... , Hester must wear the Scarlet Letter "A" on her bosom for the remainder of her life. Hawthorne also uses many literary elements in The Scarlet Letter, such as symbolism and irony. The Scarlet Letter, pearl, and sunshine are examples of symbolism. What is ironic about The Scarlet Letter is that Hester holds both the role as sinner and saint. Hester Pyrne, after being found guilty of committing adultery, must wear the Scarlet Letter "A" on her bosom ... birth to her daughter, Pearl. Pearl's name is also an example of symbolism. Her name means she came of great cost; all Hester had. Pearl ...

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• Grade Level: High School

... burden on her chest. Also, in chapter six. it shows Pearl's fascination of the scarlet letter and seems to torture her mother by playing with it. Pearl symbolized God's way of punishing Hester for adultery. On page 61 in The Scarlet Letter, when Pearl is being explained as an innocent child, Hawthorne writes "a lovely and ... at sometimes she was very happy, joyful, and full of life and color but on other days she was "wilting" which brought Hester much grief. In The Scarlet Letter it shows how if a person sins against God, he/ she will pay for what they did, even through that particula...

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... and what is ethical also plays a necessary part to the development in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. "The mind's eye, or the imagination, is the instrument of moral insight." Imagination is what creates moralistic intuition in the writer (Jacobsen pg. 34-33). Another example that may support morality in the production of The Scarlet Letter, as a historical document, is the study Yvor Winters claims that "Puritans had allegorical morality," ... tried his hardest to present Puritan society but failed to acknowledge its true reality. Well, if Hawthorne failed to do so then why does Gorman...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... and Dimmesdale are both intertwined with the meteor for opposite reasons. Pearl sees a figure in the distance watching them. It is Chillingworth, Hester's husband, and he discovers the bond that Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl share by the "A" in the sky. In conclusion, the scarlet letter, the meteor, and Pearl are all a result of sin. They also have a symbolic meaning to the identities of the characters. The scarlet letter has its two meanings for Hester ... . The meteor comes to Dimmesdale as his own scarlet letter. Pearl is the result of Hester and Dimmesdale's sin. The townspeople real...

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• Grade Level: High School

... her mother; she was terrified by it. Pearl was unaware of the significance of the scarlet letter to the Puritans; she tried to get information from her mother to uncover what it meant. The unique personalities of the characters in The Scarlet Letter allowed the readers to get a first hand perspective of the story. Altering The Scarlet Letter would not be necessary because of all the strong aspects it contains. " Hester Prynne, leading along little Pearl ... , in her scarlet grab, and pointing her forefinger, first at the scarlet letter on the bosom, and ... ...

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... had inhabited another sphere."" (p.78) As time passes by, Hester's opinion throughout the community changes. Her devotion to serving the sick and needy and her fine sewing skills, give her access to almost every person in the community. People now interpret the scarlet letter "A- meaning able instead of adultery. "The scarlet letter had the effect of a cross on a nun's bosom. It imparted her to walk securely ... amid all peril."" (p. 149) Hester's opinion is not the only thing that changed. Her character has as well. Rather than acting on ... not look back.-(p.185) She then undoes the cl...

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... uses symbols to represent a forgiving nature, a punishment for a sinful act, and as living reminders of human foibles. The symbols used in this book are the scarlet letter, Pearl, and the rosebush next to the rusted prison door. The scarlet letter was a stigma worn by someone who had committed a sinful act many Puritan settlements. The Puritans believed that public humiliation was a just punishment for these offenders. Hester was forced to wear ... a prison for criminals. Right from the beginning Hawthorne hints at the fact that many of the Puritan ideas very hypocritical. The symbols u...

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... women's societal standing suggests that women are becoming more feminine and compassionate. At first glance, Hester is considered to be a contemptible adulteress, but as the novel progresses, the scarlet letter on her chest takes on a new meaning. At the beginning of the novel, Hawthorne explains how women have become more feminine throughout generations: Morally, as well as maternally, there was a coarser fibre in those wives and ... society views Hester as an adulteress. However, outside of that community, the scarlet letter on her chest does not have the same scandalous meaning. The ...

