... be disclosed in open daylight to the eyes of all the world! What is it that the minister seeks to hide, with his hand always over his heart? Ha, Hester Prynne!" She links the two together and understands the relationship between it all. Mistress Hibbins and Pearl are unlike the rest of the people in the town which may be part of the explanation for them being able to see that ... the burden of the "A" is being carried by more than one. To ... bear this burden shows the differences in reality through the two who carry ... ...

• Word Count: 1820
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... may have a disaster on his hands. In his dream he notices that as he and Aminidab were attempting to remove the Birthmark, "the deeper went the knife, the deeper sank the hand, until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana's heart; whence, however, her husband was inexorably resolved to cut or wrench it away (Hawthorne, 1963, p. 206)." Hawthorne does not believe ... longer has any sense of his individual life and his morals and that is the violation of the human heart. In this case he violates his wife in the name of science. It is important to recognize that ...

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

... kingdom- (124). Dimmesdale's mark turns suspicion into fact, and the physician is now at the maturity of his revenge. As he feels the impact of this malice, Dimmesdale looks for comfort in the form of a midnight confession. According to The Scarlet Letter: A Student Casebook , however, " The Minister's Vigil' (Chapter 12) takes place at night when the purpose of the scaffold is controverted, becoming a place of concealment rather than exposure ... that he did so, there came what seemed a tumultuous rush of new life, other life than his own, pouring like a torrent into his heart and hurry...

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

... was dulled and its luster became faint and vanished. It was "as if the butterfly... were conscience of something not entirely congenial..." (Hawthorne.289). When the butterfly tried to return to Owen he responded, "Thou has gone forth out of thy master's heart. There is no return for thee" (Hawthorne.289). The butterfly seemed to have "a spiritual essence - call it magnetism" that attracted it to ... true believers (Hawthorne.288). The butterfly was at its most brilliant when near the child. When his perfect specimen was ... innocently crushed by the curious infant he was able to look ...

• Word Count: 1481
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... a very holy man and is never suspected to be the man that was involved with Hester. He is even on the platform questioning Hester when she was put on the platform for ridicule during which someone yelled out "People say, " said another, "that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation ... ." (90) This shows the readers that people did not suspect him at ... old Roger Chillingsworth was a striking evidence of man's faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonab...

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

... publicly acknowledge her sin. A scarlet letter "A" is permanently placed on her dress to symbolize her adultery, and she is made to stand on the scaffold with her baby for several hours of public humiliation. This is her punishment, the heaviest that man can afflict upon her. Hester is to stand as a warning to others tempted as she was (Hawthorne 13). Hester becomes a social ... chest. In complete contrast to Hester, Dimmesdale doesn't publicly confess his sin, and it eats at him bit by bit. "He is not suspected by any of the townspeople. Even old Mrs. Hibbins, whose scent for moral car...

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

... his ideas to stress his Romantic philosophies through Pearl, Hester, and Dimmesdale throughout the whole of the novel. Nathaniel Hawthorne has a sufficient reason for repeatedly making reference to mirrors throughout his refined novel, The Scarlet Letter. The use of mirrors in the story serves a beneficial purpose of giving the reader a window to the character's innermost thoughts. When viewed in a mirror no longer its Hester's ... to be merry among sad acquaintance and events of somber hue." As interpreted through the description of the brook, Pearl lacked many simple experiences in her...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8

... for ever do battle with the world, but be a women in it" (234). On the other hand, Pearl was considered to be born evil because she was the product of her mother's sin. Her wild "witch like" behavior was caused by her chaotic upbringing, none of which was actually her acting out of the evil in her heart ... . Pearl showed love and compassion to the ones dear to her. Her father was barely had a presence in her life yet Pearl loved him and shedded tears for him. If she was truly evil, she would not ... quot;Neither can I any longer live without her companionship, so powerful is she to sust...

