In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, there is a love triangle fulfilled with love, lust, and sin, portrayed by Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Reverend Dimmesdale which ultimately created an offspring, Pearl. Hester Prynne was a young woman married to her estranged husband, Roger Chillingworth, whom she thought was deceased. Hester later found out in chapter 2, the market place that he was still living when she saw him in the crowd while standing on the scaffold. While in the market place, Hester’s sins were publicly exposed on the scaffold to the townspeople who were harsh, and judgmental, Puritans. During this era, Puritans were sought to be pure and their sole purpose was to purify the church. However, Puritans were just like any other Christian believer, they were hypocrites. Hypocrites are individuals who only see wrong in others, but fail to realize wrong within their own self. With that being said, the townspeople only knew one thing, that Hester Prynne committed adultery with a married man. As the hypocrites they are, the townspeople were only concerned with what Hester had done and not the married man. Ironically, the name of the married man was questioned by the married man, Reverend Dimmesdale. . Awkwardly, he wanted to reveal his sins, but he wanted them to be revealed by someone else, such as Hester. Because Hester had given birth to Pearl, it only made the situation more complicated for Hester and poor Pearl. Pearl grew up anxious and wild. Overall, Hester Prynne proved to society that she would not allow committing a sin and giving birth out of wedlock to hinder her. Hester was married to Roger Chillingworth, but cheated with
Reverend Dimmesdale, and ended up pregnant out of wedlock, by a married ...
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...es, Hester has an affair with a married Reverend and gives birth to their child, but she takes full responsibility for her actions, whereas Reverend Dimmesdale does not. Morally, holding sins over your head can lead to death as read in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Minister’s Black Veil and The Scarlet Letter. Also, Hester proved to all the hypocrites that doubted her that just because she sinned does not mean that cannot continue to live. Because Hester committed adultery, she began to take life more seriously than before. As a result, she became more independent and strong-minded. Nevertheless, she learned from her mistakes and used them wisely to help raise her daughter, Pearl. Around the Puritan era committing adultery was unheard of, once you sinned, your sins were publicly exposed to the world, and Hester used her mistakes to help raise her daughter, Pearl.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the relationship between hester prynne, roger chillingworth, and reverend dimmesdale in nathaniel hawthorne's the scarlet letter.
- Narrates how hester was a role model for pearl during the puritan era, when committing adultery was like suicide.
- Analyzes how hester, married to roger chillingworth, cheated by engaging in sexual relations with reverend dimmesdale, who was too caught up in the opinions of others about his sinning.
- Analyzes how the scaffold symbolizes public exposure of private sins and the means of redemption through confession. reverend dimmesdale took the easy way, instead of enduring ridicule.
- Analyzes how hester was a role model for pearl no matter the circumstances. she proved to herself and the townspeople that she would not be defeated by the judgment of others.
- Analyzes how hester's moral in the scarlet letter is to be true to oneself. she does not apologize for who she is, but for her wrongdoing.
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- The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorneanalytical essayPuritan societies were based upon religion and righteous doings, the judgment of the sin adultery, committed in Nathaniel Hawthone’s The Scarlet Letter, would be one that would have a punishment of death. Hester Prynne, in the beginning of the story, stands on trial with the letter A on her chest and her baby, Pearl, in her arm waiting to be publicly viewed and forced into total isolation. Married to Roger Chillingsworth, Hester commits this sin with no one other than the Reverend Dimmesdale, the most looked upon person in the society; although the society does not know Dimmesdale as the father. As time passes along, Dimmesdale, haunted by this sin, begins to isolate himself, and since the people do not know of his wrong doings he also scourges himself as a punishment as well, and even when his sin is publicly known people seem to have a different reaction than what their reaction with Hester was. Society’s views of sin and wrongful doings sends people into isolation, whether by their own choice or by the choice of society. They use isolation as a way to create a point that someone should be avoided for fear of them being different or evil, being born or inhabited by the "black man" or devil.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how society's views of sin and wrongful doings send people into isolation, whether by their own choice or by the choice of society.
- Analyzes how hester prynne is isolated from society by wearing the scarlet letter as punishment. she lives alone and without visitors in a small thatched cottage.
- Analyzes how pearl, isolated from the public by society, stays with her mother most of the time and when wandering off never wanders too far.
- Analyzes how reverend arthur dimmesdale isolates himself from society, instead of society isolating him.
- Analyzes how characters in the scarlet letter paid for their sins and wrongdoings through isolation, from isolation forced upon them to isolation chosen by them.
