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The scarlet letter, critical analysis
Critical summary of scarlet letter
The effects of Puritanism on Nathaniel Hawthorne
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In chapter one of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, many rhetorical devices are used. Hawthorne uses this language to create mystery and wonder throughout the book. His writing is precise; obviously to cause readers to feel a certain way. Nathaniel's use of imagery, mood, and symbolism is what makes The Scarlet Letter so interesting to those who read it.
In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses rhetorical devices such as imagery, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Foreshadowing, is used to reveal Pearl’s father to the reader. Hawthorne reveals that Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father, through Dimmesdale’s relationships with the other characters as well as his words and deeds. Throughout the novel, it is clear to the reader that Pearl and Dimmesdale have a unique relationship. As Dimmesdale, on behalf of the other ministers, attempts to convince Hester to reveal who Pearl’s father is, he gives a moving speech that impacts all his listeners: “even the poor baby, at Hester’s bosom, was affected by the same influence; for it directed its hitherto vacant gaze towards Mr. Dimmesdale,
Chapters 5-11 __________1. Hester chooses to stay in Boston even though she is permitted to leave. __________2. The cottage she moves into is located by the sea.
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.
Naiara Senra wrote The following book report for Mr. Samuel Jaja's writing and composition class at Notre Dame School. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter a 1850s novel. Published in 1850 by Ticknor & Fields, it began Hawthorne's most lucrative period and consists of two hundred and seventy-two pages. The Scarlet Letter has inspired many films, novels, and stage adaptations. I read this book not only because it was on a required reading list for one of my school classes, but also because it had been recommended to me by a friend a while ago.
In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, on June 1642, in the Puritan town of Boston, a crowd gathered to witness the punishment of a young woman, Hester Prynne. She has been found guilty of adultery and must wear a scarlet A on her dress as a sign of shame. Despite her mistakes, she was a classic independent hero to herself and her daughter. She works through the six stages of a hero journey through strength and perseverance. In The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus goes through a hero’s journey just like Hester.
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne ultimately concludes the book by using rhetorical devices. The inevitable fate of Roger Chillingworth, Hester Prynne, and Reverend Dimmesdale eventually clash and a fatal disaster occurs. Chillingworth's evilness has met up with him. As all is revealed to the public, one’s intuition is proven to be more powerful than expected. As they all gather at the public square on Election Day, Hester and Pearl observe from afar as the parade goes by.
Society has had a long history of belittling both people and their individuality, and also not allowing people to reach their full potential. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne is constantly talking about society in a negative way. Hawthorne himself is a transcendentalist who views society as a terrible institution and a way to stop people from reaching their true potential. Hawthorne's view of both puritan society and society during his time plays into his view and characterization of Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne is a fictional character who committed a sin and was publicly shamed and shunned from society because of it.
The exploration of societal pressures. Life can be separated into two equal parts totally independent from one another. The inner self, being the innermost thoughts and feelings of the individual, and the outer self, how the individual decides to conduct itself around the others in society. Often times one of these parts takes control of the other, suppressing its partner. The suppression is often not of equal frequency because of the obligation humans feel to be liked and to fit in causes the outermost self to be given the most thought and worry.
Within the novel “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the townspeople’s opinion on the meaning of Hester’s scarlet letter changes. Once meaning adulterer it is now the symbol for able due to Hester’s charitable works. The shift in the meaning of her letter signifies that the town is willing to forgive her. The town’s forgiveness is in part due to human nature which, “loves more readily than it hates. Hatred, by a gradual and quiet process, will even be transformed by love” (Hawthorne 110).
The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, showcases the various journeys through the suffering of guilt and shame. By following three differing characters, Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth, Hawthorne effectively portrays how the submission to negative emotions is consistently determined by the strength of the sufferers mindset. Hester Prynne is convicted for adultery in the beginning of the novel. She is first introduced flaunting the scarlet “A” on her bosom as a punishment for her misdeeds. Although she had the choice to flee her humiliation, “she said to herself, [the Massachusets Bay Colony] had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment” (Hawthorne 54).
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.”
As I enter the major of Social Work with intent to become a school counselor, I plan to educate myself in a numerous amount of ways to be able to help the future generations. Children are the future. Each person is born into a different background, this upbringing has a grand impact in their childhood and what kind of person they become. I intend to understand and create a safe environment where students know they have someone to rely on. Social work gives you the comprehension to understand both the persona and the environment of an individual.
Amanda Vicente The Scarlet Letter Reading Response AP English Language Period J 16 August 2016 Journal Entry 1: Chapters 1-2 In The Scarlet Letter, the author sets a mood from the beginning of the book. The setting is old and beat up in front of an aged wooden prison with judgmental Puritans ready to tear a women apart. The Puritans are hypocrites and the author portrays that in the story.
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)
