ipl-logo

Scarlet Letter Essay

864 Words4 Pages

We all like a good scandal and mystery right? Well, The Scarlet Letter is the story for you then. It was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1840’s. The book is set in Puritan time. This woman, Hester Prynne, went to jail because she had an affair with someone. Her husband was off at sea and she got pregnant while he was away. They sent her to prison and she had the baby in jail. She was forced to wear a scarlet A on her bosom and stand in front of the whole town as her punishment. A man comes into town on the day of her punishment and it turns out it was her husband. He questions why the man is not also standing up there with her. The minister tells him that she refuses to tell who the father is. We get hints throughout the book about who …show more content…

The scarlet letter is very intricate and pretty. “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold-thread, appeared the letter A (Hawthorne, 55).” Hester made the scarlet A and she represents it well. She had just come out of jail looking as beautiful as ever. “The young woman was tall, with a figure of elegance on a large scale. She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and a face which, besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion, had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes (Hawthorne, 55).” Hester had just gotten out of jail and she still looks like she could be of royal blood. The scarlet letter was very intricate and pretty just like Hester …show more content…

Hester is shunned by the whole community, but she still uses her natural talent to help those that have condemned her. “Here, indeed, in the sable simplicity that generally characterized the Puritanic modes of dress, there might be an infrequent call for the finer productions of her handiwork (Hawthorne, 85).” Her amazing needlework was not needed very often, but everyone went to her when they needed elegant clothes. “Deep ruffs, painfully wrought bands, and gorgeously embroidered gloves, were all deemed necessary to the official state of men… In the array of funerals… By degrees, nor very slowly, her handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion (Hawthorne, 85 and 86).” She would make clothes for the rich and poor. It did not matter who needed clothes, she would provide them with what they needed. Soon everyone went to her even though she was condemned by them. Hester showed that her needlework was just as intricate as the scarlet letter that rested on her

Show More
Related

Does Nathaniel Hawthorne Use Physiognomy In The Scarlet Letter

707 Words | 3 Pages

Although she is described as physically attractive, her inner beauty reflects her attractiveness from the outside, allowing her to bear the burden of the scarlet letter with dignity and grace. In contrast to the Puritan society’s expectations, Hester’s charmer reveals her pure and innocent heart. Hawthorne’s use of physiognomy in Hester’s character highlights the irony of the situation, as her beauty contradicts society’s perception of her as a sinner. Overall, Hester’s beauty reflects her true character and defies the societal expectations imposed on

Read More

Comparing Reputation In The Scarlet Letter And The Crucible By Arthur Miller

511 Words | 3 Pages

She hath raised a great scandal, I promise you, in godly Master Dimmesdale's church. " (Hawthorn, pg 34.) Her scandal is so great the townsman feels the need to tell a stranger of her terrible reputation, completely surprised that the stranger doesn’t know of it. Several years after the public shaming, Hester supported herself with needlework. She sewed a wide range of items, “But it is not recorded that, in a single instance, her skill was called in to embroider the white veil which was to cover the pure blushes of a bride.

Read More

Scarlet Letter Clothing Quotes

535 Words | 3 Pages

It states that the scarlet letter is the only beautiful thing that Hester wears. On the other hand, she dressed Pearl up in the finest and fanciest clothing. Hawthorne says, “The child’s attire, on the other hand, was distinguished by a fanciful, or, we might rather say, a fantastic ingenuity, which served, indeed, to heighten the airy charm that early began to develop itself in the little girl, but which appeared to have also a deeper meaning.”(86). These

Read More

Figurative Language In Scarlet Letter

867 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel the scarlet letter, the scarlet letter is shown through the use of imagery and figurative language to demonstrate that judgment through society as well as sin is bad while the scarlet is a symbol of sin wrapped in good and beauty. Hester is able to take something that was meant to be a punishment for a crime she committed and turn it into something absolutely stunning. Hawthorne portrayed Pearl

Read More

Summary: Symbolism Within The Scarlet Letter

616 Words | 3 Pages

Symbolism Within The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne created symbolism throughout The Scarlet Letter in order to develop the theme throughout Hester’s life. Hester is portrayed as a sheltered soul, shunned from society due to her adulterous acts. The red A and her daughter, Pearl, are symbols of Hester’s shame which she bares proudly despite society's harsh judgements. Hawthorne is able to use symbolism to develop themes, characters, and analogies in the Scarlet Letter.