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

... Dimmesdale is finally able to acknowledge his family in front of the townspeople releasing! the sin he held so long hidden in his heart (285-287). This moment can be defined as the climax of the story. It is the moment of Dimmesdale's victory over Chillingworth. Although Chillingworth seems to be the master of the game, Dimmesdale thwarts his plans. Dimmesdale's development can be compared with a wave. At ... suffer what this man has sufferd" (191). As Hester puts it into words: "You are beside him, sleeping and waking. You search his thoughts. You burrow and rankle in his heart! Your c...

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

... view of her letter "A" to change from adultery to ability. (Hawthorne; Schneider) Arthur Dimmesdale is as much responsible for the creation of the scarlet letter as Hester. Their illicit love has had a different effect him because he failed to admit to his adulterous ... or it was simply a hallucination of Chillingworth, consumed with evil and hatred. This scene is left to be determined by the reader, but later in the novel, the minister is seen clutching his heart several times. This could be viewed as an attempt to cover his mark of sin and prevent exposure, or his nervous ... is a spir...

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

... of his life. His emotions are characterized as anguish and anxiety like Hester, because he must rely on Hester not to give his name as the father of Pearl. Dimmesdale believes that God will never exonerate him for his hidden sin. This creates conflict and will cause Dimmesdale to torture himself later in his life, which is how he deals with ... Dimmesdale as much as he can. The meteor shows Chillingworth the relationship between Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl, and makes his yearning for revenge even greater. Hester is also affected at the second scaffold scene. At the second scaffold scene...

• Word Count: 1995
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... real husband is Chillingworth and that he wants revenge, badly. They decide to run away together on a ship on election day. On election day, Hester discovers that Chillingworth booked a ticket for the same boat that she and Dimmesdale was going to take. Dimmesdale delivers his election day sermon, one of his best sermons ever spoken, and walks up to ... 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. D...

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

... emotion. It is said Hawthorne shows that Goodman Brown has "no compassion for the weaknesses he sees in others, no remorse for his own sin, and no sorrow for his loss of faith." (Hawthorne 595) This shows how Goodman Brown chose to follow his head instead of his heart. If he had followed his heart, he may have kept his faith, wife, and had dignity about ... the community. Finally, Goodman Brown ends his journey by returning to the community before early dawn. He ... cannot believe he is in the same place he ... ...

• Word Count: 1752
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... as a very strong, independent woman, who bears a beautiful scarlet A on her chest. The Puritan ideals of sin are shown at the beginning of the novel when Hester stands upon the scaffold with her newborn for three hours to be jeered at and ridiculed by the public. The humiliation follows after her release. Even the poorest of the village, whom Hester helps, humiliate her. Hester provides food and uses her ... struck by sickness. In times like these her Scarlet letter was not a signal for the start of mockery and ridicule. Instead, it was a talisman in the eyes of the sick. After the even...

• Word Count: 1253
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... year he published his second great novel, The House of Seven Gables, along with a book of stories for children called A Wonder-Book for Boys and Girls. (Baym 98) "Nathaniel Hawthorne was a mystery, even to himself,"" says Claudia D. Johnson. And like [Edgar Allen] Poe, he has remained a man of mystery in American literature, whose heart successive biographers have tried to bare, each one with a different ... expiation [ ] but coming to the conclusion that " his reticence comes from finding no solution to the problems that constantly beset him,"" said McPherson. "Its impossible to compre...

• Word Count: 1751
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... proceeded, a terrible fascination [ ] seized the old man [ ] He now dug into the poor clergyman's heart [ ] like a sexton delving into a grave [ ]- (113). As Roger and Arthur spend more time together, Roger becomes more persistent in his quest for knowledge of Arthur's condition. A perfect example of Roger's persistency is a conversation the two have about confession and redemption. Like ... a puzzle, Roger strategically connects what he learns through his conversations with Dimmesdale, until finally, the last piece "the ... to torture Dimmesdale. However, Roger is not directly responsib...

