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Introduction paragraph on the scarlet letter how hawthorne
Critical analysis of scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Critical analysis of scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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“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” (Hawthorne, chap. 2, para. 10). At first glance, Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter gives the scarlet letter a sense of beauty and elegance in contrast with the townspeople’s simplicity. However, the scarlet letter is proven to represent shame, sin, and punishment throughout the novel, especially in Hester Prynne, the one branded with the mark. The scarlet letter signifies Hester’s punishment and the damage resulting from it.
In the beginning of the novel, the scarlet letter represents Hester’s sins and the punishment resulting from them. When Hester steps out of the prison, she realizes the sense of shame will continue throughout her life. The text states,“Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast… as the figure, the body, the reality of sin” (chap. 5, para. 1). This establishes a connection between Hester and the idea of pure sin. The scarlet letter personifies Hester into an idol of sin; this personification leads to the townspeople to ostracize or shun her in accordance with Puritan ideals. Additionally, church officials use Hester as a sermon on sin
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In Chapter 13, Hawthorne describes how Hester lost the most vital parts of her personality because of the scarlet letter: “All the light and graceful foliage of her character had been withered up by this red-hot brand… leaving a bare and harsh outline…” (para. 6). This detail demonstrates how the social isolation caused by the scarlet letter has dealt irrevocable damage to Hester’s personality despite the positive connotations attached to the scarlet letter by the townspeople. While she acts generously and kindly during times of strife, she acts without passion or affection towards the people she
After Hester emerges from the dungeon holding her child in her arms, her breast is adorned with a scarlet letter “A”, for “adulterer”. Regarding her status in her community, Hawthorne states, “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin” (66-67). Hester’s adultery causes her to becomes a “living sermon against sin” (54), in the eyes of the Puritans. She is rejected from society both physically, being forced to live on the outskirts of town, and emotionally, as she feels like an outcast, no longer welcome in society. Nevertheless, through the power of her own spirit, Hester transmutes the meaning of the letter from ignominy to strength. Hester proved herself to be a beacon of human tenderness and sympathy in her town, which is evident when Hawthorne explains, “The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her,—so much power to do, and power to sympathize,—that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength”
In the beginning, the scarlet letter represents the sinful nature of Hester’s crime, as revealed through the thoughts and feelings of Hester and the townspeople towards the letter. When first wearing the letter in public, Hester portrays herself as indifferent towards the town’s harsh language and detest for her, despite still feeling the intensity of her punishment internally. Hester portrays herself as indifferent towards the town’s harsh language and detest for her, and strong in the difficult conditions. By “wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she…with a burning blush, and…haughty smile…looked around at her townspeople and neighbours” (Hawthorne, 80).
Hawthorn's Novel, The Scarlet Letter, is brimming with many vivid symbols, the most apparent of which is the scarlet letter "A", that Hester Prynne is made to wear upon her chest. Throughout the novel, hawthorn presents the scarlet letter to the reader in a variety of ways. Yet an important question emerges, as the life of Hester Prynne is described, which deals with the affects that both the scarlet letter and Hester have on each other. There is no clear-cut answer to this question, as many examples supporting both arguments can be found throughout the novel. The letter obviously causes Hester much grief, as she is mocked and ostracized by many of the townspeople, yet on the other hand, later in the novel Hester's courage and pride help to change the meaning of scarlet letter in the eyes of both herself and the public.
Hester’s sin is that her passions and love were of more importance to her than the Puritan moral code. This is shown when she says to Dimmesdale, "What we did had a consecration of its own. We felt it so! We said so to each other!" Hester fully acknowledged her guilt and displayed it with pride to the world. This was obvious by the way she displayed the scarlet letter. It was elaborately designed as if to show Hester was proud.
But a lie is never good, even though death threatens the other side! ' ;(Ch. 17: 177). Hester learns from her sin, and grows strong, a direct result of her punishment. The scarlet letter 'A' was as if a blessing to Hester, changing her into an honest person with good virtues. Fittingly, she chooses to stay in Boston with Pearl, although Hawthorne admits, '…that this woman should still call that place her home, where, and where only, she must need be the type of shame';(Ch.
In the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, the letter is understood as a label of punishment and sin being publicized. Hester Prynne bears the label of “A” signifining adulterer upon her chest. Because of this scorching red color label she becomes the outcast of her society. She wears this symbol of punishment and it become a burden throughout her life. The letter “produces only a reflection of her scarlet letter; likewise, the townspeople's image of Hester revolves around her sin. The evil associated with Hester's actions and the letter on her chest consume all aspects of her life, concealing her true beauty, mind, and soul” (R. Warfel 421-425). Society pushed blame upon Hester Prynne, and these events lead to the change of her life. The Puritans whom Prynne is surround by view the letter as a symbol from the devil, controversially some individuals look upon the letter, sigh and fell sympathy towards her because they have or are involved in this same situation. Nonetheless the haunting torture Hester Prynne battles daily drags on, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows this torture “of an impulse and passionate nature. She had fortified herself to encounter the stings and venomous stabs of public contumely wreaking itself in every variety of insult but...
