... of a Puritan background, seems to disturb her that Pearl acts so free spirited. The best example of the difference of Pearl in a positive way is a direct statement about Puritan children, "Puritan elders; the ugliest weeds of the garden were their children" (pg. 87). By describing the other puritan children as weeds, Hawthorne symbolizes the paths that they will live. Weeds will grow up big but will never ... be as beautiful as a flower and often tries to smother flowers and kill them off. The religious descriptions of Pearl are ... assumed to be some type of witchcraft. This is even mo...

• Word Count: 675
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... strong believers of this mortal sin, and are well aware of the consequences that are placed upon the desperate souls who dare commit this unforgivable sin. The literary sensation "The Scarlet Letter" written in 1850, by Hawthorne was a descriptive novel that takes back the reader to time where Puritans governed the land and sin was not tolerated, especially the hellish sin called adultery. Anyone who commits this unspeakable crime ... him, except it tempt him-yea, compel him, as it were-to add hypocrisy to sin?" (p. 1369) Dimmesdale stood up there and tore into Hester with these questio...

• Word Count: 1126
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... they tell the reader about the prison, the scaffold, and how Hester is being publicly condemned for adultery. These chapters also show the reader that the society is depicting the political reality of Hester's World, the Puritan society. The Puritans intended to create a "Utopian" society, but it can be seen in these chapters that this world already knows sin. The women of the town criticize her for embroidering the scarlet letter, the symbol of ... her shame, with such care and in such a flashy manner. This seems to declare that Hester is proud, rather than ashamed, of her sin. In real...

• Word Count: 295
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School