... three very crucial scaffold scenes. In the first scaffold scene, Hester comes out of the dark prison to accept her punishment. She holds her daughter, Pearl, in her arms as she stands on the scaffold. Reverend Dimmesdale stands in the crowd and watches as they taunt her. She then, notices her husband, Roger Chillingworth, in the crowd. When the townspeople ask who the baby's father is, she says that ... . However, when someone finds it they think it was just misplaced because Reverend Dimmesdale would never commit a sin. The third scaffold scene occurs at the end of the book. Hester and ...

• Word Count: 443
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... eyes anxiously in the direction of the voice, he indistinctly beheld a form under the trees [...] and so little relieved from the gray twilight into which the clouded sky and the heavy foliage had darkened the noontide, that he knew not whether it were a woman or a shadow" (173). In addition, nature not only gives hopes and chances but it also gives protection. After Hester's ignominy the first time she had ... willed and second to men in every aspect. Despite that, Hester has a strength that can rival a man's. She endured years of social rejection and derogatory treatment yet she maint...

• Word Count: 1931
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... of her fancy man. In refusing to share his name with the townspeople she is banned to wear the scarlet letter and her fate had been set. Hester is now recognized as the lustful adulteress who had dealings with the "black man" or devil. The second scene at the scaffold was the climax for Hester. During this scene both Hester's daughter pearl and Reverend Dimmesdale are together for the first time. "...The ... three formed an electric chain" as if they were always meant to be together as if something or someone, had not gotten in their way (140). Though the three share a connected bond du...

• Word Count: 739
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• Grade Level: High School

... , and projections, but in an internal conversion of the heart. Wearing the letter "A" on her bosom after committing adultery, Hester Prynne seeks redemption within herself and from the austere and unrelenting people of her community. Hester is left with no friends and her only comfort is her daughter, Pearl. She receives no help or "salvation" from the community and therefore begins to pour her heart into ... bosom, threw it to a distance among the withered leaves. The stigma gone, Hester heaved a long, deep sigh, in which the burden of shame and anguish departed from her spirit. Oh exqui...

• Word Count: 614
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• Grade Level: High School

... acts as several symbols, which are imperative in bringing out important aspects of the other characters. Pearl is Hester Prynne's daughter who is thought of in the novel as both a devil child and a treasure. Although she is only seven years old, Pearl makes a major impact on all of the adults of the story. According to Nina Baym, "the character of Pearl is as much, or more, a symbolic function as she ... Dimmesdale and Chillingworth as well. As with Hester, Pearl is also a constant reminder of sin for Dimmesdale, as he too commits a sin by bringing the child into the world. Every time Di...

• Word Count: 1115
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... Chillingworth knows that Dimmesdale is hiding some deep dark secret. So he spends a great deal of time and energy to make him reveal it. One night after the minister fell asleep Chillingworth put his hand over Dimmesdale's heart to read it. Hawthorne's write ... the community. She is a free-spirited child. Pearl is curious and always asks her mother what the letter means. But every time she asks, her mother refuses to tell her. Although Pearl is an every day reminder and living proof of Hester's sin, Hester finds great joy in her daughter ... rather than resenting her. There is one poi...

• Word Count: 571
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• Grade Level: High School

... pry apart all that is sacred to Dimmesdale and destroy it, murdering him from the inside out. After a period of time, the evil within Chillingworth can be seen through his appearance as well. As Hester stares into the eyes of Chillingworth, "There came a glare of red light out of his Vevoda 2 eyes; as if the old man's soul were on fire, and kept on smouldering duskily within his breast ... , never asking for anything in return. In contrast to Hester's unconditional love for others, Pearl cannot abandon her evil behavior until recognized by Dimmesdale as his daughter. Pearl, from birth ha...

• Word Count: 1073
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... Hawthorne delivers the insights and thoughts of the many main characters of the novel. Hester Prynne's intuition about certain situations unveils her innermost spirit. Her daughter, the illegitimate Pearl is also another character of great perception. Pearl's psyche on Hester's scarlet letter and her relationship with the Reverend Dimmesdale show how insightfully her mind really works. The subconscious of Hester Prynne is shown openly during her time with Dimmesdale in the forest and ... while at the marketplace, while Pearl's constant perception is shown at its ... ...

