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Hester Prynne And Arthur Dimmesdale In 'The Scarlet Letter'

755 Words4 Pages

The Scarlet Letter had an overall theme of sin, which is what the main characters are tied together. Those characters were Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale. They all were tied in with that exact thing, throughout the whole book. Whether Hester and Arthur Dimmesdale were in sin and Roger Chillingworth was just there watching what they will do, they were all tied to that specific thing. With that being said, each character had their own personality but they all were tied together by sin. The main character, Hester Prynne, was the protagonist of this book. While the book did not reveal 100% of her whole life , it did show tough circumstances she had to go through. From the book, I found out Hester was very motherly-like, a strong and independent woman, and she was resilient. Hester was very motherly because when there was talk that Pearl should be raised by someone who did not commit …show more content…

Pearl had to in one way, had to grow up alone. Since her Mom was shunned, it’s not like you can make a lot of friends that way so she had to have a vivid imagination in which she did and played with toys, in which all kids do. But herself in particular, she wanted to kill her toys in which at that time would be looked at weirdly at that day, especially by a little girl. She also seems to be too grown up for her age. Pearl would say some of the craziest stuff like, “What a strange, sad man is he!" said the child, as if speaking partly to herself. "In the dark night-time, he calls us to him, and holds thy hand and mine, as when we stood with him on the scaffold yonder!”...”But, here, in the sunny day, and among all the people, he knows us not; nor must we know him! A strange, sad man is he, with his hand always over his heart!”" She had knowledge that was unfamiliar for children for her age. Overall, she was the daughter of both Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester

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Despite her success she continues to feel lonely and is well aware of her alienation. Hester’s alienation is similar to that of Pearls because they are both described as outcasts and treated as such. Pearl is naturally at odds with the strict rules of their society, mainly because of all the time she spends with Hester, she has inherited all of

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849 Words | 4 Pages

One of the most multifaceted, elaborate, and symbolic characters in The Scarlet Letter is Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Although she is fairly young during the majority of this novel, she possesses the unique ability to provoke the adult characters in the book. She asks them pointed questions and draws their attention to the repudiated or disregarded truths of the adult world. This typically would be unusual behavior for a child her age, but she continually acts abnormal throughout the majority of The Scarlet Letter. Her symbolism catches the attention of the reader and characters as well.

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299 Words | 2 Pages

Hester and Dimmesdale have a very unique love for eachother. Their love is reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet in the way that they are not able to pursue it. They are people who have been hardened and hurt by their past mistakes. They share that connection with each other unlike anyone else. Hester and Pearl go to meet up with Dimmesdale in the forest in complete effort to keep their relationship a complete secret.

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1581 Words | 7 Pages

She vows to never reveal the name of Pearl’s father, however it is later revealed that he is the ever-so-respected town Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester is more than aware of her exclusion from the groups of the colony, even though she was working to rebuild her name by working and keeping busy, “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished, and as much alone as if she had inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs than the rest of human kind” (page 108). The judgmental community that Hester is a part of, ceases to affect her actions. She refuses to leave, and raises her daughter the best that she can- with love, respect, without revealing to Pearl what makes her different.

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941 Words | 4 Pages

Nonetheless, it will be hard; Hester is steadfast to make her daughter Pearl, have a life, just like any other ordinary child. Hester is a remarkable, but peculiar character,

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599 Words | 3 Pages

To Hester’s shock she discovered that Pearl was more mature and imaginative. Hester practically raised Pearl by herself and Pearl turned out to be a Godly, honest, and innovative young girl. People saw how hard it was for Hester and so things changed. Hester became known as the woman who was able to do anything.

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562 Words | 3 Pages

Pearl is the living embodiment of of the scarlet letter. Pearl constantly reminds Hester of her sins, without meaning to. Whenever she asks questions about Dimmesdale or about the scarlet letter, Hester is reminded of the things she did wrong. Pearl is very smart child, and she likes to ask questions and learn about things. If she sees something that confuses her, she will ask her mother about it.

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665 Words | 3 Pages

The book The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne has symbolism all throughout it. People and objects are symbolic of events and thoughts. Throughout the book, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Hester, Pearl, and Arthur Dimmesdale to signify philosophies that are evident during this time period. Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner; she has gone against their ways, committing adultery. For this sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her life.

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878 Words | 4 Pages

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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“Thus she will be a living sermon against sin, until the ignominious letter be engraved upon her tombstone. It irks me, nevertheless, that the partner of her iniquity should not, at least, stand on the scaffold by her side. But he will be known! He will be known!” (Nathaniel Hawthorne 53) Hester Prynne had a daughter that she named Pearl.

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696 Words | 3 Pages

In chapter 17, Hester went to the forest to see if she could have a talk with Dimmesdale. When she spotted him, she asked Dimmesdale if he had found any peace. Dimmesdale replied, "None--nothing but despair!" and “Hester, I am most miserable!"

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748 Words | 3 Pages

This child is not meant to be a realistic character but rather a symbol of Hester’s sin, blessing and scarlet letter. Pearl is the scarlet letter, a blessing and curse, and the love and passion of a dangerous relationship. More than a child Pearl is a symbol of the love and passion between Hester and the minister. Pearl is a symbol that connect her parents forever even if they couldn’t be together. The narrator says, “God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child, whose place was on that same dishonoured bosom, to connect her parent forever with the race and descent of mortals, and to be finally a blessed soul in heaven!”(86)

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868 Words | 4 Pages

“And do you not know you are an Eve? The sentence of God on this [gender] of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the devil 's gateway: you are the unsealer of that tree: you are the first deserter of the divine law: you are she who persuaded him whom the devil was not valiant enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God 's image, man. On account of your desert -- that is, death -- even the Son of God had to die.”

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743 Words | 3 Pages

Some of the differences between these two characters are also what makes them alike, as well as setting them apart from the rest of the characters in the book. Hester and Dimmesdale’s need to repent and face their punishments in their own ways leads the reader through the book with surprises at every turn. The characters face challenges from holding in a secret, and facing a punishment all relating to the same actions taken before the book begins. Hester, the mother of Pearl ,as well as the main character, was

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1181 Words | 5 Pages

Criminal Behavior: Causes, Nature and Consequences Does an "evil gene" exist, a genetic factor that causes crime? Dr. Henry Howard Holmes or more commonly known as H. H. Holmes is said to have killed as many as 200 people during the 1890’s. Many victims were said to have killed in a mixed-used building he used to own situated west of the 1893 Chicago’s world fair. As a child, he used to be bullied by his friends, which exorcised him of his fears about death, which led to his fascination and unhealthy obsession of killing people. Holmes had a three storey building constructed, and creating an elaborate house of horrors.

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