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Comparable literature the scarlet letter
Use of Symbolism
Comparable literature the scarlet letter
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Comparable literature the scarlet letter
Use of Symbolism
Comparable literature the scarlet letter
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
According to Dictionary.com symbolism can be defined as, “the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character.” Nathaniel Hawthorne places many symbols in The Scarlet Letter, such as Pearl. In the novel, Pearl is known as a symbol of treasure for Hester, sin, and unusualness. In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne refers to the book of Matthew when he gives the name Pearl to the character.
“The scarlet letter was represented in exaggerated and gigantic proportions, so as to be greatly the most prominent feature of her appearance. In truth, she seemed absolutely hidden behind it.” (120) Hawthorne’s description of the distorted scarlet letter illustrates the townspeople’s prejudiced view of
Symbolism allows the author to create a story that would otherwise be bland and monotone. Without this dark romantic element, books, short stories, and poems would not have as much meaning nor appealing detail. Symbolism in "The Raven," "The Devil and Tom Walker," and "The Minister's Black Veil," creates layers of meaning and interesting characters. Symbolism has been used for centuries to spice up the literary world. Sometimes it is used in obvious ways, but other time it has to be thoroughly studied to be imperturbably understood.
While reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it is obvious that he uses a lot of symbolism throughout his writing to give the readers a deeper understanding of the Puritans and their views in these times. In this book, the community forces Hester Prynne to wear a scarlet letter on her chest to show her abashment for committing adultery and having a child, Pearl. However, Pearl is actually used as a symbol throughout this book to represent the physical embodiment of Hester’s sin, the repercussions of her breaking the law, and an unworldly being in the usual strict Puritan society. In the beginning of the book, Hawthorne uses Pearl as a way to constantly remind Hester of her sin and as a link between the secret relationship of Hester
Connor MacAdam Mrs. Mary Smith AP Literature 6 21 September 2017 Title Symbolism is present in almost every piece of literary fiction. Symbolism is used in many different forms to accomplish different needs that the author possesses within their literature and the literary environment as a whole. Within How to Read Literature Like a Professor Thomas Foster provides common examples of what authors like to symbolize in their writing to get the most out of each sentence. Foster shows how communion, seasons, and even weather can represent a plethora of literary opportunities for an author when writing.
Symbolism is a major device used in literature. It helps explain that words are not just meanings. Symbolism shows that words can be explained by using images or objects. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, symbols help emphasize the themes in the story. The major themes are the Hearth and the Salamander, fire and blood.
However, he also uses these allusions to create a new side to his narrative as evident when he describes Hester’s resilience, and to create a new element in the plot as evident in his description of Dimmesdale’s penance and need for redemption. Therefore, Hawthorne demonstrates an effective use of allusions to craft a religious and detailed narrative for The Scarlet Letter by reviewing on parallels between the Bible and the novel’s main characters. There’s more to The Scarlet Letter than these allusions though, and there are many questions to answer about this book. These questions may never be answered fully, but by reading the novel itself, we might find the right places to start searching for answers and formulate our own opinions on the matter. What’s important from this novel is the realistic warning about what might happens when an individual place themselves too highly among others, a message Hawthorne writes to warn against the fervor of transcendentalism of his time.
Literary Devices in The Scarlet Letter Literary devices are often used to capture a reader’s attention in a text. Nathaniel Hawthorne used many different types of literary devices in his book The Scarlet Letter. He uses symbolism to give hidden meaning to elements in the story, conflict to make the story interesting, and allusion to make references to historical events (ex. biblical references). While reading The Scarlet Letter, the literary devices did not jump out at me, but now as I reflect upon them they help me understand the book well. Literary devices can make a passage have a whole different meaning.
In “The Prison Door” from The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses imagery and parallelism to convey his tone while introducing the setting of the book. He uses a gloomy and depressed tone in the beginning of the chapter using imagery while describing different places through the town. Later on in the chapter, he moves on to discuss the rose-bush. This is looked at as a joyful symbol to the sad citizens. This is the parallelism he uses to shift the tone to be brighter and
This role of her being an antagonistic protagonist creates a paradox within the already complex and unusual child. The symbol of Pearl plays an important part in the novel The Scarlet Letter. She is a reminder of her mother 's sin and antagonist toward Hester, as well. She is the root of many other symbols in the book.
In Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen, of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester recognizes her true hatred of Chillingworth just before she finds Pearl, playing at the beach, and creating a green letter A on her own chest out of seaweed. Later, Hester goes to hopefully “run into” Dimmesdale in the forest to reveal to him the truth about Chillingworth’s identity. Pearl comes along, and as they wait, she curiously asks her mother about the Black Man. When Pearl sees Dimmesdale’s figure appear in the distance, she asks whether the approaching person is in fact the Black Man himself, which Hester rejects. Pearl, however, ponders if Dimmesdale clutches his heart, as he does, because the Black Man has left his mark on him, similar to how the
Nathaniel Hawthorne did not always speak positively toward the Puritans, but he has respect for the group. The main symbol that stands out is the scarlet letter “A” that was stuck on Hester Prynne for her actions of adultery which is a theme for this book. Another symbol is the rose bush that grew right outside of the old, rusty, decaying prison
Imagine a nation in which its government commands by a religion where women are separated into different titles and must conceive children for their commander. Their rights from before this regime, and anything deemed unholy by the government, are a thing of the past. This situation is the one represent in the Republic of Gilead, where the rules of society and its traditions are not taken lightly if broken. In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood shows that an oppressive government leads to the inevitable neglect and remiss of the rules through Offred’s characterization, irony, and flashbacks. Offred 's character development can show that her actions change .
In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne effectively conforms to the conventions of the gothic genre for the purpose of characterizing the Puritan society as oppressive, portraying the hypocrisy found within the society and highlighting the consequences for not confessing
According to Andre Carson, a U.S. Representative, “People are always judging you based on where you 're from, where you went to school, how you look, how you talk. But at the end of the day, you 're going to have to look into the mirror and accept who you are. It 's all about being authentic” (Brainyquote). The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, takes place in Puritan times, where most people had strong opinions about religion and what was considered acceptable in society. Throughout the story, Hawthorne uses the symbol “A” to depict the suffering and stern Puritan beliefs of the characters.