The Scarlet Letter - Is
“The scarlet letter had not done its office” (Hawthorne 114). No quote in The Scarlet Letter has such a distinct purpose and reasoning behind it as this quote does. In order to better understand its significance one can look at a dictionary to help define the term that may cause some confusion, office. Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary defines office as that which is performed, intended, or assigned to be done, by a particular thing, or that which anything is fitted to perform; a function; -- answering to duty in intelligent beings. When applying this definition to the context of the sentence, you obtain a much easier to understand quote of “The scarlet letter had not done its intended purpose.” As strong a statement as that already is, one realizes it means that much more when taking into consideration the length and development of many of Hawthorne’s sentences and paragraphs. There has to be a more important reason for why that sentence was used as its own separate paragraph. The sentences purpose is to show the change in the “A,” which in itself was a dynamic character, and the importance of the changes seen in Hester Prynne. Originally the scarlet “A” was placed
The quote “the scarlet letter had not done its office” (114) is important by itself, but it gains an even more important meaning when one notices its use as a separate paragraph. Hawthorne’s literary genius shines through as he cleverly places this quote to cause the reader to think more about the changes in the meaning of the “A” and its effect on Hester. As the “A” loses meaning as a symbol, Hester develops into a symbol. This was not supposed to happen, as the “A” was supposed to be a symbol for all to see and be feared of. Instead the village’s plan backfired. The scarlet letter had not done its job. upon Hester Prynne’s breast to be a symbol of shame. For the rest of her life Hester was supposed to see the scarlet letter and feel remorse. Villagers pass judgment on her without even knowing her personally; for example, she is shunned from society and lives at the edge of town. Eventually the “A” becomes a part of Hester’s life, and she does not feel ashamed by it. She goes about her life and manages to support herself and her daughter Pearl. In fact, when Hester removes the scarlet letter from her breast and throws it on the ground while in the woods, Pearl refuses to respond to her, acting as if she does not know whom her mother is. The village’s opinion of Hester soon begins to change as they notice the many good deeds Hester is performing. The most obvious example of this change in fee
Some topics in this essay:
Pearl Hester,
Despair Solitude,
Unabridged Dictionary,
Hester Prynne’s,
Scarlet Letter,
scarlet letter,
Letter Alive,
Prynne Originally,
“the scarlet letter,
“the scarlet,
quote “the scarlet,
,
changes meaning “a”,
scarlet letter office”,
hester supposed,
letter hester,
punishment god,
develops symbol,
separate paragraph,
meaning “a”,
changes meaning,
scarlet “a”,
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Approximate Word count = 973
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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