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Arthur Dimmesdale's Growth In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

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Relationships–they make us, and they break us. They give us life and can also kill us physically and emotionally. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, relationships are the antagonist and protagonist. One in specific–that of Hester Prynne’s and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale’s–creates the major drama within the plot, after the appalling sin of adultery is committed in seventeenth-century Puritan society. Hester must stand upon a scaffold and face the punishment of shame in front of the whole town, and is also sentenced to wearing a woven scarlet letter A on her breast to remind others that she is an adulterer. She must now navigate how to handle her relationship with Dimmesdale in secret, while trying to recreate her reputation and raise …show more content…

This is risky, because if anyone sees them in such close proximity, they can get in even more trouble than they are already in. As they mature in this situation, they realize that it would be in their, as well as Pearl’s, best interest to be on good terms with one another. That maturation also shows a change in their relationship. As well as their positioning, the moss on the fallen tree symbolizes new growth. Since the tree has fallen, it has died, and moss has started taking over the remains.The tree falling may symbolize Dimmesdale leaving his old life with the town to establish a solid relationship with Hester. Thus, the moss creeping up the tree symbolizes Dimmesdale's new life blooming from within. It signifies new growth within his relationship, taking place in his old life, where he had to hide. Although it will cost him his reputation, he will be at peace knowing he has admitted his sins, and only the truth is present. After years of guilt, stress, and uncertainty, the mood is finally calm, which also proves a turning point. Overall, these symbols within the setting help describe one of the most vital turning points in Dimmesdale and Hester’s

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Throughout the book, we see Janie growing up and going through similar stages in her own life. In a way, the tree and Janie’s journey mirror each other in the way that they grow. Janie also is gaining a new perspective on life in this moment. This scene is a revelation for Janie, one where she’s waking up to the beauty of life and how she personally wants to live. Shortly after, she also says, “She was seeking confirmation of the voice and vision, and everywhere she found and acknowledged answers.

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Hester's True Side In committing an act of adultery, Hester Prynne, the primary character in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, finds herself a victim of harsh judgement and ridicule by her Puritan community. She becomes isolated as a result of this scandalous behavior and becomes emotionally involved in a love triangle between her husband and her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, who is the town minister. As a result of her shameful history, the townspeople attempt to destroy and embarrass her by socially neglecting her and labeling her as an outcast and loner. Though the people of the community pursue several attempts to shame her, Hester Prynne's beauty, selflessness, and strength help her overcome this rejection from the townspeople and

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In the beginning of the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces the main character Hester Prynne, a young, beautiful member of a Puritan society being punished for her sin of love, not lust. The opening chapters introduce the reader to gossips who deem her original punishment, death, too harsh and contrary to Puritan beliefs that unborn babies should be given a chance at life. Instead, Hester and her child are to be alienated and shunned. In addition she is to wear the letter ‘A’ (which stands for ‘adultery’) on her chest which will forever display her as a symbol of shame for her sin. Though a very resilient figure who soon overcomes this pain, Hester’s isolation takes a negative toll on her life.

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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a novel that focuses on sin in the Puritan society. Hawthorne revolves the theme around the four main characters Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth., and Pearl. Hester Prynne is forced to wear the scarlet letter ‘A’ after committing adultery against her husband Roger Chillingworth, with the minister Arthur Dimmesdale. As a result an odd child is born.

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Does lying to a community make a person feel better as a sinner? Does acting to a community help hide one’s true self? Arthur Dimmesdale, a hypocrite, depends on lying to survive. He loves but cannot show it in public; he is depressed but tries to hide his pain within his sermons. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s

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It symbolizes how Janie believes the pear tree represents her. The memories etched in her mind are rooted in the ground, and her visions are rooted in the branches of the pear tree. As the pear tree sprouts, so do her dreams. Also, the pear tree gave her a sense of life and it gave her a view of harmony.

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The book “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a complex novel that has underlying themes of sin and the responsibility for sin. The novel takes place in a Puritanical society, but two people, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, fornicate with each other, even though Hester is married to someone else. Only Hester is punished, so Dimmesdale keeps his guilt inside, not revealing it to anyone. Hester’s husband, Chillingworth, then proceeds to ruin Hester’s partner in crime, corrupting his soul and being the ultimate cause for his death. Hester, on the other hand, leads a relatively happy life after she had repented for her sin.

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Pearl now is understanding everything. She went from a “demon child” to a mature child just learning about life. She was right there when her father has died. It made Pearl very emotional, a side we haven’t quite seen as a characteristic of Pearl. She is sad that her father had to go, but she is more than proud to see he has loved her and her mother enough to lose his life.

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She is a mischievous little devil who plays in the yard. However, when she meets the minister, instead of responding that she came from god, she states that, “...she had not been made at all but had been plucked by her mother off the bush of wild roses…” She is not only an innocent child, but a defiant individual who defies social norms in the Puritan village. People like the minister are used to getting answers from the individuals in Puritan society, however, Pearl does not respect the Priests enough to give them the right answers. This is important in the novel since it shows Pearl’s defiant and intellectual nature will continue to cause many changes in the society since it stumps people’s responses to

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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is set in a gloomy, distressed, religious atmosphere in Boston, Massachusetts with multiple main characters known for the sins they have done. One of those being a man named Arthur Dimmesdale who is known for being a sinful and hypocritical individual. He is part of the Puritan community who are very judgmental people, so readers can more likely see the conflict that will arise. Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates his theme that secrets that are hidden will have its consequences.

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