Characters lose their innocence throughout American literature. What exactly does “losing their innocence” mean? Losing one’s innocence can be seen as a character maturing. A character may lose his/her innocence in ways including viewing of traumatic event, especially one that will scar his/her life forever. Losing one’s innocence can also be caused by losing one’s trust in someone whom he/she once trusted, catching a glimpse into the “real world”, or performing an immoral act. The recurring theme of loss of innocence, as seen throughout American literature and reality, can affect a person and the people around him/her both negatively and positively. As a result, the audience can see the characters mature through losing hope of dreams, becoming an outcast of society, gaining a new perspective of ideas, or gaining confidence. Negative and positive effects, falling onto characters as a result of a loss of innocence, can be found in works such as The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and The Hunger Games; this theme can also be seen in real life through the effects of children exposed to violent video games.
In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne’s act of adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale (Hawthorne 231) ultimately leads to negative and positive impacts on her life, including being isolated from everyone in town, being mocked and gossiped about, being more mature, and being more compassionate. One of the negative effects the loss of innocence has on Hester is that she becomes isolated from everyone in town. Hawthorne describes Hester:
In all of her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even ...
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...eighbor (Lee 321). She understands that she should follow Atticus’s advice and not be judgmental of others as she doesn’t know any of their backgrounds.
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1995. Print.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Random House, Inc., 2000. Print.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1999. Print.
Narvaez, Darcia. “Playing violent video games: Good or bad?.” Psychology Today. Sussex
Publishers. 9 Nov. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. .
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1993. Print.
The Hunger Games. Dir. Gary Ross. Perf. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam
Hemsworth, Willow Shields, and Amandla Stenberg. Lionsgate, 2012. Film.
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But before I go on, I believe that I should first clarify what I mean by "a return to innocence." First, there is some confusion between innocence and ignorance. They are often used interchangeably. Because a person is innocent, it does not mean that he or she is unaware of reality. Innocence is almost like a different type of view. A child and an adult may interpret a single thing entirely differently, but this does not mean that the adult knows more about that thing. Innocence is open ...
Cunningham. Later, Atticus explains to her that to judge a person you must try to see
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Hester Prynne committed a crime so severe that it changed her life into coils of torment and defeat. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester is publicly recognized as an adulteress and expelled from society. Alongside the theme of isolation, the scarlet letter, or symbol of sin, is meant to shame Hester but instead transforms her from a woman of ordinary living into a stronger person.
Throughout all the sinful things Hester Prynne has done, she still managed to obtain good qualities. Hester was an adulterer from the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester was looked down upon by the citizens of Boston because of the sin she and another person committed, but no one knew who her partner in crime was because she refused to release his name. Towards the very end of the story Hester’s accomplice confessed and left Hester and Pearl feeling joyous, because now they didn’t have to keep in a secret. Hester is a trustworthy, helpful, and brave woman throughout The Scarlet Letter.