... eyes anxiously in the direction of the voice, he indistinctly beheld a form under the trees [...] and so little relieved from the gray twilight into which the clouded sky and the heavy foliage had darkened the noontide, that he knew not whether it were a woman or a shadow" (173). In addition, nature not only gives hopes and chances but it also gives protection. After Hester's ignominy the first time she had ... willed and second to men in every aspect. Despite that, Hester has a strength that can rival a man's. She endured years of social rejection and derogatory treatment yet she maint...

• Word Count: 1931
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... of this ridicule and hate because of one simple mistake in her life. It was religion though, that caused the people of Boston to treat her the way they did. Religions evils are seen a final time in both Governor Bellingham and Reverend Wilson when it inspires them to try and separate Hester from her daughter Pearl. Governor Bellingham is the strict and theocratic ruler of the ... Massachusetts Bay Colony. Wilson, much like Bellingham, is a by-the-book man who serves as the Elder Clergyman. He preaches the words of ... Religion was able to corrupt and hinder many of the characters in the...

• Word Count: 1403
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... much eye-opening due to her sin" (Patterson- Hester Prynne's Growth through Sin in The Scarlet Letter). Not only is Hester proud of who she is and accepts the fact that she is an adulterous, she is very proud of her daughter Pearl, the result of her sin. According to Reverend Dimmesdale, the only time a person will be truly forgiven by God for a sin is when they regret what ... they have done. She has no regret for the sin she committed; therefore she is forced ... to carry the sin with her forever. However, Dimmesdale confesses to God, disowning ... ...

• Word Count: 1733
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... . Hester's decision regarding Pearl reveals her high moral principles as a Puritan. By upholding her morals, she keeps her daughter and moves to an isolated cottage away from society. After Hester moves away from the village, the Puritans give her the job of making fine clothing for the upper class. With any extra material that Hester has, she makes Pearl's clothes. Pearl's clothes are extraordinarily elaborate, which ... she has to make them. She is a slave to those around her who believe that she is inferior. Hester donates every bit of money, time, and effort to charity if she has the...

• Word Count: 1429
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... . Hawthorne's next novel, The House of the Seven Gables (1851), takes place in the New England of his own period but nevertheless also deals with the effects of Puritanism. Near Lenox, Mass., he wrote A Wonder Book (1852), based on Greek mythology, which became a juvenile classic, and Tanglewood Tales (1853), also for children. At this time he befriended his neighbor Herman Melville, who was one of the first to appreciate Hawthorne ... loneliness, frustration, hypocrisy, eccentricity, and frailty. Among his most brilliant stories are "The Minister's Black Veil," "Roger Malvin's Burial," ...

• Word Count: 2453
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... and death-stricken Dimmesdale totters to confess his sin at last to the incredulous and only half- comprehending crowd, and to die in Hester's arms. Gomez 3 On the scaffold, the entire town sees the scarlet letter on Hester's bosom for the first time. The meaning of this letter changes throughout the story. It is placed on Hester by the Puritans to give her shame and to mark her as an ... said by the townspeople, the "badge of shame" on her breast makes the softer pillow for the head that needs one. It becomes regarded "not as a token of one sin, for which she had borne so long and drea...

• Word Count: 1915
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... also caused Chillingworth to become even more infatuated with torturing his victim. Chillingworth attempted to keep the secret inside the minister so his self-conscience would eat at him until death. Over time, Dimmesdale's health worsened signifying the level of emotional and mental torture he was undergoing. The final result of the plotted revenge was picture perfect for Chillingworth as Dimmesdale suffered for many years and then passed ... informed Hester that she could at any time remove the "A" of her chest, yet Hester chose to continue flaunting it. The breathtaking letter had no...

• Word Count: 1589
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Hester about the "A", she is not told the true meaning. Pearl suffers a loss of identity and her mother's refusal to tell the truth keeps her daughter in the dark, not knowing of her illicit birth and her origins. Although the scarlet "A" keeps her in the dark, she also is a symbol of it. Pearl's function in the novel is a symbol, used to show that the production of Hester and ... symbolizes the ability of nature to endure and outlast man's activities, and the futility of symbolic interpretation. The narrator mentions several significances that it may have, but doesn't affirm or deny an...

