ipl-logo

Use Of Imagery In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

1210 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character analysis on the scarlet letter essay

“She had not known the weight, until she felt the freedom” (Hawthorne 250). The Scarlet Letter is a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne that follows Hester Prynne after she committed adultery. Hester Prynne is first seen holding her child, Pearl, with a red scarlet “A” on her bosom during her punishment on the scaffold. Pearl is the result of adultery, so the town wants to know who the father is, but Hester refuses. During her last night in jail, Hester is visited by Roger Chillingworth, her husband, whom she had seen in the crowd. Chillingworth threatens Hester and makes her promise to keep his identity unknown. After Hester’s release, she lives secluded in a cottage out in the forest. She independently raises Pearl and lives life day by day. On …show more content…

Imagery can also appeal to the reader’s five senses. The main types of imagery include visual, auditory, gustatory, tactile, and more. Hawthorne use of these throughout The Scarlet Letter for many different reasons. For example, how the scarlet letter is described in the novel is an example of visual imagery. The quote “...in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A,” creates a vivid image in the reader’s mind (Hawthorne 59). Being the central symbol of the novel, the letter A’s depiction of being “fine red cloth” and “a glance that would not be abased” also suggests its importance (Hawthorne 59). It emphasizes what the symbol means to the protagonists and the other characters which are then received in the form of an image or symbol. Hawthorne also uses imagery to describe the setting of the novel including how the Puritans looked. In particular, “a throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments, and gray, steeple-crowned hats….” is a description given to the guards of the jail (Hawthorne 52). The “wooden edifice” and “iron spikes” also create a scene of what Hester is experiencing in jail (Hawthorne 52). Especially in this example, imagery gives the effect of creating a solemn mood which sets the tone of the novel. Alongside imagery, the mood is also used in the Scarlet

Show More
Related
434 Words | 2 Pages

Imagery is a way of writing that the author gives you visual descriptive writing or figurative language. One quote that stood out to me was “There would be other Sheila Mant’s in life, other fish, and though I came close once or twice, it was these secrets, hidden tuggings in the night that claimed me, and I never made that mistake again. ”(41) This quote has a lot of meaning in this story

Read More
887 Words | 4 Pages

Imagery is used throughout, in order to engage the reader and assist them in understanding things from Saul’s perspective. For example, the sense of sight was touched on when it describes the string of light bulbs, the shadows of the ice and the rocks and spindly trees. It creates a mental image with the use of sophisticated adjectives such as humped, spindly and eerie. Also, the description of the smell is very detailed by saying that it was a “potent mix” of various unpleasing scents. This proves that imagery is a device that is essential in helping the audience imagine the setting, make connections and hold interest.

Read More
555 Words | 3 Pages

The main use of imagery is to appeal to the reader’s senses to give a full picture and description of what is happening at a certain point in a text. In “The Contents of a Dead Man’s pockets, an example of this is, “ Without pause he continued--right foot, left foot, right foot, left--his shoe soles shuffling and scraping along the rough stone, never lifting from it, fingers sliding along the exposed edging of brick.” This piece of the texts paints a clear picture in the mind of the reader and shows a very suspenseful tone. Imagery plays a big role in the story’s tone, and we can see it as very exciting and

Read More
752 Words | 4 Pages

  As imagery is well-known as a primary literary poetic technique, imagery is used to capture the senses from the reader or audience. Individuals gain a clearer understanding of the world they live in through their senses. The technique is used to heighten the reader's ability to appeal to each sense, touch, sight, smell

Read More
436 Words | 2 Pages

Imagery is when the author uses a lot of description to give the audience a picture in their minds of what’s going on. One instance where Anthony Doerr uses imagery is in Line 26,”She has no memories of her mother but imagines her as white, a soundless brilliance. Her father radiates a thousand colors, opal, strawberry red, deep russet, wild green; a smell like oil and metal, the feel of a lock tumbler sliding home, the sound of his key rings chiming as he walks. He is an olive green when he talks to a department head, an escalating series of oranges when he speaks to Mademoiselle Fleury from the greenhouses, a bright red when he tries to cook.” The author is depicting how she uses colors to interpret things in her life, like her mom and dad for example.

Read More
668 Words | 3 Pages

In the story The most dangerous game it gives a very solid example of imagery. One example is how they describe, all rich and handsomely dressed with a luxury robes. People can imagine him being very rich and popular on a little island. In the Landlady Imagery is shown in a more hidden way. “ The fire was glowing in the hearth, and the little dachshund was still sleeping in front of it.”

Read More
654 Words | 3 Pages

It can help emphasize specific ideas that he wants the reader to think about. For example, he uses imagery to depict scenes vividly. An example could be when he writes “Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith

Read More
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
497 Words | 2 Pages

What is imagery? Imagery makes it simple to visualize the events in a story in a way that it is appealing to the reader. The author of “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Cask of Amontillado” utilized different methods to efficiently use imagery throughout the two stories. Connell states, “Night found him leg-weary, with hands and face lashed by the branches, on a thickly wooded ridge” (Feldman 230). This example of imagery represents Rainsford’s lousy condition, lack of strength and exhaustion due to his presence on Trap Island.

Read More
555 Words | 3 Pages

This conjures an uneasy feeling in the back of the reader's mind. Another instance of imagery creating suspense is the time when Atticus is sitting by the jail in the middle of the night and a gang confronts him. To set up the scene Lee uses imagery to create a creepy feeling for the reader. “The south side of the square was deserted. Giant monkey puzzle bushes bristled on each corner… otherwise the courthouse was dark” (200).

Read More
1458 Words | 6 Pages

Nathaniel Hawthorne, a famous American author from the antebellum period, notices the emphasis on individual freedoms in the works by Ralph Waldo Emerson and other Transcendentalists during his residency in the Brook Farm’s community. In response to these ideas, Hawthorne writes The Scarlet Letter, a historical novel about Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale’s lives as they go through ignominy, penance, and deprecation from their Puritan community to express their strong love for each other. Their love, even though it is true, is not considered as holy nor pure because of Hester past marriage to Roger Chillingworth, and thus Hester gained the Scarlet Letter for being an adulterer. Hawthorne utilizes biblical allusions, such as the stories of

Read More
925 Words | 4 Pages

Imagery is a literary device that uses descriptive wording to put a vivid image of a scenario in your mind. Dickens uses imagery to describe the scenery and the change in Scrooge’s physical appearance throughout the course of the story. “eezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self- contained, and solitary as an oyster. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice.

Read More
1337 Words | 6 Pages

Imagery allows a reader to imagine the events of a story within their mind through mental images. Imagery can describe how something looks, a sound, a feeling, a taste, or a smell. Imagery is especially important when the author is describing a character or a setting. The short story The Man In The Black Suit by Stephen King has several excellent examples of imagery.

Read More
703 Words | 3 Pages

A chest, a chair, and a small table are the other furnishings.¨ (Miller 3) This proves that the author will use imagery to set the scene and without directly acknowledging the true life the characters lived. Not only setting the mood for the scene but a sense of the point in history that the story falls in. Imagery works well to show action. ¨ He gets up, goes to her, kisses her.

Read More
1146 Words | 5 Pages

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

Read More

More about Use Of Imagery In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Related Topics

Open Document