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... for Hester and favors her more than any other character in the novel. Nathiel Hawthorne criticized the way Puritans lived. As we see the narrator also has these thoughts. "On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A." (The Scarlet Letter) The author describes the scarlet letter as elaborate and ornate, even though it's supposed to be punishment ... . Typically many would describe it as hideous and repulsive but he didn't. The scarlet letter is a reflection upon her which makes her mor...

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• Grade Level: High School

... of evil very intelligently and uniquely in his stories. "The Scarlet Letter", and "The Minister's Black Veil," show that his studies of evil often coincide with his studies of religion, in this case, Puritanism, which his ancestors in Salem practiced in the 17th century. The following will explain the nature of evil in the stories, "The Scarlet letter" and the "Minister's Black Veil". The Scarlet letter deals with guilt, fervor, and hypocrisy in a tough Puritan ... that they are keeping a secret. That's just one interpretation anyway. The scarlet letter has a similar theme. I guess the ...

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... represent a moral or religious belief or value. Without symbolism literature is just a bunch of meaningless words on paper. The most symbolic piece of work in American Literature is Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne's use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter is one of the most significant contributions to the rise of American Literature. Much of Hawthorne's symbolism is very hard to find but several symbols are also obvious ... . In the first chapter Hawthorne describes the prison as "the black flower of civilized society". The prison represents the crime and punishment t...

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... be perfect in a sense where they must hide how they really feel and live false lives. Sin, rather than power, is the basis of The Scarlet Letter and donates to the message that perfection is not achievable by a set of rules that is ever created by man. Although Miller and Hawthorne describe Puritan ... the books. The Crucible uses this power in a more apparent fashion by personifying this necessity for power through Reverend Parris, while The Scarlet Letter explains the inabilities of these powers, which in turn explains the devotion of these powers to absolute power. The overall differen...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... others are down right cruel. Teasing pertains to Pearl because she is teased unmercifully by the Puritan children. " The children of the Puritans looked up from their play and spoke gravely one to another: "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 side! Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at them!"" (98 ... ). Since Pearl senses that she is an outcast, she scares the Puritan children by jabbering indistinctly and making wild gestures while shrieking. This causes ... . She had a ...

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... was. Others feel that a person's punishment should be based upon the severity of their crime. However, what many people overlook is the fact that in time, we all have committed sins. In The Scarlet Letter, the idea of sin and punishment is the main theme of the novel and how Hester Prynne, the main character, has been punished for her sin of adultery. As Nathaniel Hawthorne states in this ... novel, "In the view of Infinite Purity, we are sinners all alike ... very clear that Hester does not abide by most Puritan traditions and she clearly is not very orthodox. However, at times in the...

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... , while there are also specific parallels between characters, such as Abigail and Hester, and Parris and Dimmesdale. The settings in both The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible are similar in many ways. The Scarlet Letter takes place around the 1640s, as The Crucible occurs in 1692. The time period is very important in both pieces, because it is a time of religious intolerance and a conservative attitude pervades in New England, where both ... 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 relig...

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Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller's The Crucible are both distinctly different works about the Puritan society. The Scarlet Letter is a novel and The Crucible is a play. While The Scarlet Letter deals mainly with the sin of adultery, The Crucible deals mainly with false accusations of witchcraft. Both have obvious similarities like the setting and the crime, however, one of the greateset similarities between the two is the loyalty of the Puritan people to their appointed officials, the public supported ... them greatly, because in their theocratic society, the eyes of...

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... none of them were as successful as "The Scarlet Letter". It was set in Puritan Boston in the early years of a Massachusetts Bay Colony. Many things can affect what happens in a story and one of those things is setting. In the Scarlet Letter, there is the symbolic significance of various settings: the scaffold; the forest, which ironically becomes an oasis of freedom for ... Hester and Dimmesdale, though everyone else views it as the devil's territory. The scaffold in the town center symbolizes the harsh judgments in Puritan society. Puritan culture exhibits an unforgiving policy ... n...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... be punished, but also that you can easily redeem yourself, like Hester did. How do you think God reacted to this cruel punishment? Did he approve of the "A" that at one point stood for "adulterer?" The scarlet letter was meant to be a symbol of shame, but instead it became a powerful symbol of identity for both Hester and Pearl. Pearl does not even recognize Hester ... as her mother without the letter safely secured to her bosom. Over time the meaning of the letter shifts and Hester, as well as the society, learns to see beyond the outward appearance and look within ... . As long as Pea...

