynne, the main character of the novel, commits adultery and as punishment, has to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her chest for everyone to see. Throughout the novel, Hester is faced with obstacles such as the struggle between self and society and the burden of publicly suffering for her sins. Despite a substantial amount of time having passed since Puritan times, the themes that Hester Prynne had to experience are still pertinent. Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, is driven mad by his incessant need for revenge and in society today there are many occasions where people are plagued with the desire to seek vengeance. There are some instances in life where human nature takes over without people even realizing and revenge is one of them. Also, people are right when they say “history repeats itself” because some of these themes never go away. The Scarlet Letter takes place in the strict religious time of the 1600’s and although the book seems outdated and obsolete, the ideas inside are still relevant and therefore high school students should continue to read this work

The need to control the outcome of one’s life and surrounding environment is a human trait that occurs for a variety of reasons and situations in life, ranging from trivial to extremely serious. For Hester Prynne and Tarwater, their life situations fall on the very serious side of the spectrum. Hester, after being released from the physical prison of her town, must face the judgments of her fellow townspeople and the consequences of her sin in regards to her status in the town. Following Tarwater’s escape from his prison, Old Man Tarwater’s house, Tarwater finally confronts the harsh 5truth about his fate as a prophet and his family. In both cases, there is uncertainty regarding the outcomes of their lives. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The Violent Bear It Away, by Flannery O’Connor, in an attempt to assert control over the long-term outcomes, both Hester and Tarwater leave their prisons with an outward exhibition of confidence and a need to control their environment, despite their internal fears, in an effort to influence the surrounding people, and their opinions; however, these displays of tenacity produce differing results for the two characters, as Hester’s plan is successful and Tarwater’s plan is not.

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.

In his work “On the Scarlet Letter,” D.H. Lawrence addresses the controversial character of Hester Prynne. He is just one of many critics who have analyzed Nathaniel Hawthorne’s fictional character, where some look to her as a hero and others blatantly shame her for her sin. Lawrence makes up the latter of this crowd, and is able to prove his case in a very meaningful manner. The critic believes that Hawthorne sugarcoats Hester’s image, and tries to make it look as if she is the victim of the tale. Disregarding this sympathy, he addresses the root cause of her sin rather than its consequences. As he writes, he uses a multitude of literary techniques to help convince readers of Hester’s seemingly evil character, using descriptive diction, a

Many authors put the characters in their book through tough dilemmas to see what the outcome will be. The characters going through tough crises sometimes teach the readers how to get through tough times themselves. In the novel The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne, the protagonist, is put through serious dilemmas and crises and the readers watch her go through them and overcome them. The same is true for Mattie Silver in the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. The characters in these two novels are similar in the way society treats them. Stylistic devices help to compare and contrast the way the characters are deemed by society and how they overcome the troubles they face.

Conformity is an action in accord with prevailing social standards, attitudes, or practices. It is has the capability to cause unwanted pressure or social influence on a person. Even though people would like to see themselves as individuals, they have the need to fit into society’s “norms.” Throughout the two novels, “The Scarlet Letter” and “The Awakening,” the theme of going against conformity is present between the main characters and their respective society. In “The Scarlet Letter,” the main character, Hester Prynne, is ashamed for breaking the harsh Puritan rules. Edna Pontellier, the protagonist in “The Awakening,” tries to break away from the typical standards of womanhood during her time. In both societies, position and status is the most important thing. Despite the constant change of how people view them, both Hester and Edna go against this tradition in order to live the way they choose to.

Two characters, each present in a different novel, displayed how sociality can bring many predicaments in a person's life. Hester Prynne, from The Scarlet Letter, and Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby, both are similar when it came to independence, and proving how it's safer. In the very start of the novel of The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne was put into trouble because of how she committed adultery. This was due to how she was dependent on somebody else, and the moment she was with someone, trouble came her way. Hester was put up in front of a scaffold for three hours in front of the whole town, and had an “A” get stitched into her dress. Humiliation gathered up into her life, and here was no one there far to protect her. Hester had to live by herself with her daughter Pearl, and found a way to live off of being a seamstress on the outskirts of the town she lived in. Hester was always alone and had to learn to be independent rather than having someone to depend on, which was first a princem, but later she managed her life very well and people of the Puritan society began to accept her more as a person. Since Hester had no one to

Sometimes, however, we, as a community, create a bump in the road. A novel that perfectly represents this is The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It displays how a passionate affair involving Hester Prynne, a seamstress, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, a young clergyman, and Roger Chillingworth, an old physician, scars their lives forever. However, Pearl, the product of it all, receives severe shame from the town and obtains traits that reflects back to how we horribly change ordinary people today. One of the most common methods is judging.

Mark Van Doren’s critical piece, “Hester Prynne,” addresses the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne lives a unique life wearing a scarlet letter “A” that first stands for “adulteress” but progressively comes to mean “able.” In his criticism, Van Doren uses a reverent tone, strong diction, and hyperboles to successfully show his admiration for Hawthorne and his creation of Hester Prynne. Mark Van Doren’s admiring tone in his critical piece successfully shows his feelings toward Hester Prynne and The Scarlet Letter by analyzing several portions of the book and shining a positive light on each of them.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel ‘The Scarlet Letter’, the protagonist Hester Prynne is the main focus of the novel as she is depreciated for committing the act of adultery. The novel conveys the issues of gender roles while Hester is the focus of scorn in the small puritan town of Boston along with clear disdain for her daughter Pearl, the product of her mother’s act of adultery. During the time, Hester is trying to repent for her “sins” by trying to live her life as best as she can to appease the townspeople,but to no avail. Hawthorne uses gender’s to call attention to the way in which society is set up, along with women being the focus of discontent when caught in a wrongdoing while men do not receive the same punishment. Instead, punishment is usually lax for men, proving a great difference between the two genders.

Often in society people are criticized, punished and despised for their individual choices and flaws. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author uses Hester Prynne to symbolize that those who challenge social conformities can benefit society as a whole. Though she has been banished for committing adultery, she sees that the community needs her. Through her generous accomplishments the community realizes she is a person who, regardless of her sin, can affect the community in a positive way.

The Scarlet Letter, one of the major themes is just that, human frailty. The protagonist, Hester Prynne, exemplifies this by showing how one mistake can define the rest of one’s life. Despite the whole adultery situation, I relate to and respect Hester. Hester lived a life full of mockery and ridicule; yet, her character was among the most admirable.

Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, the reader is shown how the main character, Hester Prynne, overcomes her public humiliation and stands against the traditional ideals held in her Puritan society. Hester Prynne is considered an outcast in her patriarchal society because she does not display the ideal woman in the Puritan town. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne exemplifies a feminist heroine who faces limits and persecutions in her Puritan society, challenges the traditional views of society roles, and demonstrates personal values. In contrast of viewing Hester Prynne as a heroine, some may view her as a corrupt individual.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s American classic The Scarlet Letter is a story that has fascinated the minds of many readers since it’s release in 1850. A story of, “human frailty and sorrow.” (Hawthorne 2) The Scarlet Letter offers quips on morality and the human condition, giving readers much to contemplate. Hawthorne takes a realistic approach to realistic sins and creates a tale of redemption for young Hester Prynne. Responsive readers take away many messages and themes from the book, but none are as prominent as the warning Hawthorne gives against hypocrisy.