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Scarlet Letter Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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In the dance of love and conflict, few bonds are as intricate as that between a mother and daughter. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," the complex relationship between Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl serves as a thematic exploration of the intertwining forces of sin, redemption, societal judgment, and the complexities of familial bonds amidst a backdrop of Puritanical values. Nathaniel Hawthorne employs biblical allusions, syntax, and colloquial speech to intricately explore the multifaceted relationship between mother and daughter, revealing layers of internal conflict and external influence. Hawthorne's utilization of religious imagery in Pearl's characterization presents an ironic juxtaposition considering the circumstances of her conception. The introduction of the excerpt portrays Pearl's character with an eerie description, suggesting that "an evil spirit possessed the …show more content…

The word choice is highlighted in conversation, particularly when Hester asks, “Art thou my child, in the very truth?” (p.7). The utilization of "art" and "thou" serves to underscore the pronounced distinctions between contemporary society and the Puritan community of their

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To Live Beyond the Battles of her Sinful Conception Throughout Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale’s lives together depicted in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, they are all uniquely victim to the strict moral bindings present in the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s society. Hester and Dimmesdale, through an unlikely union, commit a sin which would prove to upend their lives in ways previously unimaginable. As a result of this gross breach of morals, an illegitimate child is born. Pearl is the physical manifestation of this particular action committed by her parents, however, the further actions and beliefs of her parents undoubtedly contribute to Pearl’s growing up to become a woman in the world.

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Relationships–they make us, and they break us. They give us life and can also kill us physically and emotionally. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, relationships are the antagonist and protagonist. One in specific–that of Hester Prynne’s and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale’s–creates the major drama within the plot, after the appalling sin of adultery is committed in seventeenth-century Puritan society. Hester must stand upon a scaffold and face the punishment of shame in front of the whole town, and is also sentenced to wearing a woven scarlet letter A on her breast to remind others that she is an adulterer.

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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, describes the relationship between Hester, and her daughter Pearl, who was born through the crime of adultery. Pearl serves as a token of shame and an extension of the scarlet letter that Hester is forced to wear. In nature, a pearl is produced by an oyster, and a beautiful thing, created through immense pain. The name Pearl suits Hester’s daughter perfectly, as she is both a symbol of guilt, pain, and love, beauty, for her mother. Specifically, Pearl, Hester’s daughter, is objectified, by being described as a symbol of guilt, who is a constant reminder of her mother’s sin

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