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... strict guidelines to living a holy life that is pleasing to God. In The Scarlet Letter and the history readings, it is evident that the Puritan lifestyle was reaching towards the goal of perfection. The views of The Scarlet Letter and the history readings agree on the Puritan way of life. There are many examples about the Puritan lifestyles that reflect this statement. They agree on issues involving government and politics ... , crime and punishment, and religion. The government during the time of the Puritans was closely related to the religion. Church ... it was wrong to drink, they ...

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• Has Bibliography

... it homicide, adultery, or robbery? "The Scarlet Letter," by Nathaniel Hawthorne have theme that is very substantial to the overall effect of the novel. In essence, this is a story of sin, punishment and the importance of certainty and truthfulness. One theme which plays a big role in "The Scarlet Letter" is sin, judgment and its consequence. An extreme sinner through the eyes of the Puritans is Hester Prynne because she has ... committed the sinful act of adultery. The effect of this sin is condemnation and sentenced to wear the scarlet letter "A" as a constant reminder for her sin. Hest...

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... community is said to be one of strict and proper manner though when one bearing the scarlet "A" on their chest was to walk through the town, they were pointed and taunted at, as though they were not a human being but of some sort of horrifying existence. The Scarlet Letter could have been written to show others of Puritan ways and beliefs but one who reads this ... on this earth for. Such people were punished in such ways as the scarlet letter, or in The Crucible, the Salem Witch Trials. The sad views of these narrow-minded people also led to the penalizations and unfortunate deaths of ...

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The Scarlet Letter Essay In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, there are many different themes portrayed throughout the book. Hawthorne develops these themes through many different symbols in his novel. Besides the obvious symbol being the Scarlet Letter, you can find many other examples of Hawthorne's use of color. The colors that he repeats in the book besides red are gray, gold, green, and black. Gray represents the strict Puritan society ... . Gold represents passion. Green is shown as life, hope, and youth. Last, black, is shown as a symbol for evil and sin. The beginning of...

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... 12 which was about Dimmsdale. In a "utopia" like the puritan's society, one can never get away after committing crime, in the end they get punished and pays for what they did and regrets it. The first scaffold scene in the scarlet letter focuses on Hester Prynne. The scene occurred in the morning sunlight. Hester on the scaffold with Pearl in her hand. Townspeople gathered to watch her ... on the scaffold and she, alone was facing it. People hated Hester ... . In this scene Dimmsdale wasn't with Hester and Pearl on the scaffold. This is the scene where Hester saw her old husband Roger C...

• Word Count: 560
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• Grade Level: High School

... that Hester is a young and beautiful woman who has brought a child into the world with an unknown father. She is punished by Puritan society by wearing the scarlet letter "A" on the bosom of her dress and standing on the scaffold for three hours. The scaffold is an unpleasant punishment to bear; the townspeople gathered around to gossip and stare at Hester and her newborn child, Pearl ... , named because of her extreme value to her mother. In the middle of the faces in the crowd, Hester sees the face of a man ... her true husband, Roger Chillingworth. "It was sufficiently evident to Hes...

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• Grade Level: High School

The letter "A" in the Scarlet Letter is not just a letter, it is a symbol in which the whole book revolves around and establishes a theme that develops throughout the story. The letter "A" changes throughout the novel and goes from something evil to something good, in this case being "angel." The letter gives Hester, the main character, her personality and integrity; it gives Hester the strength to be able to fight her problems and to help out others. Being ... Arthur Dimmesdale, a young puritan minister, and she commits the act of adultery. Several months later the town realizes she has comm...

• Word Count: 1035
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• Grade Level: High School