... The people reading his literature at the time still had very strict and traditional beliefs. Avoiding the grim tone Hawthorne usually involved removing undesirable Elements and modifying others. It is interesting to note often contained such intense emotions as jealousy, lust, and revenge, Hawthorne never allows these to appear. Indeed, he often trivializes the negative drives of characters by referring to them as ... "naughty." The adult passions are also removed by making many of the characters much younger In this way Hawthorne was able to avoid discussing the sexual themes often foun...

• Word Count: 3188
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... thee into my heart, into its innermost chamber, and sought to warm thee by the warmth which thy presence made there!" (p72). Hester betrayed Chillingworth and in return he wants revenge on Dimmesdale. He does this by draining the soul of the Reverend and afflicting guilt upon him. Chillingworth's villainy also develops from his quest to discover his wife's lover. He ... enhances this by showing that he is willing to make Dimmesdale suffer and help Dimmesdale's guilt eat away at his soul in order to get the revenge he wants. One of Hawthorne's purposes in writing The Scarlet Letter is t...

• Word Count: 670
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... they relied heavily on the holy text. This type of language seems to stay consistent throughout the story, even when Mistress Hibbins and young Pearl are speaking. The Scarlet Letter uses dark romanticism as Hawthorne attempts to explain the sinfulness of human nature and why people act as they do. In a satirical way, he almost mocks the "nonconformist" culture and its faults, as ... so sinful and immoral. Symbolism, being the key stylistic device of the novel, is most important and revealed throughout the novel. The obvious symbol is the letter A on Hester's chest. It literally symboli...

• Word Count: 1296
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... these themes through many different symbols in his novel. Besides the obvious symbol being the Scarlet Letter, you can find many other examples of Hawthorne's use of color. The colors that he repeats in the book besides red are gray, gold, green, and black. Gray represents the strict Puritan society. Gold represents passion. Green is ... from the ridicules and just hide away in the green forest. Hawthorne also describes Hester's new life as "a tuft of green moss on a crumbling wall." The green moss is Hester's new life away from her husband, which is considered as the crumbling wall. G...

• Word Count: 506
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... sin, the townswomen heckle and ridicule her for what she had done. They repeatedly stress their desire for Hester to receive the death penalty instead of the sparing sentence that she received. Hawthorne later in the book make this ironic by bringing into the novel Hester's belief that she is not the only person to commit these sins. He makes it clear that ... to exemplify Puritan life, and yet he lives extravagantly and selfishly, and even has a sister who is a self-proclaimed witch. The Puritan society as a whole is hypocritical, because they ostracize Hester, who lives a life that a ...

• Word Count: 759
• Approx Pages: 3

... sin, the townswomen heckle and ridicule her for what she had done. They repeatedly stress their desire for Hester to receive the death penalty instead of the sparing sentence that she received. Hawthorne later in the book make this ironic by bringing into the novel Hester's belief that she is not the only person to commit these sins. He makes it clear that ... to exemplify Puritan life, and yet he lives extravagantly and selfishly, and even has a sister who is a self-proclaimed witch. The Puritan society as a whole is hypocritical, because they ostracize Hester, who lives a life that a ...

• Word Count: 756
• Approx Pages: 3

... in the work is essential. In the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there is an antagonist. The antagonist is an significant part of the novel. Although Hester is the main character, the role of Roger is just as crucial. Without Roger Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter, there wouldn't be much of a story to tell ... . Without an antagonist, the story would be short and meaningless. The antagonist of the story and causes a lot of commotion. Without the problems, the story would be simple. It wouldn't have any a climax and that would just make the story less appealing. Roger w...

• Word Count: 371
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet letter is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is about a woman who was convicted on a horrible crimes back in the 17th century. This story has many themes within its binding. One of the very obvious themes is ... territory. It is natural and nobody can control it. The Puritan church cannot control the forest so they say it is evil. Hester's house lies on the outskirts of town , yet at the edge of the forest. I think Hawthorne did this very consciously. She lived in that spot because she felt somewhat free being so close to the forest. She almost felt ......

