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Redemption In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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What is redemption? Redemption is the act of being saved or freed from sin. This is an important part of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter.” Redemption was what the characters in the book were seeking, and was the reason for many of their actions. Because of the time period and the fact the people were Puritans, sins were not tolerated nor common, so when they happened they were a huge deal. Puritans felt redemption could not be achieved because the sins were so wrong and so evil. Hawthorne used redemption to help develop the characters and the ideas the reader had on them. The whole book happened because of a sin that occurred, and that sin was the cause of many actions of the characters. Throughout “The Scarlet Letter,” Hawthorne …show more content…

“Was that Scarlet Letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom.”(Hawthorne 51). Because Puritans were so against Hester’s sin, they made her wear an “A” on her chest that stands for adultery. The townspeople wanted everyone who sees her know what she did so that she would be humiliated by it for the rest of her life. Hester was basically rejected by the town, and was scorned by the people everyday. The “A” made people overlook who she really was. “She was self-ordained a Sister of Mercy… The letter was a symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her… that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able.”(Hawthorne 146). Even with all the mocking and ridicule that was put on her, she still had the strength to push through it and carry on with her life. She raised her daughter, Pearl, through it all; she provided for money for them. She even gave to the poor. People began to realize that there was more to Hester Prynne than just the letter. They started to see who she really was; and because of that wanted the “A” to stand for something better. They wanted it to stand for able because it showed her strength. All of the good that Hester did showed people that she is so much more than just a sinner. She achieved her redemption, and the town realized who she really …show more content…

Hester Prynne reached redemption by doing good deeds and making people see past her sin and see who she really is. Arthur Dimmesdale did not achieve redemption because he spent too much time worrying about his reputation. Thus, leading to it being too late for him because of his death. Roger Chillingworth finally redeemed himself after his death when he left Pearl his inheritance. It was something that no one saw coming, because Pearl was the spawn of sin and Chillingworth was seen as the devil. It was unexpected, but Chillingworth might have finally realized that he needed to make up for all the bad he has done. Redemption could have been gained by any of the characters, but their choices are what shows who they are. The characters were developed by the redemption of each of

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863 Words | 4 Pages

According to them, adultery is the biggest sin and if anyone was found committing this kind of sin then they will be punished and have to wear “A” on their dress for committing the shameful act. In the novel, Hester lifted the weight of the scarlet letter on her shoulders because the Puritan community forced her to wear the letter “A”. This demonstrates the importance of geography and demonstrating the community’s religious viewpoints because of its place. If the story had taken place somewhere else then Hester would not have to through this agony. Geography is the device that makes the story.

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894 Words | 4 Pages

The Scarlet Letter, A, is a work of art and is embroidered onto fancy and beautiful cloth. Although the letter A is a symbol of sin, why did Hester work so hard on it when it represents something as sinful as

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Hester's divine beauty outshines others corrupt beliefs of her. While Hester walks stumbles out the prison doors and onto the dreaded scaffold, Hawthorne describes Hester as "the young woman [who] was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance, on a large scale" (40). Hester Prynne is being publicly shamed for the act of adultery she committed along with the minister who condemns her. She is forced to stand on the scaffold and beat the sorrow of he sins with the scarlet letter "A" on her bosom to represent her shameful acts. This mark of embarrassment serves a purpose to make her appear unrighteous, but the author chooses to focus on her beauty, which outshines this emblem.

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769 Words | 4 Pages

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is seen as a disgrace for the town. The “A” on Hester’s chest forces her to feel like she has no independence, since she is not seen like a typical person; she does not feel like she

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896 Words | 4 Pages

By wearing the “A,” Hester was publicly humiliated, however, her development in character causes a change in the meaning of the Scarlet Letter, which leads her to taking pride in the letter as it grows a part of her. After Hester’s sin the Puritan community places a false

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Punishment of Puritans for their sins occurred harshly and frequently, and these punishments ranged from fines, branding, and severe whippings to hanging and death. Many of these penalties involved public humiliation of some kind, which made it extremely difficult for townspeople to accept by their peers after they had sinned. Because the Puritans believed religion was immensely important, the community was often reluctant to allow citizens that exhibited sinful behavior to achieve redemption (Cox). However, in the case of Hester Prynne, an adulterer in Nathaniel Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter, the townspeople eagerly made amends with her. This novel narrates the life of Hester Prynne, who committed adultery and courageously accepted the repercussions

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In the beginning the scarlet letter represented adultery and shame, but then the A represented “able.” Hester Prynne showed people that greatness can come out of huge mistake. One bad chapter does not mean your story is over. Willingly, Hester wanted to pick herself up again and move on with her life and eventually people noticed that. They began to respect her and think of her as strong and commendable

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We are all sinners. Although one may try hard not to sin, all humans eventually succumb at some time or another to sin. While people may not able to avoid the fate which awaits them, the power of free will allows people to decide how they will respond to sin. While some may respond with guilt and regret, others may react with a sense of redemption and a renewed sense of responsibility. Nathaniel Hawthorne, an American author during the 19th century witnessed the power of sin to wreak havoc not only to an individual but a whole community.

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499 Words | 2 Pages

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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225 Words | 1 Pages

Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth all have sinned, although the question remains at the ending of the book, are they forgiven? With evidence and outlooks on the story, it is to be concluded that each of them are forgiven at certain parts of their live after this setting. The rose at the door of the prison in the beginning of the story is a sign of hope. Hope for all people and all characters. This gives a sign to the reader right away for the forgiveness.

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1289 Words | 6 Pages

From the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne and her letter “A” emerged at the scaffold in public for adultery, which is a sin could not be forgive by their religion.” This is a description of the letter “A” that only belongs to Hester Prynne. Why said this is “only belongs to her”? If readers have a deep reading to The Scarlet Letter, they could easily find out the sin that is up to everyone’s inner aspect and it has a different symbolic meaning, which is mentioned at above text: “A” changes Adultery to Able and Angel. But, how does the letter “A” direct the other characters to

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1322 Words | 6 Pages

The scarlet letter has different meanings throughout the story and to each of the characters. The original meaning of the scarlet “A” is “Adultery”, but later in the story the townspeople and other characters begin to interpret it in different ways, each of them with their own idea and belief. Hester starts being more active in society and that makes the townspeople think differently about the scarlet “A”. The scarlet letter doesn´t keep the same meaning throughout the whole story, it changes with Hester´s actions and the Puritans beliefs. Hester starts being more active in society, she starts helping the poor and nursing the sick.

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1146 Words | 5 Pages

This effects her every day life going out in public and getting ridiculed by all the towns people she is surrounded by. Hester Prynne doesn’t just have to live with a mistake right on her shirt, but people also help her remember past. She does have her daughter or her “sole treasure.” The young girls name is pearl and she is not exactly like the others. It isn't easy because her and her mother are considered different in the community so she is lonely but very

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959 Words | 4 Pages

With Hester changing her ways and helping the poor, the community changed, “They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 168). While the community originally viewed the “A” as a symbol of sin, they began to see it too as a symbol of being “Able” because all that Hester Prynne had overcome. The Scarlet Letter had many examples of symbolism, but none were more significant that the letter “A”

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813 Words | 4 Pages

Adultery, Able, Angel. The Scarlet Letter is about a woman who can take a symbol that means one thing and changes it to mean the complete opposite. In this novel a woman named Hester Prynne had committed a sin of adultery and is forced to wear the letter “A” on her chest in remembrance of her sin. The story takes place in the mid 17th century in a Puritan town of Boston. The rest of the story is based upon trying to find out who the father of Hester 's baby is.

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