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Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter: The Effects Of Society

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736800
Mrs. Martini
Honors English III
2 April 2023 The Effects of Society
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novel, The Scarlet Letter, was published in Boston in 1850, but the main ideas of this novel remain relevant today. This novel is great for many reasons, for example, it is really easy to follow along and not get lost while it also brings brilliant questions like whether or not there are bad people in society or do we just label people that way for one bad mistake they have made? In this novel, we are introduced to Hester Prynne who is being punished for adultery, and although the novel does indicate that sins are bad, especially in the mid-1600s, Hawthorne does a great job of explaining his main idea in the novel which is that all people …show more content…

Hester Prynne, who is the main character of the story, has committed the sin of adultery which is looked down upon by the people of Boston. However, Hawthorne does a great job of showing how sin can change a person for the better. In the novel for example Hester Prynne gives a completely different meaning to the scarlet letter and changes it from “adultery” to “able” because she “forgot about her past”(publish.Illinois.edu). But Hawthorne also shows how sin can make a person worse and mess with someone's head. In this novel, we have two characters, Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmmesdale, “who clash because of their relationship and love with Hester Prynne”(SparkNotes). This makes it possible for there to be different points of view. You have Chillingworth who has gone crazy because he wants to figure out who committed the sin of adultery with Hester and then you have Dimmesdale who struggles within himself because he knows he committed the sin of adultery but is seen as a “loved preacher” and is causing him to struggle with expressing his true feelings, afraid the world might start to doubt him (Hawthorne). Having three characters with different points of view is an excellent way to express the main idea which is that sin and its consequences can change a person for the better or the

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