• Word Count: 362
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... time you are able to clearly and precisely understand 1 symbolic/allegorical detail in the book you have missed out on other things. The Scarlet letter does not give you the time you need to digest what you read. Hawthorne writes the Scarlet Letter in a style that is too hard to understand. Since everything is so important you must be paying careful attention and thinking about ... what you are reading. Hawthorne interrupts this process by adding in words that could easily be simplified with other words more commonly known to others. The importance of shorter words can make the reader a...

• Word Count: 424
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... have happened if Chillingworth had really died? The character Roger Chillingworth (Prynne) had a great impact on the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, Reverend Dimmesdale, and the community as a whole, would have changed drastically he Chillingworth really died. This short story is ... on what could have happened. To get a little background on the story, the story is taking place in a Puritan colony in New England. Hester Prynne has committed the act of adultery, and is now pregnant; she is brought before the community. The community officials decided that she should be ... has c...

• Word Count: 677
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... that got him a job as a surveyor at the Port of Salem. Hawthorne was very happy with his family life while at Salem. He loved to play with his three kids and still managed to have time to do a little writing for periodicals. It wasn't until his most famous book, The Scarlet Letter, that his literary career picked up again. It is said that ... it only took Hawthorne half a year to write the literary classic; his wife wrote in her journal that he would spend nine hours a day writing it. He ... 't as famous but is said to be the better of his works is The House of Seven Gables. Published i...

• Word Count: 1626
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... by saying, " now you can write your book." (American Writers II, pg 242) In seven months it was finished. In April 1850, Ticknor and Fields of Boston published The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne called The Scarlet Letter, " positively a hell-fired story, into which I found it almost impossible to throw any cheering light." Some contemporary critics called it " America's first tragedy." It was no doubt ... Hawthorne's most widely known story he ever wrote. The last fourteen years of Hawthorne's life were very different from the struggle to be recognized that his entire life had been about. Wi...

• Word Count: 1026
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Evil In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Writings Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter and "Rappaccini's Daughter", uses the concept of evil as a main theme in some of his stories. "Rappaccini's Daughter" is not a simple story focusing on a clear line separating good from evil. ... 's Daughter, Rappaccini, a scientist who "cares more for science than for mankind", makes a solution to keep his daughter pure forever, therefore he is considered the evil in the story. In the Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingworth is considered the evil, even though one could argue that many of the main characters ...

• Word Count: 310
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... sermon, the veil shook with his measured breath, threw its obscurity between him and the holy page, and lay heavily on his uplifted countenance (Hawthorne 320). Hawthorne's use of language makes his writings unique and interesting. Another impact occurred during the wedding when Hooper raised his glass wishing happiness to the newlywed ... is not lifted until death. The concept of the black veil in The Minister's Black Veil is similar to the scarlet "A" in The Scarlet Letter. In both of these pieces of Hawthorne, he uses an object to symbolize mortal sin, and although one tries to, there...

• Word Count: 436
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... his novel "Young Goodman Brown."" It provides detailed biographical information on the author's life and analyzes the faith and nature of his religious perspective. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem Massachusetts on July 4, 1804. In 1808, when his father passed away, his family moved to Raymond, Maine. He grew ... up with great access to the classics of English Literature because he was injured for two years and couldn't go outside. This provided Hawthorne with much solitude. In 1891, his mother sent him back to Salem to go to school. It was at this time that he began to ... became ...

• Word Count: 1340
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... pride, guilt, ect. This point becomes apparent in several of his literary works. The short story "Young Goodman Brown" was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1835. This work demonstrates how the female character was portrayed in a male dominant society, the limitations and restrictions that they were faced with, ... were forced to hide deep inside were released. In the past, there was this preconceived notion that women were pure and delicate creatures. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses this stereotype when naming the main female character in this story "Faith." This word can incorporate several m...

• Word Count: 1338
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... both stories kills another character. In "The Cask of Amontillado," the killing that takes place is intentional. Montresor kills Fortunato because he seeks revenge against him. The reason Montresor seeks retaliation against Fortunato is because Fortunato commits an intolerable attack, which is unstated. Montresor mortars Fortunato in an ... in the cellar, Montresor chains Fortunato up without any food or water. He then begins to mortar Fortunato in, leaving him to die. In "The Scarlet Ibis," the narrator, which is Doodle's brother, unintentionally kills his brother. In the last part of t...