• Word Count: 1366
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... also caused Chillingworth to become even more infatuated with torturing his victim. Chillingworth attempted to keep the secret inside the minister so his self-conscience would eat at him until death. Over time, Dimmesdale's health worsened signifying the level of emotional and mental torture he was undergoing. The final result of the plotted revenge was picture perfect for Chillingworth as Dimmesdale suffered for many years and then passed ... informed Hester that she could at any time remove the "A" of her chest, yet Hester chose to continue flaunting it. The breathtaking letter had no...

• Word Count: 1480
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... works of literature. The reason behind the townspeople persecuting sinners is because of the Puritan beliefs of the time period. This is the driving force between the actions of the characters. The setting of a religiously intolerant village is also the main reason behind the conflict that lies in each plot. The conflicts in both works of literature are also similar. They are both caused by the same thing, the excessively devout town in which the setting takes place. The conflict in The Scarlet ... include ignorant townspeople who contribute to the main conflict. In The Scarlet Letter, ...

• Word Count: 1327
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... Prynne is taken before her Puritan town from the prison. On her bosom she bears the scarlet A for "adultery" and in her arms she holds the creation of her sin, her daughter Pearl. She ascends the steps of the scaffold alone, and stands where all eyes are upon her and the flaming letter upon her breast. It is here that for the first time Hester is publicly recognized for her sin ... and must accept the burden that will now weigh down upon her for the rest of her life. Also, it is ... must publicly acknowledge his crime, acknowledge his daughter and lover if he is to seek atonement for h...

• Word Count: 1460
• Approx Pages: 6

... revenge on the father of Pearl during chapter 4 saying, "Thou wilt not reveal his name? Not the less he is mine. He bears no letter of infamy wrought into his garment, as thou dost; but I shall read it on his heart."" (75). This was the first but not the last time for which ... once effected, new interests would immediately spring up, and likewise a new purpose; dark, it is true, if not guilty, but of force enough to engage the full strength of his faculties."" (122). This quote is telling us that everything that Chillingworth did was fueled by his need for revenge. He was ... himself...

• Word Count: 1529
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... letter. Although the sense of the meaning "adulteress" is constant, the metaphoric, emotional, and moralistic meanings of the scarlet letter vary from positive to negative interpretations throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter. The Puritan community was a dark, strict society, feeling indifferent to the humanity of the woman standing before them on the scaffold, with her infant daughter against her chest. The beautifully embroidered letter does not glow in the eyes of the people. The letter shapes the way they look ... did not plan to commit the sin of adultery, because it was not a si...

• Word Count: 1352
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... was found, she would have to wait 7 years until she could love another. That's a long period of time and since they loved each other from first sight, it was almost impossible for them to wait. The book additionally keeps you on your toes with peculiarity. Through a lot of the book, I was very curious as to what that mark was on Dimmesdale's chest that made Chillingsworth ... believe it was him who was the father, since it was kept from us. It was a real shocker that Ms. Hawthorne had Arthur Dimmesdale fall dead when his daughter is kissing him at the end also. I mean I knew he was ... ...

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

... sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her life. However, the Romantic philosophies of Hawthorne contrast the Puritanical beliefs. She is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned, but is forgiven in the eyes of most. Hawthorne portrays Hester as a someone who can do wrong with her daughter. Not only Hester, but also the physical scarlet letter, the badge of shame, is shown through the author's tone and word choice ... combat that ideal when he places Pearl above the rest of the children in intelligence, free spirit, beauty and kindness. The traits of intelligence and free s...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8

... and light is very important in the development of the novel. 6 "Images of color, and of light and shade are more numerous than any other images in the novel" (Waggoner 160). The color red stands for passion and the anguish felt by both Hester and Dimmesdale. It also stands for the love between the two of them and for Pearl, their daughter. Darkness and light symbolize the ongoing struggle between good and evil ... socialized with. She is not invited to weddings, parties, and other social events. When there is a gathering in the town square, everyone stands shoulder to shoulder except a c...