In Hester’s case this punishment manifested in the form of ruthless exile and belittlement by her community at the hands of the Puritans and their rampant punitive control over Hawthorne’s society. This is further shown through another motif, namely the idea of identity. As Hester is entering the court, she holds the baby Pearl up to her chest to try and block the scarlet letter, promptly realizing that “… one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another”, and thus held them both apart “… with a burning blush” (46). The two symbols of Hester’s shame, Pearl and the scarlet letter, are unsuccessfully used to try and hide each other – Hester realizes at this time that her identity is based solely off of her actions and thus her shame in this time, shown by her baby daughter and token of adultery, the red ‘A’. She is disgraced, and “[blushes]” in embarrassment over her crime that now defines her more so than the summation of all her amiable traits. This thoroughly alienates her from her community: she is now exiled, standing out from every other individual due to her actions, shaping her identity more on one mistake than on any good
When one analyzes the punishment inflicted upon her, it may seem harsh and cruel, especially for a Puritan society. It seems that Hawthorne agrees with this as well. Throughout the novel, it seems apparent that Hawthorne feels that the punishment Hester received was harsh and self-degrading. When one commits a sin, they should understand their mistake, receive their blame, and receive a "slap on the wrist." However, the punishment Hester received was far worse emotionally. Wearing the letter made Hester the talk-about of the town. When she walked through the marketplace, she received scornful looks, as if society was rejecting her for her wrongdoing. Hester was now living on the outskirts of town, isolated from neighbors and trying to communicate with her daughter Pearl.
Over the course of the novel, the symbol of the scarlet letter acquires two separate meanings, each reflecting the way Hester's character is identified according to the Puritans, and more importantly, alluding to the complexity of identity of every human individual. At the exposition of the novel, the scarlet letter is a burdensome castigation that is partially imposed by the Puritan community as her legal reprimand, and partially imposed by Hester herself. In having "for the remainder of her natural life to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom" (Hawthorne, 71), Hester is immediately identified as a despicable, ignominious woman to the greater Puritan society and to the reader in the early chapters of the novel. Hawthorne uses this distinction of identity to suggest that people often define each other by one particular attribute. Yet it is critical to note that all identification does not come from an external source: Hester also struggles with a degrading view towards her own personal identity. The scarlet letter, representative of her wrongdoing, is literally fashioned by the work of her own hands. Therefore it is, in a sense, a self inflicted punishment, so...
Hester’s withdrawal from society provides her the freedom to grow intellectually and spiritually as an individual. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the dichotomy between Hester’s outward conformance and inner rebellion and uses the scarlet letter to support the theme of individuality.
as well as a member of the community, she is now outcast in both respects.
As Hester wears the scarlet letter, the reader can feel how much of an outcast Hester becomes. When walking through town, “…she never raised her head to receive their greeting. If they were resolute to accost her, she laid her finger on the scarlet letter and passed on” (Hawthorne, 127).She believes that she is not worthy of the towns acknowledgments and chooses to ignore them. The guilt that now rests in Hester is overwhelming to her and is a reason of her change in personality.
The purpose of the scarlet letter is not fulfilled according to the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was put upon Hester’s bosom to claim her unholiness but instead the "punishment" served as a way for Hester to grow stronger. The townspeople were the first to see first introduction of Hester. She was looked down on since the branding of the letter “A” upon her bosom. She was a "figure of perfect elegance" compared to the Puritan women of "brief beauty" (Hawthorne pg.: 55, 57). Right from the start, Hester appears to be different from those around her, suggesting a rebellious attitude to the traditions and customs of the time where church and state were still considered to be the central government at the time. She was different from others due to her nature of her being. Hester wasn’t like all other women. If another woman were to be branded an adulteress, that woman would have probably try to keep her sin away from the townspeople and forever keep their peace. Hester on the other hand, had the bravery and boldness in her that did not frighten her to show off what she did wrong. She may have had the intention that...
The story reflects Hawthorne’s attitudes towards the Puritans. Hawthorne conveys that the Puritans were strict and unfeeling. For example, before Hester arrives from the prison, groups of women who feel that she deserves a larger punishment than she actually receives are scorning her saying, “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die.” (Hawthorne 1380) As we proceed through the story, we realize the lifestyle, culture, emotions, sin, punishment, shame and guilt felt during the Puritan period when one did not follow the laws. The letter was a link to different meanings in the novel. The scarlet letter A signifies shame, harsh punishment, suffering, and later the significance changes for Hester’s
The Scarlet Letter is a blend of realism, symbolism, and allegory. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses historical settings for this fictional novel and even gives historical background information for the inspiration of the story of Hester Prynne in the introduction of The Scarlet Letter, ‘The Custom-House’. The psychological exploration of the characters and the author’s use of realistic dialogue only add to the realism of the novel. The most obvious symbol of the novel is the actual scarlet letter ‘A’ that Hester wears on her chest every day, but Hawthorne also uses Hester’s daughter Pearl and their surroundings as symbols as well. Allegory is present as well in The Scarlet Letter and is created through the character types of several characters in the novel.