The authors Arthur Miller and Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote two books that made it quite obvious what their personal views on certain issues were. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet letter, is a story about the woman Hester Pyrnne who lived in Puritan Boston and gave birth to an illegitimate child, which was an awful sin to commit back then. Hester is then forced to wear a scarlet A on her breast, for adulterer, as a long standing punishment for what she did. All the while, characters surrounding Hester have their own demons to deal with, and there are consequences. Arthur Miller wrote the play The Crucible that tells the story of the Salem Witch Hunts conducted in 1692. The play revolves around the tragic hero John Proctor who tries valiantly …show more content…
Both works revolves inner workings of Puritan societies, and how their values conflict greatly with human nature and end in large amounts of pain and regret. Miller and Hawthorne’ s opinions on hypocrisy in society, treatment of the outsider, and Puritanical ideals about sin and forgiveness all can be seen by what they wrote in their own respective works. When reading The Scarlet letter and The Crucible, one major conflict that comes up constantly in both works is the hypocrisy conducted by the respective societies that the works took place in. Evidently both Miller and Hawthorne detested the hypocritical tendencies the Puritans had in their societies. Hawthorne particularly seemed to hate the hypocrisy in society, since his book had many hypocritical events occur in it. One such event in The Scarlet letter was how Governor Bellingham was someone who was very passionate about keeping the Puritan values in place, but only enforced them on the surface to save public opinion. It was also very hypocritical about he preached about committing sins, but his own sister …show more content…
By what Hawthorne and Miller wrote, one can understand their opinions on the treatment of an outsider. With Miller, it is quite obvious that he believes outsiders are treated too harshly by society, especially those that are Puritan and the harsh treatment end in horrible consequences. In the Crucible, the outsiders in the play are those who helped encourage or start the witch hunts. Abigail is an outsider, she has no parents, no true friends, and ruined a marriage. When she saw the opportunity to get back at those that she felt deserved it, she went for it. (quote here about abby accusing elixabeth) By writing Abigail’s character like that, Miller was showing that by persecuting outsiders harshly and unkindly, the minute they see an opportunity to strike against those they resent, they will. Miller was trying to show that if people took into account of the repercussions of their treatment to the outsiders, much less damage would have been done. Hawthorne’s whole book revolves around an outsider, Hester Prynne. From what he wrote, Hawthorn’s opinion on the treatment of the outsider is you may shame them at the start, but end up respecting them in the end. This is what happened to Hester, who at first was hated by the people of Boston, but when she started to build up her reputation in a positive way, everybody changed
Death is a major theme through both Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. In the first text, mass hysteria rips through Salem after a group of girls danced in the woods and blame everything and anything on witchcraft. The girl who could be identified as the main trouble-maker is Abigail Williams. She kicked up all of the witch suspicions because she had an affair with John Proctor, the identifiable hero. The story climaxed with the death of characters that drew affection from the readers. In the second piece of literature, the main conflict happens to be that of Hester Prynne, who committed adultery and had a child. There was a lot of public ridicule in this instance and many underlying plots within it. Again, the climax of the story could be argued to be the death of a beloved character. These two particular titles do in fact share a lot of common ideas and themes, while at the same having very
I have read the The Crucible, The Scarlet letter, and Of Mice and Men. In two of these stories, The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, society was very much alike. They were based on a Puritan background. The Puritans had laws to live by. In the story Of Mice and Men, society showed racism and also that people took the law into their own hands.
In 1860-1960 there was lynching in the United States. When the confederates (south) lost the civil war the slaves got freedom and got rights of human beings. This was just to say because segregation wasn 't over in the South and didn 't go away for over 100 years. Any black person in the South accused but not convicted of any crime of looking at a white woman, whistling at a white woman, touching a white woman, talking back to a white person, refusing to step into the gutter when a white person passed on the sidewalk, or in some way upsetting the local people was liable to be dragged from their house or jail cell by lots of people crowds, mutilated in a terrible
Men and women walk around in the same neutral colored clothing, hand in hand with the lord and their Puritan values. However, these seemingly ordinary Puritans are all similar in one form— sin. In archaic theme-based literature, similarities can be distinguished between two stories and their attributes. Within the works of The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, a plethora of correlative elements can be identified by the reader.
