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Allusion And Symbolism In Scarlet Letter

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In the novel the Scarlet Letter the author Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes setting, allusion, characterization and symbolism to support his theme of independence of a women who was able to keep her dignity even when people were constantly putting her down. The world was not such an accepting place in the 1850’s, and Hawthorne ingeniously used this to his advantage to show how people did not accept Hester for her act of adultery (Hawthorne VVI-XI). The book was set in the puritan era which is known for being one of the most religious time periods of today. Hawthorne wisely chose to make the village an extremely religious and pure place because it would help with the idea that Hester was on her own because she sinned Hawthorne claims that the village is …show more content…

Hawthorne cleverly uses the main characters name for an opportunity for symbolism naming her Hester which is very similar to Hestia the Greek goddess of hearth, agriculture, and the right ordering of domesticity the family and the state of Greek mythology(Lei 2164). By doing this Hawthorne is comparing her to a goddess that had a substantial amount of admiration. The scarlet letter A is one of the most symbolic items in the book, because of this solely letter Hester is able to grow and become the woman she is that aids others and loves all. The reason behind this is because of the letter A she is forced to have on her breast for the rest of her life people judge her on just that and don’t bother to see the benevolent person behind it. Since the village shuns her because the A she wears on her clothing she learns to depend on herself and become her own guide. In conclusion Hawthorne cunningly used setting, allusion, characterization and symbolism to support his idea that the theme of The Scarlet Letter was to depend on ones self because it is not going to be every day that you have people by your

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Ariana Malloy Mr.Nellis English 10 4/2/18 Beautiful Sin Everyone has been judged by society. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Hester has been judged by society since she had a child with a man she was not married to and for that society has punished her by making her wear this symbol of an A. This symbol was the scarlet letter.

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In literature, motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that help inform the reader of the text’s major themes. Motifs are an important device used in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. This novel takes place in seventeenth century Boston, then a Puritan settlement. At the time, a young adulteress, Hester Prynne, must wear a scarlet “A” on her breast to mark her ignominy.

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The book the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a book about Hester Prynne a woman living in the 17th century. Hester commits the sinable act of adultery and is punished being forced to wear the scarlet letter A on her bosom. The symbol punishes her as an adultress and marks her shame, making her an outcast in the male dominated society, as she has gone against the strict restrictions society has imposed. So due to this, in regards to John Updikeś claim about Hester, I agree that she is “a mythic version of every woman’s attempt to integrate her sexuality with societal demands” through wearing the scarlet letter. Although the scarlet letter was meant to be a symbol of punishment, it gave Hester liberation from the social norms.

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However, as you dig deeper, you will see Hawthorne’s true purpose for writing the novel. In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses irony to criticize the Puritan ideals. Hester’s Scarlet “A” is used to show how imperfect the Puritans are. The narrator describes Hester’s scarlet letter when he says: “On the breast of her gown,

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716 Words | 3 Pages

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the relationship between the individual and society within a strict puritanical community. After committing adultery, Hester is stripped of her humanity and forced to wear an “A” for “adulterer” in order to appease the community. Her ignominy was lead by Dimmesdale, a minister for the community and later revealed to be the father of her daughter, Pearl. From the beginning of the novel, Hester maintains a commitment to her set of personal values. This is exhibited through her refusal to reveal Dimmesdale’s name, thriving outside the values of the community, and accepting the letter as a part of her identity.

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In the novel the Scarlet letter is a big symbolization. The Puritans want the scarlet letter to be a symbol of Hester’s crime, but the author also describes

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The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is one of the most famous and influential novels written in American literature. The story takes place in the seventeenth century in the Puritan settlement of Boston where a young woman named Hester Prynne is punished after having a daughter with a man who was not her husband. Though, instead of hanging Hester they spare her life because of her beauty. She is then shunned and forced to wear a scarlet “A” (for adultery) on her breast for the rest of her life, while, the “unknown” man who Hester had an affair with moves on with a guilt-filled life. The novel is a classic romance with it’s countless symbols tossed throughout the book.

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She is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned, but is forgiven. Hawthorne portrays Hester as "divine maternity" and she can do no wrong. Not only Hester, but also the physical scarlet letter, a sign of shame, is shown as a beautiful, gold and colorful piece which

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Imagine living in a place where one small sin could define who you are for the rest of your life. That is what happened in The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850. The novel is set in a seventeenth-century Puritan community in Boston, Massachusetts. A young woman by the name of Hester Prynne commits a small act of adultery and is shamed for the rest of her life, by wearing a scarlet letter “A” on her breast. The book is centered around the theme of justice and judgement.

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There are various examples of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter, but one of them wraps the whole story together: the meaning of the scarlet letter A. In this passage, Hester Prynne wears an embroidered letter A on her bosom as punishment. At first the A stood for “adulterer”, but the townspeople later gained respect for her and said “Such helpfulness was found in her-so much power to do and to sympathize-that many people refused to interpret the scarlet “A” by its original significance. They said it meant ‘Able’” (Hawthorne 107).

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Jerrett Schlachter Mrs. Goins English 3 December 6, 2016 Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter The symbolism is a great topic to be chosen because it shows the interesting way Hawthorne uses words to tell the story. Three symbols have been chosen for this essay. They are light and dark, also weeds and flowers and the variation of the letter "A". The third symbol is Pearl, that represented sin and later a blessing.

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In The Scarlet Letter, The scarlet letter at first was a symbol of her sin of adultery, but as time went on it became a symbol of her being able and being like an angel. The scarlet letter to the Puritan people was a symbol of disgrace and dishonor, until they saw the good works Herster was doing. Hester saw the letter as something that she had done, but the letter became part of her. The scarlet letter affected how Hester’s raised Pearl and who Pearl is as a person. The scarlet letter caused many changes in the lives of the people who saw it and to Hester, the one that wore it.

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In ‘The Scarlet letter’, Hawthorne expresses women in this story to be worthless and be only taught to take care of children, their husbands, and do church work. During this time, women were not able to get a higher education than men, own property, or vote. Women were the man’s property once they got married and they needed to fulfill the man’s needs. Hester had a child with Dimmesdale and not her husband, which was beyond not allowed, so the townspeople made her wear the scarlet letter “A” on her breast so everyone who encounters her knows that she committed adultery. “So that both men and women, who had been familiarly acquainted with Hester Prynne, were now impressed as if they beheld her for the first time, -was that Scarlet letter, so

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956 Words | 4 Pages

The puritans were notorious for mistreatment and censure of sinners in order to attain a self-defined level of "purity" in their society, and Hester- the female character- faces this oppressive entity. As Hawthorne ties individuals that face oppression with Hester's figure, the oppressed individual acknowledged and defied the oppressive figure's ideologies in order to achieve self-fulfillment and pleasure. While the oppressed figure's actions seem regrettable, Hawthorne molds Hester into a character that embraces her decision to defy societal definitions of "correct activity" and turns something that was meant to harm her and into something beautiful: “the wearer of this brilliantly embroidered badge must needs be a personage of high dignity among her people” (Hawthorne 156). The scarlet letter- the method of symbolic persecution by the Puritans- evolves from a brooch intended for mockery into a badge that exudes a sense of high dignity. In place of her shameful condemnation, she now captivates a remarkable figure that overcame

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279 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout The Scarlet Letter a great deal of symbolism is used. Nathaniel Hawthorne does this when assigning the A to Hester, or relating Pearl to the flower or rose-bush. The novel is based during the seventeenth century and beginning with Hester Prynne and her child Pearl leaving prison. This is where the A is brought to our attention. The A represent the adultery that Hester has committed.

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