ipl-logo

What Is Hester Prynne's Description Of Puritan

1490 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Hester prynne in nathaniel hawthorne’s puritan view

Chapter 1-10 Discussion Questions
Chapter 1: “The Prison Door”
1. The mood in the first chapter is dark and depressed. This gloomy tone is established through imagery. For example, words like "sad-colored", "gray", "heavily", and "iron spikes" paint a dreary image of what the town of Salem is like.
2. A symbol brought up in the first chapter is the prison, which represents the harsh punishment that criminals received from the strict Puritan society. The prison also symbolizes how anyone who doesn't conform with the Puritan ideals is banished and an outsider. The cemetery represents how no matter how strict and harsh the Puritan society was, many people never confessed their sins and died with them, scared of being an outcast. The rose …show more content…

The people in the crowd are described as cold and “a people amongst whom religion and law were almost identical.” (47) The description of the people portrays Puritanism as a religion of punishment and without forgiveness, no matter what the penalty. The women in this scene abhor Hester and view her as a malefactress who “has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die.” (49)
2. Hester Prynne is described as a beautiful, tall, young, elegant, graceful, brunette, and ladylike. Her most dominant characteristic is the scarlet letter embroidered on her bosom, reflecting how her sin is the only thing the Puritans see when they look at her.
3. The omniscient narrator guides the reader into Hester’s head. As she walks to the scaffold, the reader learns that Hester is tortured and suffering and feels as if “her heart had been flung into the street for them all to spurn and trample upon”. Although Hester puts on a strong and brave visage, and hides her agony through her stubbornness, this point of view clues the reader into how sensitive she really …show more content…

Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale gives off the impression that he takes his job very seriously and he aims to help everyone overcome their evil. Unlike the other dark and judgemental Puritans Hawthorne describes, Mr. Dimmesdale has a sweet voice that “vibrates within all hearts, and brought the listeners into one accord of sympathy.” (65)
4. In these chapters, the scaffold symbolizes punishment and humility. It represents how the Puritans would brand someone as a criminal and make them an outcast if they did not conform to their standards.
5. A common color used to describe Salem and the Puritans is gray, which represents how judgemental and strict society was. Another common color is scarlet, like in Hester’s embroidered letter. This color symbolizes embarrassment, reflecting the color of blushing cheeks, and therefore punishment.
6. “It was whispered, by those who peered after her, that the scarlet letter threw a lurid gleam along the dark passageway of the interior.” (67) is the last sentence of chapter three. Hawthorne uses this haunting sentence to make the statement that Hester Prynne can never relieve herself of her sin, and that she will always be constantly reminded of it, even in the dark. Hawthorne is also foreshadowing that the scarlet letter is much more powerful than it seems.

Chapter 4: “The

Show More
Related
408 Words | 2 Pages

These two aspects are so intertwined with puritan life, that it was required to go to Church every day or face a public whipping. The fear that leaders of the Puritan community instilled in their followers served as a deterrent against disobeying the Church. It is this same fear which ensures Hester’s silence, so that the father, Minister Dimmesdale, can be shielded from the inevitable

Read More
707 Words | 3 Pages

Although she is described as physically attractive, her inner beauty reflects her attractiveness from the outside, allowing her to bear the burden of the scarlet letter with dignity and grace. In contrast to the Puritan society’s expectations, Hester’s charmer reveals her pure and innocent heart. Hawthorne’s use of physiognomy in Hester’s character highlights the irony of the situation, as her beauty contradicts society’s perception of her as a sinner. Overall, Hester’s beauty reflects her true character and defies the societal expectations imposed on

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
1140 Words | 5 Pages

Hester's True Side In committing an act of adultery, Hester Prynne, the primary character in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, finds herself a victim of harsh judgement and ridicule by her Puritan community. She becomes isolated as a result of this scandalous behavior and becomes emotionally involved in a love triangle between her husband and her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, who is the town minister. As a result of her shameful history, the townspeople attempt to destroy and embarrass her by socially neglecting her and labeling her as an outcast and loner. Though the people of the community pursue several attempts to shame her, Hester Prynne's beauty, selflessness, and strength help her overcome this rejection from the townspeople and

Read More
452 Words | 2 Pages

Citizen Kane starts off with two silent clips. The first clip tells us who the movie was directed by, followed by the title of the picture. After these two clips take place, the mood starts to set. Cue the dark, gloomy and mysterious tone from the music that is played when the black and white images of the surroundings and many areas of Kane’s castle appear. All images are shady; there is almost no light.

Read More
980 Words | 4 Pages

In literature, motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that help inform the reader of the text’s major themes. Motifs are an important device used in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. This novel takes place in seventeenth century Boston, then a Puritan settlement. At the time, a young adulteress, Hester Prynne, must wear a scarlet “A” on her breast to mark her ignominy.

Read More
1290 Words | 6 Pages

Her isolation and the scarlet letter fastened to her bosom permitted her to look at the shortcomings of the society- as an outsider- that is typically overlooked by the civilians themselves. She discovers how women aren’t given power inside the community to think for themselves or make changes, and hence winds up stuck in the same mindset or beliefs. Due to the ideas shared by men, women begin to see themselves as inferior and are easily influenced in remaining silent. Unlike the other women in the Puritan community, Hester is depicted as a strong, unyielding lady- the “wild rosebush”-, who, despite being publicly shamed and mocked, helped the needy and disregarded others opinion of her. She isn’t stifled by the townspeople 's perspective of her, but rather is concerned about the way women are viewed upon, and feels that existence itself- is worthless for them.

Read More
941 Words | 4 Pages

We are all sinners, no matter how hard we try to hide our faults, they always seem to come back, one way or another. Written in the 19th century, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows us Hester Prynne and how one sin can change her life completely. Hester Prynne changes a great deal throughout The Scarlet Letter. Through the view of the Puritans, Hester is an intense sinner; she has gone against the Puritan way of life committing the highest act of sin, adultery. For committing such a sinful act, Hester must wear the scarlet letter while also having to bear stares from those that gossip about her.

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
719 Words | 3 Pages

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.”

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
1142 Words | 5 Pages

WHile Hester suffered from ridicule and shame from her neighbors, she presents feminist spirit in her conscious. Hester develops a strong spirit and mind. Wang notes that the feminism is carefully placed throughout the story. He analyzes Hester's refusal and determination when she is asked who the father of her baby is. This showed her individualism and her determination to stand alone without a man by her side.

Read More
936 Words | 4 Pages

The Puritan society thinks that it was their job to punish people who committed crime severely because they believe they were doing god’s work. They persecuted Hester for committing adultery while they are blinded by

Read More

More about What Is Hester Prynne's Description Of Puritan

Related Topics

Open Document