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter share remarkable parallels not only in their examination of early Puritan America, but also in the dilemma of the two main male characters, John Proctor and Arthur Dimmesdale. Both these men had sinful relations with another member of the town, and must deal with the adversity that resulted from their sin. Although both John Proctor and Reverend Dimmesdale become hypocrites in their society, Proctor overcomes his sin and is able to redeem himself, while Dimmesdale’s pride and untimely death prevent him from fully experiencing redemption.
Through careful analysis of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthrone and The Crucible by Arthur Miller; one will discover similar themes. These themes include sin, punishment of sin, the devil, and love/lust. Through careful analysis and discussion one can see the evident relationship that exists between these two works.
“Over 150 men and women were imprisoned because they were accused of witchcraft”(“Salem Witch Trials Facts, Worksheets & Information For Kids”). Katherine Howe had two relatives that were accused during the Salem Witch Trials. One was Elizabeth Proctor and the other was named Elizabeth Howe and she was killed. Katherine Howe attended Boston University and was working towards her doctorate when she was teaching a research seminar on witchcraft which inspired her to write her first novel(“Katherine Howe”). Because of her love and interest with witchcraft she eventually wrote Conversion, which has to do with the Salem Witch Trials.
Miller is able to send messages through the characters using a third-person point of view in The Crucible about the absurdness of the events and how the archetypes of women could be altered. The portrayal of women in The Crucible and during the witch trials is so far from how typical Puritan women would be portrayed sends the message that irrational actions can be taken, for an unjust reason all due to fear. Along with when minority’s subordinate to others see opportunity for power they take advantage and are very unwilling to give it
Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of America's most renowned authors, demonstrates his extraordinary talents in two of his most famed novels, The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. To compare these two books seems bizarre, as their plots are distinctly different. Though the books are quite seemingly different, the central themes and Hawthorne's style are closely related (Carey, p. 62). American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne is most famous for his books THE SCARLET LETTER and THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES, which are closely related in theme, the use of symbolism, characterization, and style.
“Ah, but,” interposed, more softly, a young wife, holding a child by the hand, “let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart.” (53-54.) This young woman is describing how Hester’s sin will always linger inside Hester so she cannot hide from her punishment, thus there is justice.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel, are both relatable to modern day today. Both the novel and play are strict about their religion, so when it came to doing something they thought was bad, they had to decide if it will of against their will. Many events that happened in both novels still occur today. These events may happen today, but hey are not as hash as they were. In The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, we see humiliation, guilt, and punishment, and the moral and psychological aspects determine why we still see it in the modern day today.
American literature often examines people and motives. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, and in Aruthur Miller’s modern dramatic masterpiece, The Crucible, people and motives often depict patters of Puritans struggling for life during a shaky time. Two main characters from both pieces of works share the traits of a struggling Puritan as adulators. Even tough Hester and Abigail have similar traits, their sins differ dramatically and were punished differently.
Hypocrisy negatively affects both sides involved, whether they know it or not. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s the Scarlet Letter, the nature of hypocrisy is displayed though the characterization and actions of Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester Prynne, and the masses of the Puritan society.
Portrayal of Puritan Society in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter In the introductory sketch to Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel the "The Scarlet Letter", the reader is informed that one of the author's ancestors persecuted the Quakers harshly. The latter's son was a high judge in the Salem witch trials, put into literary form in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" (Judge Hathorne appears there). We learn that Hawthorne feels ashamed for their deeds, and that he sees his ancestors and the Puritan society as a whole with critical eyes. Consequently, both open and subtle criticism of the Puritans' practices is applied throughout the novel.
Many times while reading the novel “The Scarlet Letter” and the playwright, “The Crucible” I noticed many similarities; many things that made me remember the other, but it was amazing to also see the differences between the two stories. Each plot has a different twist, something that makes it completely original. The two plots had a lot in common, affairs, lying, and ultimately sinful acts and the gnawing guilt you feel from sin. Although, the two stories have a lot that is not so common; levels of hysteria, the source of the chaos, as well as the final outcome.