... ). She gave to the poor and needy. "None so ready as she to give of her little substance to every demand of poverty- (157) After seven hard, long years in disgrace, the scarlet letter began to take on a new meaning. Townspeople looked at Hester differently, as she contributed so ... increased by the torture by Roger Chillingsworth; Hester's undisclosed husband and the town's physician. "Happy are you, Hester," says Dimmesdale, "that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret!" (188). As his shame and inner guilt increases, he suffers total decline, both mentally ...

• Word Count: 1175
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... time were not thought of as able to overcome hardships and trials because they were considered weak, but Hawthorne showed to the world with The Scarlet Letter what women, in actuality, were like. The embodiment of Hawthorne's feminist ideals, Hester, was an unusual character for that time period. ... shared how much his hidden guilt and sin were destroying him, yet Dimmesdale could never commit the act of confession. Hawthorne actually expressed how little he thought of Dimmesdale. "Crime is for the iron nerved, who have their choice either to endure it, or, if it press too ... . She p...

• Word Count: 1087
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... the novel is very significant. Many symbols are underlying and hard to find, but symbols such as the letter "A" could not be more obvious. "The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! Those had been her teachers -- stern and wild ones -- ... and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss." The scarlet letter "A" is Hester Prynne's American Express card, she cannot leave home without it. With the exception of one occasion, Hester is true to her badge ... . It is on the armor breastplate in Governor Bellingham's gar...

• Word Count: 661
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... Pearl One of the most complex and elaborate characters in The Scarlet Letter is Pearl, the misbegotten offspring of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Throughout the story Pearl, becomes quite the dynamic little individual, as well as an extremely important symbol- one who is constantly changing. Pearl's involvement in the complex history of her parents inadvertently forced her to be viewed as ... different and is shunned because of her mother's sin. Pearl is a living scarlet letter to Hester, Dimmesdale and finally the reader, acting ... was created. This terrible incident is the si...

• Word Count: 1158
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... love, for truth, for honor, or for justice." One work of literature that I feel truly does illuminate several of these great quests is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This work is based in a small, Puritan community where a woman named Hester Prynne dwells. This woman has committed the sin ... of adultery and is forced to wear a scarlet A upon her bosom to constantly remind her and the rest of the community of her terrible sin. The fruit of this sin however was her little daughter Pearl; a strange, but gentle child. People in the community though, ... regain their honor withi...

• Word Count: 566
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... get away after committing crime, in the end they get punished and pays for what they did and regrets it. The first scaffold scene in the scarlet letter focuses on Hester Prynne. The scene occurred in the morning sunlight. Hester on the scaffold with Pearl in her hand. Townspeople gathered to watch her ... of an Indian. When the governor ask Hester, "who is the father of the child?" and also that, "He would consider taking the scarlet letter off of Hester, Chillingworth gestured not to say anything about her husband and Hester didn't. It was a shameful experience for Hester. "Ooh, now it ...

• Word Count: 560
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... society. Hester Prynne holds herself with dignity although she wears and infamous title and lives in a world of public shame. She is sentenced to the scarlet letter 'A' which is known for "adulterer." This badge of humiliation serves as a constant reminder of her sin. Although this title is meant to bring ... her own ideal individual.Throughout the novel, Arthur Dimmesdale is known as a venerable reverend. He is "considered by his more fervent admirers as little less than a Heaven ­ordained apostle" (109). Although Dimmesdale bares this title, he is possibly the ultimate example of conf...

• Word Count: 1053
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... and survives her punishment with dignity, grace, and ever-growing strength of character. From the moment Hester Prynne is introduced into the plot of The Scarlet Letter in chapter 2, "The Marketplace", the reader realizes she is very prideful and strong. As an adulteress, she is forced to endure ignominy from ... and tall, although her mind wanders off at times. Ultimately Hester shows her pride despite her unforgiveable' sin. Hester exhibits great courage all throughout The Scarlet Letter. The best example of this courage is her willingness to stay in Boston, the town where both the sin ...

• Word Count: 909
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... and survives her punishment with dignity, grace, and ever-growing strength of character. From the moment Hester Prynne is introduced into the plot of The Scarlet Letter in chapter 2, "The Marketplace", the reader realizes she is very prideful and strong. As an adulteress, she is forced to endure ignominy from ... and tall, although her mind wanders off at times. Ultimately Hester shows her pride despite her unforgiveable' sin. Hester exhibits great courage all throughout The Scarlet Letter. The best example of this courage is her willingness to stay in Boston, the town where both the sin ...

• Word Count: 912
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School