... respect from others in that society. Characters in this novel go through their lives struggling with themselves trying to cope with the guilt and shame associated with their past actions. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, he shows the lasting effect that sin has on Hester and Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne's guilt is the ... to deal with his guilt without confessing so he can avoid losing his reputation among the people who have come to respect him. Dimmesdale decides on confessing his sins on the scaffold. To avoid his reputation from being destroyed Dimmesdale approaches t...

• Word Count: 1828
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... stumbles across a number of documents in the house's attic and among these, he discovers a manuscript bundled with a gold-embroidered patch in the shape of an "A." The manuscript was written by a past surveyor who detailed events some two-hundred years before the narrator's time. He later decides to write a fictional story based on the events from the manuscript and calls it The ... from the hate of the community. One day both Hester and Pearl were returning from a visit to a deathbed and observe Father Dimmesdale atop the town's scaffold punishing himself for his sins. The two join him...

• Word Count: 1497
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... . Her strong will and ability to see through the social mockery sets her apart from most in that society. Through the story she never once asks for forgiveness for her sins nor apologizes for her acts. She stands strong and takes whatever consequences come to her. Hester proves she has complete and utter pride in chapter fourteen when Chillingworth tells her ... the Puritans she is already, like her mother, pushed into the society. Pearl is a symbol of naturalism. In nearly everything she does, as a young child, she finds immense pleasure. Just past survival, pleasure is the foremost imp...

• Word Count: 1687
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... . In addition, when a father who is in the ministry, commits a grievous sin, it affects not only his family's views but the views of his congregation as well. The impacts of sins of the clergy are as consistent today as they were in time period this was written. Arthur Dimmesdale, a minister, is the main character. While holding the high office of a minister ... that has no positive impact. Pearl, most would think, is the most fortunate because she inherited Chillingworth's money. The money should make life much easier for Pearl than in the past. Had her story continued would this be the...

• Word Count: 2000
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School