• Word Count: 2338
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... himself; he whips himself, has all night vigils and does not get much sleep. He also clutches his chest a lot in away that reminds Pearl of her mother, Hester's scarlet letter "A" By this point in time Hester Prynne's husband has found out about Dimmesdale's secret and has been tormenting Dimmesdale with it. Arthur Dimmesdale has become real pale and looks almost dead ... at this point has invited Hester and her daughter Pearl up on the scaffold, Pearl asked if the three of them can stand together he tells her no but someday. At the great judgment day," whispered the minister; and, stra...

• Word Count: 1308
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... down upon by society. She is forced to wear the scarlet letter as a reminder to all of her sin. Yet through all her troubles, she has received a great gift, her daughter Pearl. Pearl gives Hester the strength to survive through her conviction and persecution. Similarly the rose-bush outside the prison gives hope to the prisoners. The rose-bush is a positive image for those who ... have been persecuted. It is a symbol of survival for Hester who has endured imprisonment and then continues to live ... a symbol of passion. Hester's sin is one of passion, and this sin is linked to the rose-...

• Word Count: 1487
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... significant role in the Puritans' way of life, and the fact that Nathaniel Hawthorne also experienced this way of life, contributed to his writing. Hawthorne's beliefs contradicted the beliefs of what most other Puritans believed. Early on in the book, he described the people "being of the most intolerant brood" (Hawthorne 86). When the people found that Hester had Pearl, her daughter, out of wedlock, Hawthorne wrote that the village "scorned ... them to live. Hawthorne, like other authors during the nineteenth century, took into consideration the relationship of the individual and thei...

• Word Count: 1291
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

... 's paranoia concerning his possible incrimination on the scaffold shows that he is still unable to truly confess. By the time Hester and her daughter arrive at the scene, Dimmesdale is a nervous reck. In the embrace that follows, though, he feels as though he has likened himself to Hester through the living symbol of their sin. When he grabs Pearl hand, the narrator states, "The moment that he did so, there ... came what seemed a tumultuous rush of new life, other life than his ... ...

• Word Count: 1627
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the beginning of time people have enjoyed reading books in which the "hero " falls from grace and struggles with the consequences. This is very much the case in the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne in which the reader learns about the journey of Hester Prynne, the women caught in adultery and sentenced to wear the shameful "A " on her chest. This journey, which includes Mr. Dimmesdale, the man Hester was involved with, Pearl, the daughter of ... Hester, and Chillingworth, the man who was married to Hester brings the reader into the exploration of the many themes apparent ...

• Word Count: 1923
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography

... also forced to suffer because of her decision. Not only do the elders of the community look down upon Hester and Pearl, so do the children. They have learned from their parents that Hester is a bad woman and that her daughter has also sprung from evil's web. "'Behold, verily, there is the woman of the scarlet letter; and, of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her ... (87). In this way she represents Pearl as an individual much like her own self. The way she dressed shows her defiance of the strict and unreasonable Puritan society. She does wh...

• Word Count: 1678
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... a birthmark from her face. Although the potion he created was to kill his wife, Alymer nonetheless took pride in the science of creating a potion that did actually remove the birthmark. Rappaccini was prideful in the creation of his daughter and at the same time the creation of a new flower. He took pride of his plant experimentation and in trying to create the perfect Garden of Eden for his daughter. When Hawthorne wrote these stories he ... showed that the pride and coldness of these characters would leave readers outraged by ... ...

• Word Count: 1373
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the spot where seven years since, I should have stood; here, with this woman, whose arm sustains me- He continues until he finally has no strength, but to rip his shirt and reveal to everyone his own scarlet letter on his naked breast. He also says to Pearl, "My little Pearl, dear little Pearl, wilt thou kiss me now." And for the first time ... in the novel Pearl shows affection for her father and sheds a tear for him. There in the light of day in front of all of his followers Dimmesdale dies peacefully with the fa! mily he loves at his side. The people stare in awe at this sight of lov...

• Word Count: 1498
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... a birthmark from her face. Although the potion he created was to kill his wife, Alymer nonetheless took pride in the science of creating a potion that did actually remove the birthmark. Rappaccini was prideful in the creation of his daughter and at the same time the creation of a new flower. He took pride of his plant experimentation and in trying to create the perfect Garden of Eden for his daughter. When Hawthorne wrote these stories he ... showed that the pride and coldness of these characters would leave readers outraged by ... ...

• Word Count: 1442
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School