1055 wordsRead More - Sin of Adultery in Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letteranalytical essayThe Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, shows the adverse consequences caused by adultery between Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale and Hester committed the supreme sin of the Puritan society they belong. They must both deal with the effects of the scarlet letter. Pearl, the daughter of the two lovers, continuously punishes Hester for what she has done. Dimmesdale can only see Hester and Pearl when others will not find out or see. Hester finds a way to support herself and daughter, and at the same time, puts a mark on the possessions of some who are a part of society. The sin of adultery created repercussions that were shared and individually experienced by Reverend Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the scarlet letter shows the adverse consequences caused by adultery between reverend arthur dimmesdale and hester prynne.
- Analyzes how the scarlet letter is worn by hester as a repercussion of her adulterous sin to make known her crime of passion throughout the story.
- Analyzes how hester decides to live alone as a repercussion of the sin she committed. she turns to needlework to help support herself and daughter, pearl.
- Analyzes how pearl is a constant repercussion of the adultery hester took part in.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale longs to see hester and pearl, but as a repercussion of his sin, he can not publicly interact with them.
- Analyzes how a strange, sad man is he, with his hand always over his heart, in the dark nighttime.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale, despite his feelings for hester and pearl, acts like a stranger to them for the fear of the town finding out the truth.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale keeps his part in the twisted affair a secret. by keeping this secret, guilt and pain consume him, and he cannot take the excruciating downward pull of sin.
- Analyzes how hester's scarlet letter is only the shadow of what he bears on his breast.
- Analyzes how hester and dimmesdale's one sin, adultery, defined their existence, and how the sin empowered him and killed him.
1104 wordsRead More - Hester Prynne, the central character in the Scarlet Letter, realizes and accepts the consequences of the adulterous act she committed against her husband, Roger Chillingworth, as Hawthorne shows in this quotation. Hester, throughout the book, excludes and humbles herself because of her crime, rather than simply running away. At the same time, she advertises her sin through the brilliantly embroidered “A” and through her daughter, Pearl, born out of this sin. Hester realizes that she indeed sinned in committing adultery, and, being the strong individual that she is, accepts the consequences of her actions.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hester prynne, the central character in the scarlet letter, realizes and accepts the consequences of the adulterous act she committed against her husband, roger chillingworth.
- Analyzes how hester's sin results from her own actions. she wears humble, dismal clothes, moves to the outskirts of her town, and embraces her crime.
- Analyzes how hester dwells upon the letter as a symbol of her guilt. the brilliant crimson "a" resides on her humbly clothed chest; pearl, the child of sin, runs beside her mother.
- Analyzes how society sees hester for her talents as a weaver, not as an outcast. even roger chillingworth, the man she wronged, doesn't believe that her crime merits such punishment as the letter.
- Analyzes how the quote reveals the determination and strength of hester prynne. she fully accepts and endures the consequences of her adultery, yet she increases those consequences by her own hand through her willing exclusion from society.
556 wordsRead More - How Does Hester Prynne Change In The Scarlet Letteranalytical essayWhile Hester was publicly shamed, Arthur Dimmesdale, who was also to blame for the adultery crime, was fighting within himself. Hester was shamed and forced to wear the Scarlet Letter A on her bosom for 7 years; Dimmesdale hid behind lies and secrets for 7 years and it tore him apart. This time Dimmesdale, Hester, and their daughter Pearl, stand on the scaffold together. The whole town began to realize who the lover of Hester was this whole time and who became the father of Pearl 7 years ago. As years went on, people began to forgive Hester. Hester then began to start over. After she is released from prison, she is allowed to leave Boston, but she decides to stay. She supports herself and starts over by her needlework. Although for so long her shamed destroyed her, she had a change in attitude. The people in the town began to look at the A on her chest as “Able” and not “Adulter”.This allowed Hester to change from an easy going and tender women to a strong and passionate women. She realized that she needed to be strong and independent. I believe that once she stood on the scaffold with Dimmesdale and Pearl she found happiness and strength within herself. Her attitude changed from negative to a positive outlook; she realized that her past made her stronger as a woman. The people of the town had forgiven her and some even respected her. This scene of the book showed that Hester
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how nathaniel hawthorne, of the scarlet letter, expressed ideas of love, passion, shame, and punishment throughout his 1800s based novel.
- Analyzes how hester prynne is treated as a woman of shame, despite her promise to keep the secret of the father of her daughter pearl. she is despised by almost everyone and tries to hide.
