... example of hysterical paranoia from the Puritan era is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This novel does not deal so much with witches as it does with the Black Man, which "is a traditional American name for the Devil."44 In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne commits adultery with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. She is discovered and forced to wear a mark of shame, the scarlet letter A, on her dress for the rest of her life. Soon ... trying to sell his rods to the two main characters, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade. From the Puritan era onward, American society has always held a d...

• Word Count: 3126
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... stories, there is a strong display of the Puritan society's reaction to a certain primary character's struggle. Hypocrisy being a major element, Hawthorne also used guilt, confession, and sin as smaller elements to get his feelings across on the Puritans" shortcomings. Hypocrisy is a major component, if not the major component that Hawthorne used to express his attitude toward Puritan society. He demonstrates in the novel The Scarlet Letter and the short story "Young Goodman Brown" just ... feelings and misfortune. Hawthorne very effectively conveys his feelings of the Puritan's hypocri...

• Word Count: 3188
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... as her own Reverend Dimmesdale cries out, "She will not speak!" and places his hand, for the first time, over his heart. This gesture will reappear and grow in significance during the course of the novel. However, this is also the same gesture that Hester Prynne makes when remembering the scarlet letter upon her own bosom. Hawthorne brilliantly connects Hester Prynne's openly displayed shame with Reverend Dimmesdale's secret ... previous revelations of truth into one. A person may reveal a hidden truth publicly, and at the same time reveal it to himself or herself, thus lifting the burd...

• Word Count: 2932
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

... belongs to it" it nourishes or starves him, or poisons him; it gives him the substance of his life." Community plays a large role in everyone's life; Pearl and Hester of The Scarlet Letter, LeAlan Jones, Lloyd Newman, Eric Morse and his killers, of Ghetto Life 101 and Remorse, and the rest of the world. The four aspects of community are neighborhood, peers or friends, family, and faith. Although ... him and he had nothing to do with faith. The fourth and final aspect of community influence is faith. An entire society based on strict faith is bound to produce problems after problems. It ...

• Word Count: 4111
• Approx Pages: 16
• Grade Level: High School