Read More

Hawthorne's Use Of Irony In Scarlet Letter

736 Words | 3 Pages

However, as you dig deeper, you will see Hawthorne’s true purpose for writing the novel. In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses irony to criticize the Puritan ideals. Hester’s Scarlet “A” is used to show how imperfect the Puritans are. The narrator describes Hester’s scarlet letter when he says: “On the breast of her gown,

Read More

Who Is Hester Virtuous In The Scarlet Letter

635 Words | 3 Pages

The book The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and it is about a woman who had committed a sin in a Puritan town at a time when the United States had just been founded. Her name was Hester Prynne, she had a husband, no kids, or older relatives. She had thought her husband was dead so she had moved on in her life and had relations with the reverend of the town, well her husband wasn’t dead, and since he wasn’t and they hadn’t been divorced. Since the town was puritan the rules were that you would be punished for your sins, Hester was punished for her sins by having to wear the scarlet letter.

Read More

Hester Prynne Symbolism In Scarlet Letter

665 Words | 3 Pages

She is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned, but is forgiven. Hawthorne portrays Hester as "divine maternity" and she can do no wrong. Not only Hester, but also the physical scarlet letter, a sign of shame, is shown as a beautiful, gold and colorful piece which

Read More

Why Is Puritan America In The Seventeenth Century

1522 Words | 7 Pages

The appearance of the Hester’s scarlet letter that she always wears is described as, Fine red cloth surrounded with elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A. it was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy,… (Hawthorne

Read More

What Does The Color Red Symbolize In The Scarlet Letter

1061 Words | 5 Pages

The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other woman dared not tread. Shame, despair, solitude! Those have been her teachers, - stern and wild ones, - and they had made her stronger but taught her much amiss” (157). Hawthorne uses the scarlet letter to illuminate on Hester’s strength and ability. By presenting Hester in this manner Hawthorne reveals her strength and ability in the beginning of the book so Hester could stand up and be honest and courageous, which enabled her to be able to stand up to the ridicule and

Read More

What Does The Deep Red Symbolize In The Scarlet Letter

940 Words | 4 Pages

Hawthorne uses symbolism throughout the Scarlet letter to display the sin and indecency people see Hester as. The detail represents ,the deep beauty Hester has inside although most people do not see her as a beutiful women. The deep red is a representation of adultery which shows her being an oncast from society. The symbol of the letter “A” is repetitive throughout the novel and grows with Hester and overcomes this with time as people start to see her as a person again and not just a adulterer. Hester acknowledges her sin in her puritan faith but swears to secrecy on the father of Pearl.

Read More

Essay On Evil In The Scarlet Letter

719 Words | 3 Pages

The townspeople “[began] to look upon the scarlet letter as a token, not of that one sin, for which she had borne so long and dreary a penance, but of her many good deeds since.” This quote exemplifies how sin is not a death sentence for Hester. Through hard work and charity it allowed the rigid Puritan society to see her as something different, and as someone who would not let society define who she was. Hester, thus, was not only able to change herself, but also the image in which society viewed her by working hard to benefit the public. Likewise, the scarlet letter which was supposed to represent sin was instead “fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom.”

Read More

Yamin Wang In Scarlet Letter

1142 Words | 5 Pages

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was published in 1850. It focuses on the life of the main protagonist, Hester Prynne, living in a Puritan community. Both Yamin Wang and Maria Stromberg offer insight into The Scarlet Letter and analyze multiple aspects of the story.. Both Wang and Stromberg claim that there is an underlying ideology hidden in the texts of the book. Wang approaches the story from a feminist approach and states that Hester represents the feminism in the Puritan community, and she analyzes the Puritan’s outlook on women in their society.

Read More

The Symbolism Of 'A' In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

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”

Read More

When I Heard The Learn D Astronomer By Walt Whitman

449 Words | 2 Pages

When I heard the Learn’d Astronmer Walt Whitman's poem " When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" discusses the difference between the speaker's more emotional, experienced method and the "learn'd astronomer" dry, analytical technique. The speaker of the poem begins by stating that he used to be "weary and sick" of the astronomer's lectures because he thought they were overly specific and separated from the wonder and beauty of the night sky. The speaker says that he would like to get out of the lecture hall and be outside, under the stars, taking in the natural beauty of the night sky.

Read More

More about Scarlet Letter Essay

Related Topics

Open Document