- Analyzes how hester was publicly shamed, while arthur dimmesdale, who was also to blame for the adultery crime, was fighting within himself.
- Analyzes how the scarlet letter took the main character, hester prynne through struggles and made her into a strong woman that no one believed she could ever be.
742 wordsRead More - In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, many of the characters suffer from the tolls of sin, but none as horribly as Hester's daughter Pearl. She alone suffers from sin that is not hers, but rather that of her mother's. From the day she is conceived, Pearl is portrayed as an offspring of vice. She is introduced into the discerning, pitiless domain of the Puritan religion from inside a jail; a place untouched by light, as is the depth of her mother's sin. The austere Puritan ways punish Hester through banishment from the community and the church, simultaneously punishing Pearl in the process. This isolation leads to an unspoken detachment and animosity between her and the other Puritan children. Thus we see how Pearl is conceived through sin, and how she suffers when her mother and the community situate this deed upon her like the scarlet letter on her mother's bosom.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how pearl suffers from the tolls of sin in nathaniel hawthorne's novel the scarlet letter. she is introduced into the discerning, pitiless domain of the puritan religion from inside a jail.
- Analyzes how hester prynne feels implicitly guilty whenever she sees pearl, a feeling she reflects onto her innocent child.
- Analyzes how hester's views toward pearl change from questioning her existence to perceiving pearl as a demon sent to make her suffer.
- Explains that hester is always peering into pearl's burnt ochre eyes to try to discover some evil inside her daughter. she fears pearl because of her inability to overcome her own guilty conscience.
- Analyzes how pearl's lack of friends forces her to imagine the forest as her plaything. she resents the people in the town, whom she views as enemies.
- Analyzes how hester would have never been found guilty of adultery if pearl hadn't been born. pearl responds to this harshness by defending her mother and spurning these "virtuous youths."
- Analyzes how pearl is no longer a clandestine passion but the daughter of minister and ravishing young woman. hawthorne points out what is viewed as normal because of the burden lifted from her soul
- Explains that pearl is an offspring of sin whose life revolves around the affair between her mother and reverend dimmesdale. she stands out as a radiant child implicated by the sin of her parents.
834 wordsRead More - Hester Prynne, of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, and Margaret Fuller, Themid-nineteenth-century Campaigner for the Rights of Womenanalytical essayHester Prynne is the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's romantic novel, The Scarlet Letter, which is set in seventeenth-century Puritan New England. As a young woman, Hester married an elderly scholar, Roger Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live but never followed. While waiting for him, she had an affair with a Puritan minister named Dimmesdale, after which she gave birth to Pearl. Found guilty of adultery (through the absence of her husband and the birth of Pearl), Hester is punished by being forced to wear a scarlet lette...
In this essay, the author
- Compares hester prynne, of nathaniel hawthorne's the scarlet letter, and margaret fuller, the great campaigner for the rights of women.
- Describes margaret fuller as an author, critic, editor, and teacher who contributed significantly to the american renaissance in literature and to mid-nineteenth century reform movements.
- Analyzes how hester prynne is the protagonist of nathaniel hawthorne's romantic novel, the scarlet letter, which is set in seventeenth-century puritan new england.
- Analyzes the similarities between hester prynne and margaret fuller, who played an important role in the american renaissance in literature and to mid-nineteenth century reform movements.
- Explains that hester prynne, in certain respects, is endowed with the sensibility of margaret fuller.
- Explains that as hester prynne had no selfish ends, nor lived in any measure for her own profit and enjoyment, people brought all their sorrows and perplexities, and besought her counsel.
- Opines that puritan society was a rigid society where no one could divulge their innermost thoughts and secrets.
- Explains that puritanism was not only a religious creed, it was also philosophy and metaphysic. it was an organization of man's whole life, emotional and intellectual.
- States that puritans were noted for a spirit of moral and religious earnestness that informed their whole way of life. law and religion were entangled without any clear distinction between the two.
- Opines that hawthorne believed that man must live in harmony with his fellow beings and with nature to enjoy a normal life.
- Analyzes how reverend dimmesdale's pent-up feelings of guilt and shame became hazardous to his health.
- Analyzes how hawthorne provides a sanctuary in the form of the mysterious forest.
- Opines that hester's gospel was nothing more hopeful or pessimistic than the existential "endure."
- Analyzes how freud's view of nature being in opposition to religion was echoed in the 20th century by the revolutionary austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis.
- Explains that hester fancied that the scarlet letter had endowed her with a new sense. she shuddered to believe, yet could not help believing, that it gave her
- Explains that hester was not the only sinner of the village, yet she was punished, and felt alienated and abnormal. she was able to observe society from its precipice.