• Word Count: 810
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... of this ridicule and hate because of one simple mistake in her life. It was religion though, that caused the people of Boston to treat her the way they did. Religions evils are seen a final time in both Governor Bellingham and Reverend Wilson when it inspires them to try and separate Hester from her daughter Pearl. Governor Bellingham is the strict and theocratic ruler of the ... Massachusetts Bay Colony. Wilson, much like Bellingham, is a by-the-book man who serves as the Elder Clergyman. He preaches the words of ... Religion was able to corrupt and hinder many of the characters in the...

• Word Count: 1403
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Letter It is a fact that in time, we all have committed sins. The severity of the punishment is very difficult to agree on though. Some people feel that sinners should be punished severely no matter how little the sin was. Many other people feel that a person's punishment should be based on how severe the sin was. However, what many people overlook is that people have committed ... lost at sea, and Hester assumed he was dead. Upon this assumption, Hester committed a crime of adultery with her fellow minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. The result of this affair was the birth of a daughter named...

• Word Count: 512
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Hester Pyrne, the main character of The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is found guilty of committing adultery with a man who will remain, for quite some time, anonymous to the people of Salem. As a punishment for her sin, Hester must wear the Scarlet Letter "A" on her bosom for the remainder of her life. Hawthorne also uses many literary elements in The Scarlet Letter, such as symbolism and irony. The Scarlet Letter, ... out her community greatly. As a second punishment for her sin and the natural result of her love affair, Hester gives birth to her daughter, Pearl. Pearl's name is ...

• Word Count: 634
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• Grade Level: High School

... : Formal Literary Response 1.a. Identify and describe both the time and place of The Scarlet Letter. The time and place of The Scarlet Letter is in, " the good town of Boston," Massachusetts, in the year 1850 (105). In the 1850's people think differently of different things such as crime and life, a simpler time with simple thoughts and people. 1.b. Discuss how the setting contributes to the believability of the novel. In The Scarlet Letter, the setting of Boston is surrounded by a, " vast and ... , which lets others know about her sin. Hester, throughout her life, believes that she has t...

• Word Count: 781
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• Grade Level: High School

... . Hester's decision regarding Pearl reveals her high moral principles as a Puritan. By upholding her morals, she keeps her daughter and moves to an isolated cottage away from society. After Hester moves away from the village, the Puritans give her the job of making fine clothing for the upper class. With any extra material that Hester has, she makes Pearl's clothes. Pearl's clothes are extraordinarily elaborate, which ... she has to make them. She is a slave to those around her who believe that she is inferior. Hester donates every bit of money, time, and effort to charity if she has the...

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

... , however, never reached the town in time, and the town's consensus is that he has been lost at sea. The townsman then tells of Hester's sin, having an affair, and her punishment, to forever wear a scarlet letter on her breast as an eternal reminder of shame. The deformed stranger ends the conversation with the remark, "It irks me, nevertheless, that the partner of her iniquity should not at ... joy. Dimmesdale regains his vigor and health while Hester flings the scarlet letter off her chest. The mother recovers some of her former beauty, such as described in the beginning of the book. S...

• Word Count: 3653
• Approx Pages: 15
• Grade Level: High School

... scarlet letter and takes down her hair as a symbol of her freedom. As she does this, beams of sunlight light up the forest. The scarlet letter is a symbol of shame and punishment for Hester. The letter is originally intended to stand for Hester's sin of adultery. The "A" serves as a physical reminder of Hester's sin, but compared to the mental struggle she goes through every day it is insignificant. ... goes on, Hester begins to be looked up to by some townspeople. The townspeople say the "A" stands for ability. There is even talk of getting rid of the letter all together. Pearl is a pun...

• Word Count: 361
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... . Hawthorne's next novel, The House of the Seven Gables (1851), takes place in the New England of his own period but nevertheless also deals with the effects of Puritanism. Near Lenox, Mass., he wrote A Wonder Book (1852), based on Greek mythology, which became a juvenile classic, and Tanglewood Tales (1853), also for children. At this time he befriended his neighbor Herman Melville, who was one of the first to appreciate Hawthorne ... loneliness, frustration, hypocrisy, eccentricity, and frailty. Among his most brilliant stories are "The Minister's Black Veil," "Roger Malvin's Burial," ...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... a truthful love relationship. Back then, women often married for stability, rather than love. Hester makes choices without using her insight or realizing the result of her actions. For example, Hester never loves Chillingworth but she marries him. She figures he would be a good companion because he is an ... , and he engraves a letter A on his bare chest. Also, because he does not want to reveal his identity, he can not take care of his own daughter, Pearl. He has a special affection toward Pearl but he can not act like a father. If he chose to admit his sin, he would ... have lost reput...

