Threads are rather insignificant by themselves. It is when a weaver connects them together that they form a beautiful tapestry. Each thread then contributes to the quality of the tapestry and is bound together by the common picture that is formed. In a work of literature, each thread is an idea and the common picture is a theme. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, each thread is an ironic element of setting, and together, they demonstrate people's tendency to seek shelter from, instead of in, society. Vivid yet ironic descriptions are used by Hawthorne, just as a weaver uses bright threads to draw more attention to the finer points of the work. The past always comes back to haunt us in our lives. A Puritan society is highly based upon a person's reputation. Without an honorable reputation a person is not worthy of respect from others in that society. Characters in this novel go through their lives struggling with themselves trying to cope with the guilt and shame associated with their past actions.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, he shows the lasting effect that sin has on Hester and Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne's guilt is the result of her committing adultery, which in turn has a profound effect on her life. Hester is publicly seen with the scarlet letter when she first emerges out of the cold dark prison. "It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself " (Hawthorne 49). The spell that is mentioned is the scarlet letter, "so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom" (Hawthorne 49). The scarlet letter is what isolates her from everyone else because it symbolizes sin. Hester is in her very own world, one in which her sin has effected her livelihood and has completely isolated her from the world. Her entrance into this world marks the beginning of her guilt, it occurs when she is "in the prison after her first exposure to the crowd-her "moral agony" reflected in the convolutions that have seized the child; her pride, her daring" (Bloom 34).
As in life, the influence of family members often has long lasting effects on Faulkner's characters. ... This sickening behavior is a direct result of the sins of her father. She was stifled by him and his unending strength for her entire life; now, she is in control of him. ...
She then directs it either to the spirit world, a hazy analog of earthly life where there is an unending supply of buffalo and where people rejoin their kin, or back to earth. ... Interestingly, the Native Americans did not have a concept of individual sin and salvation. ... By examining the effects of peyote along with its role in the rituals and beliefs of the Native American Church it becomes apparent why it is such an integral part of the religion. ... (Aberle,5) Containing eight different alkaloids, the most important being mescaline, peyote causes a number of effects. ...
She then directs it either to the spirit world, a hazy analog of earthly life where there is an unending supply of buffalo and where people rejoin their kin, or back to earth. ... Interestingly, the Native Americans did not have a concept of individual sin and salvation. ... By examining the effects of peyote along with its role in the rituals and beliefs of the Native American Church it becomes apparent why it is such an integral part of the religion. ... (Aberle,5) Containing eight different alkaloids, the most important being mescaline, peyote causes a number of effects. ...