- Analyzes how margaret fuller became america's female intellectual prophet, challenging the "masculine"-"feminine" dichotomy on which the official gender culture was based.
- Analyzes how the woman no longer believes that she is worthy to be that destined prophetess, since she has recognised the impossibility that any mission of divine and mysterious truth should be confined to a woman stained with sin, bowed down with shame, or even burdened with life-long sorrow
- Analyzes how hester denies she can be a prophetess, arguing that she is burdened by her tarnished reputation and suffering.
- Opines that hester prynne deserves the title of prophetess more than she thinks. the tragedy of the scarlet letter is her repression by the puritanical "intolerant brood."
- Analyzes how the scarlet letter has become a symbol of hope, endurance, and "reverence" for the new england community.
- Compares margaret fuller's untrammelled exercise of critical judgement, and the thinking of her own thoughts, instead of accepting those of others.
- Analyzes how hester prynne shows defiant characteristic when governor bellingham tells her it would be in pearl's best interests if she were taken away from her mother, "clad soberly" and "disciplined strictly."
- Opines that hester prynne is as much a woman of mid-nineteenth century american culture as she is of seventeenth-century puritan new england.
- Describes the scarlet letter, the concise oxford dictionary, ninth edition and charles capper's an american romantic life.
- Cites the scarlet letter, an american romantic life, margaret fuller, julia ward howe, 188921, and the concise oxford dictionary, ninth edition.
2893 wordsRead More - Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester lives with disgrace and is always mocked by the towns people. There are many instances of characters not being true to themselves. If you are not true to you’re self the guilt can lead to total breakdown. Reverend Dimmesdale suffers for not being true to himself. The governor chooses Reverend Dimmesdale to be the judge of Hester. This shows that the people think he is righteous so he feels he has no choice but to hide for the sake of the people and what they believe in. Then instead of admitting his sin of adultery to the public, he keeps his secret to himself, knowing it will burn inside of him until he reveals it to the public and to pearl especially. The only thing worse in the Puritans society than committing a terrible sin is not admiting to it. Hester admits to her sin but Dimmesdale does not. Hester faces her sin and does not hide from the consequences. Nathaniel Hawthorne states, "Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!” Hester is an example of how being true to one's self can make you stronger unlike chilling worth and dimmesdale who are dishonest.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne may be viewed through many different lenses, but hester prynne, arthur dimmesdale and roger chillingworth project moral values in a powerful description of good and evil.
- Analyzes how hester lives with disgrace and is always mocked by the townspeople. reverend dimmesdale suffers for not being true to himself.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale was too cowardly to stand on the scaffold during the day and to acknowledge his part in the sin like hester did every single day.
- Narrates how after being captured by the indians, he finds hester on the scaffold, with her child pearl.
- Opines that the father wants to keep it a secret until he can find out who his father is.
- Describes the sin he committed. he had spent last seven years of his life torturing.
- Analyzes how hawthorne points out how hiding one's sin can lead to a personal downfall. reverend dimmsdale hides his sin from the public and becomes consumed with guilt.
- Explains that hester brought warmth to him but chillingworth has a symbol in his name. chill means cold hearted and that he's an evil man.
- Analyzes how hester's husband does all of this because he has nothing else to live for but revenge and secrecy.
- Analyzes how chillingworth does very little with the rest of his life, and dies a year after the death of the reverend.
839 wordsRead More - Free Essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter - Spiritual Growth of Hester Prynneanalytical essayFrom the beginning, we see that Hester Prynne is a young and beautiful woman who has brought a child into the world with an unknown father. She is punished by Puritan society by wearing the scarlet letter A on the bosom of her dress and standing on the scaffold for three hours. Her hair is a glossy brown and her eyes deep-set, and black, her attire is rich, carefully caressing her slender figure. The scaffold is a painful task to bear; the townspeople gathered around to gossip and stare at Hester and her newborn child, whom she suitably named Pearl, named because of her extreme value to her mother. In the disorder of faces in the crowd, young Hester Prynne sees the face of a man she once was fiercely familiar with, whom we later learn is her true husband, Roger Chillingworth. Her subjection to the crowd of Puritan onlookers is excruciating to bear, and Hester holds the child to her heart, a symbolic comparison between the child and the scarlet letter, implying that they are truly both intertwined.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the character of hester prynne changed significantly throughout the novel the scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne.
