Theme Of Romanticism In Scarlet Letter

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Romanticism in this book is described through the author in his effort to imagine Hester Prynne’s story. He describes that the use of light and setting are great techniques when using romantic themes. Hawthorne describes that details “are so spiritualized by the unusual light, that they seem to lose their actual substance, and become things of intellect” (Hawthorne, 35). This then leads him to describe that at the right time, “when one removes further from the actual, and nearer to the imaginative” (Hawthorne, 36), the romance writer can actually , “dream strange things and make them look like truth”(Hawthorne, 36). The purpose of this chapter is to serve basically as a preface, for it describes information about the author himself, leading …show more content…

Oddly enough, she decides to stay and moves to a small cottage between the wilderness and town. And so because of this, the Scarlet Letter forever has its mark on her physically and emotionally. Having a home not quite in the town but not quite far enough away isolated her from society. However along with that, she is being punished for a sin, a sin that the letter “A” represents. Overall, society views her as, “the figure, the body, and the reality of sin”(Hawthorne, 76). The letter she wears, not only publicly scorns her, but it causes Hester to see the sin in others. It gives her “sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts”(83). So even though this letter separates Hester from society, she is now able to recognize the sin in the society that in fact persecutes her. This shows the true nature of the Puritans in the fact that they were hypocrites. People condemn Hester for her own acts of sin when in fact the condemners have sins of their own. The letter Hester wears can sense these sinners for, “the red infamy upon her breast would give a sympathetic throb,”(Hawthorne, 84),whenever she is around someone masking personal sin. In chapter 6, Hawthorne describes Pearl in a way where she becomes a symbol. Pearl is in fact the product of a sin, and yet, she is such a treasure. The Puritans believed that extramarital sex was evil but “God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given Hester a lovely child”( Hawthorne, 86). In this sense, God’s treatment of Hester contrasts greatly from the Puritan’s treatment of her. However, how can Pearl, a product of evil be good? For it is thought that a child born from a sexual affair will be evil. This creates a struggle for Hester because Pearl is a sign of Hester’s punishment and treasure. Also, it isn’t surprising that Pearl is intrigued by the Scarlet Letter that her mother wears. “One day,

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