ipl-logo

Scarlet Letter Individual Vs Society Essay

533 Words3 Pages

Nathaniel Hawthorne develops the theme of an individual vs. society through the motifs of vibrant colors and imagery in contrast to the setting and people within the town. Along with the characters in The Scarlet Letter, individuals like Hester Prynne are constantly facing the same battles against their own societies today.
Hawthorne sets his story in a Puritan society that is very judgmental and described as “a shapeless mound, cumberous with its very strength, and overgrown, through years of peace and neglect” filled with people that were “the ugliest and most pitiless”(Hawthorne 49). In contrast to the dull town, Hester Prynne, a disgrace to the town, makes an entrance that “repelled him [the guard] by an action of natural dignity and force of nature”(50). The punishment she receives from the town ends up being more beautiful than anything else in the town that “drew all eyes” and “illuminated upon her bosom”(Hawthorne 51). From the beginning of the book Hawthorne identifies Hester Prynne and her sin as the light of the town. She is set up as the protagonist and leads the reader to want her to make the town more accepting as a whole. …show more content…

Hester Prynne’s strength is very similar to the strengths of other strong females like Marlene Dietrich and Simone de Beauvoir. Marlene Dietrich was similar to to Hester in the way she used articles of clothing as a symbol for female strength. Dietrich wearing a pantsuit was also a symbol of strength that she took for women, consequently, getting shamed and nearly arrested for her actions. Simone de Beauvoir was a feminist similar to Nathaniel Hawthorne. Both used literature to protest for the equal rights of women throughout

Show More
Related
229 Words | 1 Pages

In the autobiography, Farewell to Manzanar, Woody Wakatsuki, the main character's brother, shows actions that reveal who he is as a character. Woody is always positive and lighthearted, even at the hardest of times. The first way that Woody shows his lighthearted attitude is when he jokes around. " 'You get those covered up before breakfast time. Any more sand comes in here through one of them knotholes, you have to eat it off the floor with ketchup"' (Wakatsuki-Huston 25).

Read More
857 Words | 4 Pages

To begin, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes pathos throughout his writing to imprint the importance of individual conscience into the reader 's mind. Hawthorne begins the book by having the reader pity the main character, Hester Prynne, as she is a young, husbandless, mother in a society that shames her for her unfortunate circumstances: “haughty as her demeanor was, she perchance underwent an agony from every footstep of those that thronged to see her, as if her heart had been flung in the street for them all to spurn and trample upon” (Hawthorne, 53). The consistent misfortune of Prynne evokes emotion in the reader and stresses the weight of her decisions. Prynne manages her way through such a hostile society -“Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly on your bosom” (Hawthorne, 188)- in a way that is metaphorically applicable to the real world, allowing the reader to truly connect and understand the character for who they are.

Read More
315 Words | 2 Pages

Hawthorne uses many forms of rhetoric to portray his characters, but relies heavily on pathos in the instance of Hester Prynne. She’s a member of an inherently misogynistic society, and because she’s a woman, her every act is scrutinized. As punishment for her act of adultery, Hester is ordered to adorn her chest with a permanent scarlet letter. Although the audience is well aware of the atrocity of the sin she’s committed, Hawthorne’s writing sparks a feeling of empathy within the reader. Throughout the novel, the reader is exposed to several clear uses of pathos.

Read More
859 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates the Puritan community as judgemental. Naturally, humans attempt to hide their mistakes and imperfections from the world. The protagonists of the story battle with concealing their feelings of shame from the town. Hawthorne shows that self-isolation will inevitably lead to the destruction of one’s character, suggesting that those who admit to their sins are able to thrive. He accomplishes this by contrasting character changes between Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, and Hester Prynne.

Read More
823 Words | 4 Pages

Hester Prynne was suffering the most in the book “The Scarlet Letter” that Mr.Dimmesdale couldn’t relate because the strong independent women had to suffer through punishments, promises, and responsibilities. Hester Prynne is a beautiful young lady as described in “The Scarlet Letter”, but what a puritan village made her suffer through changed the women she was before the scarlet letter was attached to her chest: “Her sex, her youth, and the richness of her beauty came back from what men call the irretrievable past” (Hawthorne 321). She was once known to be a gem of god until the puritans punished her in harsh ways. Because of the Scarlet she lost everything almost instantly such as the village putting her in her own world where she felt

Read More
1337 Words | 6 Pages

In the Puritan society of the 18th century, everything is focused around God and being pure. In The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne, a main character of the novel, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates how not to be pure. Henry F. Chorley’s article, Severity, Purity and Sympathy analyzes the transformation of the town and Hester throughout the novel. Hester Prynne, a motherly woman in the Puritan society, is shunned from her community because of her actions. Hester transforms from being shunned in the community, to being a person that everybody feels bad for because of the way she is humiliated.