• Word Count: 1002
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... provides Pearl with a childhood full of self-discovery, free imagination, and love that knew no boundaries. Any woman who can provide that for her daughter is a heroine, especially given the beliefs and laws or that time period. The legacy left to Pearl was that of a being a strong, passionate, and intelligent woman. Hester saved Pearl from receiving the legacy of the scarlet letter and never being able ... to crawl out from under the shadow it gave off. Some critics of Hawthorne say that he overdid symbolism. ... who can provide that for her daughter is a heroine, especially given the ...

• Word Count: 3565
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... and death-stricken Dimmesdale totters to confess his sin at last to the incredulous and only half- comprehending crowd, and to die in Hester's arms. Gomez 3 On the scaffold, the entire town sees the scarlet letter on Hester's bosom for the first time. The meaning of this letter changes throughout the story. It is placed on Hester by the Puritans to give her shame and to mark her as an ... said by the townspeople, the "badge of shame" on her breast makes the softer pillow for the head that needs one. It becomes regarded "not as a token of one sin, for which she had borne so long and drea...

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

... also caused Chillingworth to become even more infatuated with torturing his victim. Chillingworth attempted to keep the secret inside the minister so his self-conscience would eat at him until death. Over time, Dimmesdale's health worsened signifying the level of emotional and mental torture he was undergoing. The final result of the plotted revenge was picture perfect for Chillingworth as Dimmesdale suffered for many years and then passed ... informed Hester that she could at any time remove the "A" of her chest, yet Hester chose to continue flaunting it. The breathtaking letter had no...

• Word Count: 1589
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Hester about the "A", she is not told the true meaning. Pearl suffers a loss of identity and her mother's refusal to tell the truth keeps her daughter in the dark, not knowing of her illicit birth and her origins. Although the scarlet "A" keeps her in the dark, she also is a symbol of it. Pearl's function in the novel is a symbol, used to show that the production of Hester and ... symbolizes the ability of nature to endure and outlast man's activities, and the futility of symbolic interpretation. The narrator mentions several significances that it may have, but doesn't affirm or deny an...

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

... also caused Chillingworth to become even more infatuated with torturing his victim. Chillingworth attempted to keep the secret inside the minister so his self-conscience would eat at him until death. Over time, Dimmesdale's health worsened signifying the level of emotional and mental torture he was undergoing. The final result of the plotted revenge was picture perfect for Chillingworth as Dimmesdale suffered for many years and then passed ... informed Hester that she could at any time remove the "A" of her chest, yet Hester chose to continue flaunting it. The breathtaking letter had no...

• Word Count: 1480
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... sins. There are witches, who are on the outskirts of town and the invitation for Hester to join them is always open. The forest is a sacrosanct for the two. They can always return there and lift their burden for the time being. Pearl is a free-spirited child, playing in the sunshine and river. Hester lets down her hair and plays with her daughter, appreciates her. It creates a moral backdrop ... where nothing is expected of anyone, where everyone is accepted and differences ... are forgotten. The common people are sober and cold, and are unforgiving. The women begrudge Hester for her y...

• Word Count: 995
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• Grade Level: High School

... which she lived. These differences could be put into two categories: the outward distinction, and the inward change. The outward distinction is easy to identify. It is Hester's adultery, and it is signified in the scarlet letter A and her daughter Pearl. The inward change is much more subtle and harder to express. It is the alteration in Hester's mind and soul that could be said to have ... originated from the day of her public shame. Outwardly she seemed to have repented and reformed, embracing the Puritan theology wholeheartedly, but in her mind and ... from God, too. This was shown ...

• Word Count: 1029
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• Grade Level: High School

... works of literature. The reason behind the townspeople persecuting sinners is because of the Puritan beliefs of the time period. This is the driving force between the actions of the characters. The setting of a religiously intolerant village is also the main reason behind the conflict that lies in each plot. The conflicts in both works of literature are also similar. They are both caused by the same thing, the excessively devout town in which the setting takes place. The conflict in The Scarlet ... include ignorant townspeople who contribute to the main conflict. In The Scarlet Letter, ...

• Word Count: 1327
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School