... because of her mother's sin. Pearl is a living scarlet letter to Hester, Dimmesdale and finally the reader, acting as a constant reminder of Hester's, as well as humanity's shortcomings. Hawthorne uses vivid descriptions to characterize Pearl, as he dose to every character thought the story. Pearl is first described as the infant; " Whose innocent life had sprung, by the inscrutable decree of Providence, a lovely and immortal flower, out ... myne) Bibliography Baym, Nina. Introduction. The Scarlet Letter. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York City: Penguin Books USA, Inc. 1986. Clendenning, ...

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

... Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Pearl 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 ... . It goes to show how affective a child can be on an adult. The symbolic representations of Pearl are vital in thoroughly understanding each character and their contributions to The Scarlet Letter by Nath...

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

... a perfect description of Nathaniel Hawthorne's, author of The Scarlet Letter, time era. Women were thought of as lesser than men. Women's purpose was to raise children and give them good morals and values. Women didn't have jobs or hold political office. Even though women were oppressed in Hawthorne's time, in an earlier era, the Puritan era, women were even more subdued. They wore the plainest, drabbest clothes and ... views and ideals. Women of this time were not thought of as able to overcome hardships and trials because they were considered weak, but Hawthorne showed to the world wi...

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

... are one of the most important events in "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The first scaffold scene occurred in the beginning of the story which was about Hester and the second scaffold scene happened in chapter 12 which was about Dimmsdale. In a "utopia" like the puritan's society, one can never 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. Townspe...

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

The Scarlet Letter was the story of Hester Prynne, an adulteress who lived during the Puritan era, and the pain and shame she endured because of her sin. The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, was educated on the beliefs and practices of the Puritans during this time, as some of his ancestors resided in the Puritan city of Salem, Massachusetts. Through Hawthorne's research of the Puritans, he beccame ashamed to be related to such a people, and developed ... a strong dislike for their ideas and their hypocrisy. In his novel The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne used diction and certain symbols ... ...

• Word Count: 548
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... 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 ... feelings which makes it seem as if you really know the characters. Another technique that Hawthorne used was theme. I think he tried to communicate that nobody is perfect no matter who t...

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

Shame, Despair, Solitude! The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the great novels in American Literature. Hawthorne's use of symbolism in 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 ... , however, the letter is shallow in meaning, standing for the sin of Adultery. To resonate the "A" in the mind of the reader Hawthorne di...

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

Sin and Guilt Eats Away It's hard to hide an illegitimate child in a small Puritan community. When Hester Prynne, the principle character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter, a married woman whose husband was long away, gave birth to a daughter in her town of Cornhill, she was clearly identified as a sinner. As soon as her sin became public knowledge, ... she was punished for being an adulterer. And a story can get very interesting when the man you committed adultery with is the town minister. When a sin is committed there are ... from Chillingsworth's hold over him, which allows him to ...

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

One of the recurring themes is the story of The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is that of identity and society. After Hester is publicly shamed and forced by the people of Boston to wear a badge of humiliation, her unwillingness to leave the town may seem puzzling. She is not physically imprisoned, and leaving the colony would allow her to remove the scarlet letter and resume a normal life elsewhere. So why does Hester choose ... unable to think freely we accept these illusions as reality. Very few of us have the strength and courage to step out of this cave, step out of the role ass...

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In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many different objects and people as symbols to express his message throughout the book. He begins using a plant, then the namesake of the book, then continues on to uses two people as symbols to get his message across. Although seemingly simple, all of these symbols are extremely complex, and used in a multitude of ways. First, the rosebush outside the prison; in the first chapter ... that Satan is using him as a tool to commit evil acts. Even when Dimmesdale admits to being the father, Chillingsworth is not satisfied that he did not get to exe...

• Word Count: 777
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, expresses the aspects of a strict Puritan community of 17th century Boston. The values and morals of the Puritan settlement influence the social as well as moral expectations of the people. Many characters are affected by the strict laws, especially, Hester Prynne. Her development throughout the story is based upon the punishment and suffering she endures as a result of her sin. Hester Prynne is caught in a conflict between the Puritan ... , " Let us not look back.-(p.185) She then undoes the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter and tosses it away ...