Read More
1636 Words | 7 Pages

Individuality: A Token Soon Repressed For centuries, females have been forced into limiting and objectified roles in the human race. The restricting standards of being morally righteous and accepting of the physical conformity expected of them prevent women from being individualistic. Women everywhere are faced with insane double standards, judgment, and unfair situations regarding education and careers. Not only do females deal with this, but they simultaneously put up with the expectations set by society.

Read More
482 Words | 2 Pages

Nathaniel Hawthorne creates Hester Prynne to be determined and resilient. In The Scarlet Letter Hester is determined through her want of punishment. She welcomes her punishment of the scarlet letter on her clothing. She embraces her lonely life: she stays in town to endure it for the rest of her life. Hester is resilient in how she turns away snarky comments made by the town’s people.

Read More
1337 Words | 6 Pages

Because she came from a Puritan society, her punishment was especially harsh, but the shame that came as a result of her sin was even harsher. The whispers that she heard when walking through the town enveloped her, and reminded her of her adultery sin. However, by showing the townspeople her work ethic, and her powerful aura, she went from a woman of shame, to a woman of integrity and holiness. She was accepted, to the point where the villagers were able to completely change the perspective that they had about her. Not only did she change but so did the Scarlet letter, it went form meaning sin to “ Able, so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.”

Read More
598 Words | 3 Pages

Hawthorne demonstrates how the nature of sins defines people through Hester’s actions, where she helps others regardless of the consistent ridicule she receives. Hawthorne believes that Hester’s sin defines her because the sin occurs out of passion. The author considers that due to the nature of Hester’s sin she is not a disgraceful women, and instead, she portrays aspects of strong emotion and love, which correlates with the essence of her misdeed. Furthermore, Hawthorne proves his opinion on how the type of a sin defines people through the acts which Hester commits. The townspeople, who once shunned Prynne, now look up to her, and describe her as “our Hester… who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick” and who values others over herself (147).

Read More
1669 Words | 7 Pages

Hawthorne challenges the idea of society and its effect on an individual’s development through his use of Hester, her family members, and the harsh Puritan society they lived in. Hawthorne suggests that it is important to live true to one’s self in

Read More
917 Words | 4 Pages

A highly influential work due to its poignancy and relevance, this book has maintained its popularity since it was published in 1849. Through the story of Hester Prynne, Hawthorne explored several themes such as justice, passion, and morality, that are still relevant today. In this work, there are a number of significant events that share important lessons. To name a few, there is Hester's public shaming in front of the whole town (Hawthorne, 1849), her sewing of the Scarlet A on her chest (Hawthorne, 1849), her public confession of her sin (Hawthorne, 1849), her travel to Europe (Hawthorne, 1849), her reunion with Dimmesdale at the forest (Hawthorne, 1849), and finally Dimmesdale's death and Pearl's departure (Hawthorne, 1849). Each of these powerful events reinforces Hawthorne's exploration of various themes and can help readers reflect on human nature and society.

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, the protagonist, Hester Prynne is a Romantic Hero. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, we see Hester Prynne’s struggle in Colonial America after she is condemned by the Puritan society. She is sent to America by her husband, but he never returns, and Hester later conceives a child with the local minister. She is convicted with the crime of adultery, but refuses to identify the father, she is then forced to wear the Scarlet Letter. The novel captures her experience as she struggles to survive the guilt, sin, and revenge.

Read More
804 Words | 4 Pages

In “The Scarlet Letter” he depicts it as an oppressive 17th – century Puritan society. “The style of Puritanism that Hawthorne presents is drab and gloomy, preoccupied with judgment and punishment, unrelenting and dogmatic,”1 writes Deborah L. Madsen in her book, “American Exceptionalism.” Hester Prynne, the main character accused of adultery, is persecuted by Boston community. Not only adults despise her, but also children who, blinded by the decayed values and norms, humiliate her and her child, Pearl. The character of Hester symbolizes the fight against Puritan enslavement, the need to modernize the prevailing norms that cause nothing but harm to American society.

Read More
1688 Words | 7 Pages

Abstract The importance of language skills and the ability to communicate and interact with the surrounding environment is critical in the early stages of development in a child. Communication and social skills, along with learning and expressing themselves in order to interact, is highly important during the developmental period in a child’s life. These critical issues have induced the interest and concerns by both parents and researchers to explore and study the effects of bilingualism. In this paper, we will take a look at the most common myths and misunderstandings about bilingualism.

Read More

More about Scarlet Letter Individual Vs Society Essay

Related Topics

Open Document