• Word Count: 1412
• Approx Pages: 6

... that he is desperate for her guidance and she gives him advice that sounds like music to his ears. Hester tells her lover that they should run away from all the laws and become new identities because only then, his remorse will diminish. Although the minister owns a way of swaying an audience and has the sweet, deep voice to steal a woman's heart, the readers are tuned ... of heaven were beaming from it! "must see my flock hungry for the truth, and listening to my words as if a tongue of Pentecost were speaking! "and then look inward, and discern the black reality of what they idolize? ...

• Word Count: 1599
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... 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 he will declare his revenge for Pearl's father. This fatal flaw leads to his sins of both anger and envy. "I must seek this ... himself, and as such was cordially received."" (122). It goes on to say how he was celebrated by the town and looked highly upon. However, his obsession for revenge has changed the way the town perceived him. A large number, and many of these were persons of such sober sense and practical observation, ... ...

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

... that he is desperate for her guidance and she gives him advice that sounds like music to his ears. Hester tells her lover that they should run away from all the laws and become new identities because only then, his remorse will diminish. Although the minister owns a way of swaying an audience and has the sweet, deep voice to steal a woman's heart, the readers are tuned ... of heaven were beaming from it! "must see my flock hungry for the truth, and listening to my words as if a tongue of Pentecost were speaking! "and then look inward, and discern the black reality of what they idolize? ...

• Word Count: 1596
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... through her trials as a sinner in the Puritan society. Although the Puritan society believes that Hester Prynne is immoral, the actions that she takes shows that she is actually very moral. Hester shows care towards Pearl, her daughter, which is a clear indication of the kindness in Hester's heart. "When the young woman- the mother of this child- stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her ... first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom;" (Hawthorne 50). This is an act of motherly affection, showing that Hester loves ... such emergencies, Hester's nature showe...

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

... given him delight" (43). The constant visibility of the mark becomes Aylmer's obsession. Aylmer dreams of the mark, yet does not even realize the potency of the dreams until Georgiana confronts him; "until now he had not been aware of the tyrannizing influence acquired by one idea over his mind, and of the lengths which he might find in his heart to go for the sake of giving himself peace ... "(45). The mark is always present in Aylmer's mind ... , and he is never able to escape it or the different shades that it takes with Georgiana's changing moods ... ...

• Word Count: 1411
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... throughout the novel always in the same place "The Scaffold." The town is all out to witness the punishment of Hester Prynne some of the women are suggesting other punishments and the women are telling us about Hester and Dimmesdale. People say," said another, "that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that ... such a scandal should have come upon his congregation." (Page 49) Reverend Dimmesdale is seen as a godly man. A man who does not commit sin and in his own mind at this point he feels fine and does not have any guilt. Dimmesdale at thi...

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

... for her sin. The effect that this distortion of the letter produces is that the audience is left to try to draw the conclusion from the story by following the themes and seeing how the distortion itself can heighten our responses to the actions of the novel. The Scarlet Letter is very distorted in its depiction of the appearance of the letter, the meaning of the letter, and the affect that the letter has on other people. The ... he does not have to wear the "A- like she does, but it still effects him because he is always holding his hand over his heart I the same place that Hester's "A-...

• Word Count: 1455
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Pearl to him. He asks for their assistance to help him ascend the scaffold and together, for the first time in seven years, they are seen by all of the public eyes as a family. Dimmesdale even goes so far as to reveal his chest, which is interpreted by the reader to have a scarlet A scarred over his heart. Thus the third scaffold scene brings the novel full circle. From a hidden ... secret, the sin that Hester and Arthur ... committed is brought forth and publicly announced. Upon receiving atonement for his sin, Arthur passes away from emotional anguish. He was so distraught and ... ...

• Word Count: 1460
• Approx Pages: 6

... "A" patched against her breast. An elderly onlooker asks of what is going on and a man in the crowd explains that the lady is Hester Prynne who carries the child, Pearl, of an adulterer and is being charged for illicit sexual intercourse. The man explains to the elder that Hester was sent ahead to Boston by her husband, who is a scholar much older than she, but he ... Boston. Later, community officials attempt to take Pearl away from Hester, but with the help of young Father Arthur Dimmesdale, the two are able to stay together as a family. Father Dimmesdale, however, is suffering from s...

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