• Word Count: 764
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• Grade Level: High School

The Scarlet Letter In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, he uses many symbols that tie into the character's lives. Hester has the scarlet letter as punishment of her sin. Dimmesdale has the meteor as his own mark of shame. They both have Pearl as the end result of their sin. Sin is intertwined with all of the characters in the book and the symbols used to represent them. Hester Prynne, the town's seamstress, committed adultery and for her punishment ... , Hester's husband, and he discovers the bond that Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl share by the "A" in the sky. In conclusion, the scarle...

• Word Count: 435
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• Grade Level: High School

... Hester Prynne changed significantly throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner. She has gone against the Puritan ways, committing adultery. For this harsh sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her natural life. Hester "was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance... she had dark and abundant hair ... is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned, but is forgiven. Hawthorne describes Hester as "divine maternity" (49) and she can do no wrong. Not only Hester, but the physical scarlet lette...

• Word Count: 461
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• Grade Level: High School

... Nathaniel Hawthorn's, "The Scarlet Letter," the main characters undergo tribulations that help highlight the major issues of American identity. Hester Prynne, the woman who commits a sin that forces her into ignominious solitude, uses her crime as leverage for her own personal development. Arthur Dimmesdale, believed to be a pious reverend, is provided as an example of conformity. He rejects his sin and is constrained to what the ... 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 "adul...

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

... in The Scarlet Letter " But (Hester) is not the protagonist, the chief actor, and the tragedy of The Scarlet Letter is not her tragedy but Arthur's. He is the persecuted one, the tempted one. He it was whom the sorrows of death encompassed . His public confession is one of the noblest climaxes of tragic literature." The argument over the protagonist role in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne runs undeniably deep. At first glance it appears that the protagonist of the story ... is Hester Prynn, however Randall Stewart has presented an argument that suggesur Dimmesdale as the Prota...

• Word Count: 855
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• Grade Level: High School

In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale commits adultery with Hester Prynne. The townspeople find out about Hester, but she doesn't tell anyone that Dimmesdale was involved. Since the townspeople knew Hester committed adultery she had to wear a scarlet "A" on her chest and went through public humiliation. The townspeople didn't even suspect Dimmesdale of committing any kind of sin. To the townspeople Reverend Dimmesdale is the holiest and ... most perfect person in the town. I believe that Dimmesdale was unwilling to take responsibility for ... ...

• Word Count: 391
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Lit 10/30/03 Character Analysis: Hester Prynne The novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was an objective description of the life of Hester Prynne, who is an adulteress. The novel does not go into specific details of the thoughts of the woman except to describe her character. Throughout the novel she faces humiliation by the other people of Boston, but all the while remains a woman of great probity, ... never losing her sense of pride. Hester Prynne suffers enormously from the ... stayed a proud woman even in the face of public disgrace. From the outside, the scarlet A on her c...

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

Character Analysis: Hester Prynne The novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was an objective description of the life of Hester Prynne, who is an adulteress. The novel does not go into specific details of the thoughts of the woman except to describe her character. Throughout the novel she faces humiliation by the other people of Boston, but all the while remains a woman of great probity, never losing her sense of ... pride. Hester Prynne suffers enormously from the ... a proud woman even in the face of public disgrace. From the outside, the scarlet A on her chest would seem like it ...

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

... but change. This means that life is a matter of change, and nothing can remain constant forever. Hester Prynne, the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, is a clear example of the growth of a human being over a period of time. Her character and way of viewing life varies throughout the novel, as she goes from a prideful and glorious woman, to ashamed and hollow, to an example of redemption ... and self-empowerment. Before her public penitence in the scaffold, Hester is shown as a strong-willed and impetuous young woman. ... come to her and recognize that her punishmen...

• Word Count: 680
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... , Aunt Ida. As Aunt Ida explains, "She doesn't realize that I am the story." (page 297) Upon closer examination of Aunt Ida it becomes very obvious that she is not unlike many other characters of American literature. Most notably, Aunt Ida can be successfully compared to that of Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne's A Scarlet Letter. It is only when readers compare and contrast different characters from ... seemingly diverse books that they are able to firmly grasp the character's true personality, assessing their ultimate success or failure. Thus in order to decide the ultimate succe...

• Word Count: 1229
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School