- Analyzes how hester prynne is punished by puritan society by wearing the scarlet letter a on the bosom of her dress and standing on a scaffold for three hours.
- Analyzes how prynne is imprisoned with her child, who is emotionally and physically exhausted from the punishment at the scaffold. the husband, roger chillingworth, passes by and is commissioned to be the physician to the two.
- Analyzes how hester knits and weaves for the townspeople, except for weddings, which people believe would cause misfortune and unrest in their marriage.
- Explains that the governors repeatedly attempt to take the child away from hester, as she has been deemed unfit to raise it without the influence of genuine puritan law.
- Analyzes how pearl mocks authority in the novel. she throws rocks at other children that look at her the wrong way and swears at them. hester hates him deeply for what he has done to dimmesdale.
- Analyzes how hester prynne and arthur meet in the forest to discuss their future.
- Analyzes how chillingworth discovers that the trio are boarding a boat to cross the sea after the election day, and he books himself to travel with them. hester comforted him to the scaffold and admitted his sin of adultery.
- Describes how hester prynne returned to boston to recollect and to repent after pearl married and chillingworth was long dead. she was buried near dimmesdale.
1274 wordsRead More - The society in which she lives is legitimized such that people follow a certain moral code. Refraining or overlooking of such codes leads to punishment as revealed by the women “this woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die” (The Ugly Woman, 7). The narrator however, echoes concern against following strict codes of conduct. Hawthorne presents the idea that lack of compassion and forgiveness makes a society dictatorial, he believes the need to observe and practice grace is imperative. Ruling through grace was expressed by Hester when she is forgiven by a society that had once punished her for same mistakes as the young girl retorts “let her cover the mark she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart” (A Young Wife, 6). Reverend Dimmesdale finds adequate grace after seven years of not confessing his sins because of the repercussions that would come thereafter. He begs Hester to reveal his name so that he can as well reveal his sin “be not silent from any mistaken pity, and tenderness for him” (Reverend Dimmesdale, 26) YOur
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hester, from 'the scarlet letter', conceives a child through an affair, and her life after is full of struggles as she tries to circumvent through challenges to create her new life.
- Analyzes how the concept of grace, christianity, and forgiveness is contrasted with law. the level at which the law was granted importance revoked human beings meaning of living life to its fullest.
- Analyzes how hester presents the theme of grace through her ordeal. the society in which she lives is legitimized such that people follow a certain moral code.
- Analyzes how proctor is a victim of selfishness and reminiscence, he committed adultery when his wife was sick. forgiveness in this case is paramount since the storm cannot settle if elizabeth doesn't forgive her husband.
- Analyzes how elizabeth illuminates grace in her family, despite the scandal that hit the marriage. she shows compassion to proctor when she forgives him in the court.
- Explains that compassion and forgiveness were peculiar attributes of human beings in the puritanical society. however, empathy was displayed by a number of people.
905 wordsRead More - The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorneanalytical essayFirst, Hester’s deception and secrecy lead to a destructive mark. Hester’s involvement with a man that was not her husband made her a symbol of women’s frailty and sinful passion. Hester’s mark is “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold-thread, appeared the letter A . (50) Her creativity of making a symbol of sin appealing was not allowed by the grim Puritans . Hester decide to stay where her sin was committed , alienating her from the Puritan society making her even more of an outsider than she already was.” Lonely as was Hester’s situation, and without a friend on earth who dared to show himself, she, however, incurred no risk of want.’’ (75) Hester was lonely with only Pearl to share her life with. Hester at once beautiful had lost her beauty in the aftermath of her sin. “Even the attractiveness of her person had undergone a similar change.” (150)Hester decision to hide the fact that Chillingworth is her husband leads him to torture Dimmesdale.“ Your clutch is on his life , and you cause him to die daily a living death; and still he knows you not.” (156)
In this essay, the author
- Explains that american literature often focuses on the wrongs in human existence. the scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne is a great example of the asperity of sin.
- Analyzes how hester's deception and secrecy led to a destructive mark on her dress, which symbolized her frailty and sinful passion.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale's concealment of his guilt makes him deceive others and himself.
- Analyzes how chillingworth, a scholar, is hester's husband who makes it his goal in life to find his partner in the sin.
- Analyzes how the mysterious old roger chillingworth became the medical adviser of the reverend mr. dimmesdale. he developed himself to the constant analysis of a heart full of torture.
- Analyzes how the theme of deception and secrecy can be destructive was demonstrated through hester prynne, dimmesdale and chillingworth in the scarlet letter.
892 wordsRead More