• Word Count: 581
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... black veil the minister was wearing. His emotional backbone to his stories is what makes them work and is what makes his writing romantic.Many of Hawthorne's stories describe peoples' emotions in good detail. "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" is all about people and their emotions. The first part of ... black veil the minister was wearing. His emotional backbone to his stories is what makes them work and is what makes his writing romantic.Many of Hawthorne's stories describe peoples' emotions in good detail. "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" is all about people and their emotions. The first part of...

• Word Count: 1368
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... as hideous and unnatural; it is a form of compensation, and an attempt to bring them up to the level of nature" (Fetterley, 167). Hawthorne was married to a very beautiful woman and may be referring to her beauty. Some critics think he is trying to secretly eliminate all females. Fetterley ... away with it" (Fetterley, 164). However, it could be a demonstration of man's ignorance by trying to perfect an already nearly perfect creature, his wife. Hawthorne's short stories also portray how women are under men's control. "Georgiana is a victim of a man, the protagonist, to whom they are bo...

• Word Count: 1165
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Georgiana that results in the disappearance of the birthmark and the death of Aylmer's experimental subject. Comparison "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" and "The Birthmark" can be compared in many aspects. Nathaniel Hawthorne used many of the same writing techniques in both stories. Both pieces share two common reoccuring themes. Also, the symbols in the story have like meanings. In both "Dr. Heidegger ... Georgiana can be that model of perfection and he can get rid of the birthmark. He is successful in getting rid of Georgiana's birthmark and she is perfect, b! ut dead. Hawthorne is saying...

• Word Count: 1170
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... wife Faith, like him, are present at the climax of the story, and are shown as to be conspiring with the devil. To begin with, Hawthorne introduces the reader to Young Goodman Brown; he is a young religious man living with his wife Faith in Salem Massachusetts, as Young Goodman Brown ventures ... " (pg. 21). Young Goodman Brown knew that there was an evil purpose to his journey but decides to go because he is curious. Hawthorne plays on the view that many Puritans shared during this time period, the fear of the wild and unknown. Young Goodman Brown sees "a devilish ... corrupt his faith t...

• Word Count: 1193
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

... evil and sin, the idea of self-alienation, humanities internal struggles, and an effective use of allegory to create deeper meaning in his text. Hawthorne commonly wrote stories that explored the evil and sin in man and the short stories, "Young Goodman Brown" and "The ... they represent itself, as well as a deeper meaning.  A great example of his allegory is in his short story, "Young Goodman Brown." Hawthorne uses a substantial amount of symbolism through his characters and events in his short story to develop religious allegory. In this short story, the old man ... represents a man,...

• Word Count: 676
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... literary story with a spiritual message. The allegory implied in "Young Goodman Brown" is that when you leave your faith behind, you are doomed. Symbolically, Hawthorne uses the name Faith as the character of Goodman Brown's wife. Her character is written to wear pink ribbons on her cap. "Tied like a label ... can only see sin, which the dark, dense forest of trees symbolizes. No longer is there hope, and his faith is uncertain. This is how Hawthorne builds his allegory. Goodman Brown gets up and continues his journey through the evil forest. The Devil has succeeded. At the end of the fo...

• Word Count: 1211
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... one flaw. For him, that one flaw kept him from having the perfect wife. The birthmark reminded Alymer of the imperfection of earthly existence. Hawthorne described Aylmer as a scientist who's "greatest successes were inevitably failures." He failed at an experiment and quickly moved on to the next ... his life. Aylmer's actions can show how striving for physical perfection can distract too much from the pleasantries of life that are already obtained. Hawthorne also showed perfection as being foolish in the way that Georgiana acted as a wife. She wanted more than anything to be a good ......

• Word Count: 1024
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... how much can be changed, how many things can be perfected? The themes in this short story-- religion, gender, and science--were relevant in Hawthorne's day, and still are many years later. The theme of religion is hidden in the desire to erase the birthmark. In trying to " ... but it is not without consequence. Many cosmetic surgeries require painful recovery time or follow-ups, and even some may be dangerous to one's health. Hawthorne's gender bias reflects his times, naturally, but they are slightly exaggerated in this story. Georgiana is a rational woman, but Aylmer won't listen to ......

• Word Count: 853
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School