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Analysis of The Scarlet Letter
Theme of sin and punishment in the scarlet letter
Theme of sin, guilty and punishment of scarlet letter
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The Scarlet Letter, shows how badly people were treated for committed a sin in that time period. The main character, Hester Prynne committed lechery and in puritan society, which was very closely related to religion breaking the commandment that forbid adultery earned a very big punishment. It was even worse for Hester because she ended up conceiving a child. One way Hester was shunned by people was by having to wear the scarlet letter that would bring her public shame. Hester knew that because of the letter “young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin”
Based on the first few chapters I read The Scarlet Letter is a novel about becoming a better person. Throughout the novel Hester tries saving her daughter and proves those who didn’t believe she could raise her child, even with all the humiliation she was receiving It’s all about those who have the opportunity of getting a second chance and choose to use it wisely. The Scarlet Letter gives a life lesson, but Hawthorne uses symbolism to describe
The society sees Hester as corrupt, but does not call Pearl the same. Pearl’s name even represents purity, something she definitely was not born of. However, Pearl is able to grow up as normal as possible, though not a lot is said about her life and she does act a bit
In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, sin is a common theme throughout the novel. In the seventeenth century, Hawthorne sets the novel in this time period to show how radical Puritans were when a person commits a crime. In Puritan times, adultery was a very serious crime that a person can be sentenced to death. The Scarlet Letter features three characters that have sinned. Those characters are Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth.
People tend to generate a copious amount of mistakes throughout their lives. A number of these mistakes catch a glimpse of the light of day and the repercussions must be put up with. The scorn and punishment of man can be harsh and difficult to bear; however, it is human nature to forgive and forget the trespasses of others as time passes. During chapters thirteen and fourteen of The Scarlet Letter, the sins of a character named Hester Prynne are forgiven by the public. The scarlet “A” fastened on her chest, which once stood for adultery, now stands for ability in the public eye.
In August of 2017, a father became childless. On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Mark Heyer received a call saying his daughter had been killed by a driver speeding into a group of people protesting white supremacists. He, somehow, has found in his heart the ability to forgive this man for his awful sin. Many find his story shocking, but why? America falls severely behind in the area of forgiveness.
In the time of Puritans, the law was not only of state but of religion. Thus, crime not only had a connection with breaking earthly law, but also committing a sin in the eyes of the heavenly law. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the Scarlet Letter fulfills its office, an office of bringing her and her community closer to God, as evident by Hester’s increase in compassion and service to the community, the way in which people view her, and by the suffering which she encounters in numerous ways. The guilt felt from the Scarlet Letter leads Hester to a life as a public servant, fulfilling her penance through service.
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)
She is the punishment for Hester, however she is also a blessing. Many think of Pearl to be possessed by a fiend. However Hester believed that Pearl was her own blessing, “‘Mother,’ cries she, ‘I see you here. Look! Look!’
Pearl not only represents the sin itself, but the passion and fire that induced it. Pearl acts as a blessing, and a burden to her mother. She gives Hester strength when she is ready to give up. She also provides her mother with company, since they are both outcasts in society. Pearl has an abnormal amount of knowledge and sass for a young child, making her a complex, main character.
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, some main themes in story are hypocrisy, sin, and forgiveness. Throughout the novel, the Puritans mark, interrogate, ridicule, and disrespect Hester, but beginning in Chapter 13, they are reluctant about their vile demeanor towards the marked sinner. Suddenly forgiving, the Puritans start to view Hester and her scarlet letter as symbols of capability and kindness, not adultery and sin. The explanation of their unusual switch in opinion may be due to Hester’s acts of courtesy and comfort towards anyone in the town, but this also exposes their hypocrisy. In essence, The Scarlet Letter contains themes of hypocrisy, compassion, and sin, which are displayed when the Puritans, all of the sudden, begin
Socrates makes a compelling case for his philosophical teachings in Plato's Apology, claiming that they are not only safe but also advantageous to Athens and its inhabitants. In the discourse known as The Apology, authored by Plato, Socrates defends himself from accusations of impiety and ruining Athens' youth. Socrates contends that he is innocent of these accusations and that the city of Athens gains from his philosophical teachings. Nature of Wisdom: Socrates argues that true wisdom lies in recognizing one's own ignorance. His reasoning is based on the belief that those who claim to possess wisdom often lack self-awareness and are blinded by their own overconfidence.
Afterall, the first step to redemption is always seeking forgiveness, from yourself and from others. In the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses a sinful protagonist and a harsh Puritan setting to illustrate that everyone has the power to be redeemed. Hester’s sins teach readers that no one is too far gone to be redeemed. She commits adultery
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.
In the “Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays hypocrisy of the Puritan society, where the protagonist Hester Prynne face many consequences of her actions and the how she tries to redeem herself to the society. During the seventeenth puritans believe that it is their mission to punish the ones who do not follow God’s word and it is their job to stop those from sinning. Therefore, the hypercritical puritan society punishes Hester harshly for committing adultery, but in Hester’s mind, she believes that what she did was not a sin but acts of love for her man. Eventually, she redeems herself by turning her crime into an advantage to help those in need, yet the Puritan society still view her as a “naughty bagger.” (Hawthorne 78)
