... advantage of helping out another person when the opportunity arises. Hester Prynne does many things to be a good citizen of the Puritan society. Very early, the Puritans find that Hester Prynne has an extraordinary talent for needlework. They exploit her most prized gift so that the upper class can have ornate clothing; however, they do not allow Hester to make wedding dresses. The Puritans forbid sinners to ... sew the "pure" wedding gowns for the brides. But Hester does make a special pair of ... does not take away her punishment. In most instances, those who do the sinful acts can n...

• Word Count: 1429
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Hawthorne, the author attempts to show the way society casts out individuals simply because their ideas and deeds differ from the common values. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Hester Prynne to symbolize that those who challenge social conformities can benefit society as a whole. Though she has been banished for committing adultery, she sees that ... is a person who, regardless of her sin, can affect the community in a positive way. In the beginning of the book Hester Prynne is publicly humiliated as a punishment for breaking a Puritan belief and one of the Ten Commandments; adultery. She is th...

• Word Count: 1521
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... . The characters who are affected by the letter are Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, Pearl, and Hester Prynne (Schneider). The scarlet letter is a sign by which the colonial authority seeks to fix the crime of adultery and the criminal, Hester Prynne. The "A" both indicates, yet hinders the Puritan community's authority over Hester's identity. As the novel progresses, the letter changes meaning from adultery to ability, in the ... of her public shame and constant ridicule, Hester becomes an outcast to society. Her love for Arthur Dimmesdale, their minister, and the creation of Pea...

• Word Count: 1366
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, he shows the audience a 1600 Puritan society. This "utopia- has people who all seem to be very ugly and uptight. They all think that they live with such perfect values that they all jump on Hester Prynne for having this baby out of wedlock. However, a good example of ... and exaggeration is very prevalent throughout the entire story and helps to convey the mood of this society. The greatest amount of distortion goes to Hester Prynne's Scarlet Letter, which is her burden for her sin. The effect that this distortion of the letter produces is that ...

• Word Count: 1455
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... she is welcomed in Boston and her advice is sought, showing she truly escaped. PLOT Clutching her baby to her chest, the beautiful and poised Hester Prynne stands on the scaffold in the square of the small town of Boston. She is being punished for the adultery that she has committed. The ... Since two years have passed with no word from him, Hester believes that he has been lost at sea. As she stands on the scaffold, Hester notices two people in the crowd. The first is Arthur Dimmesdale, the leader of the local Puritan church and Hester's minister. The second man is Roger Chillingworth, ...

• Word Count: 1929
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel of conflict between a woman in love and the stern Puritan community in which she resides. Hawthorne illustrates that a woman who follows her heartbreaks the laws of the community. Hester Prynne leaves that community to reside in isolation with her illegitimate child. Hester always maintains her love, not for her husband, but the sinful love she has for her ... it as a badge of honor. It represents her individuality in a society of structured, conformist living. Hester Prynne, because she wears a sign of shame on the surface of her clothing, canno...

• Word Count: 1915
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... , showing that it will always be a part of him and also when he talks to Hester about how they will not stay together in the future. Hester We find out that Hester Prynne has committed the sin of adultery and is condemned to wear the scarlet letter A on her clothing. She if forced to stand on the scaffold while everyone stares at her with shame ... not help believing, that it gave her a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts. She was terror-stricken by the revelations that were thus made" Hester realizes that others in the Puritan society most likely have committed terri...

• Word Count: 1619
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School