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Protagonist in the Scarlet letter

            Protagonist role in The Scarlet Letter.
             " But (Hester) is not the protagonist, the chief actor, and the tragedy of The Scarlet Letter is not her tragedy but Arthur's. He is the persecuted one, the tempted one. He it was whom the sorrows of death encompassed . His public confession is one of the noblest climaxes of tragic literature.".
             The argument over the protagonist role in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne runs undeniably deep. At first glance it appears that the protagonist of the story is Hester Prynn, however Randall Stewart has presented an argument that suggesur Dimmesdale as the Protagonist of the story. Hester Prynn is the character that the story focuses on, more then any other character. She is the mother of her only daughter, Pearl, who was conceived in sin with the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Arthur Dimmesdale is the reverend of the small puritan society, and Hester's partner in sin. This also makes him Pearls Father. It most certainly appears that Arthur Dimmesdale is not the protagonist, but Hester Prynn plays this role. These two leading-role characters may have some things in common, but only one can convey most of the action. Hester Prynn solely occupies the role of protagonist by far. She is the initiator of all the forward action and her role in the story is crucial to the progression of the plot line. Without Hester serving as the protagonist the story would never end.
             The position of protagonist is one of power, and it is easily noticible that Dimmesdale wields no power over anyone, let alone himself. On the contrary to Stewart's statement, it appears that Dimmesdale is actually a hypocritical coward. Worse, he is a self-confessed hypocritical coward. Dimmesdale has only one part in the whole story. His role is centered on his self-torture that he inflicts on himself because he hasn't the guts or "power" to confess. This story would not have even been formed for it not had been for Hester.


Essays Related to Protagonist in the Scarlet letter

1. The Protagonist Of The Scarlet Letter

Dimmesdale: The Bearer of the Scarlet letter Who should bear the stigma of sin? Hawthorne's novel is a story of adultery, social judgment, and moral redemption. Hester cannot hide the consequences of her mistake, so she is exposed to public judgment and forced to wear the scarlet letter. However, it is Dimmesdale's guilty conscience and struggle to rise above the sin that makes the essence of the narrative. The argument for Dimmesdale as a protagonist lies in the answers ... to the following questions. Does Dimmesdale's character change throughout the story? Does he have an antagonist and a h...

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

2. Scarlet Letter

... it is Dimmesdale, he tortures the minister while pretending to help him. He is the personification of evil in the novel. CHARACTERS Major Characters Hester Prynne - the protagonist of the novel who is an English woman and the wife of Roger Chillingworth. She is tried and condemned for her sin of adultery with Dimmesdale and charged to wear the scarlet letter, "A", an indication of adultery, On the bosom of her gown forever ... . Even though she has a daughter out of wedlock, she refuses to reveal who the ... ...

  • Word Count: 1929
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: High School

3. The Scarlet Letter

... unforgivable sin. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, "The Scarlet Letter," Hester Prynne is the protagonist who commits this sin. In this society, you were to live purely and if you committed a sin then you would deserve a miserable life. Hester committed adultery with Reverend Dimmsdale, highly respected by the Puritans and because of this sin; she was given a punishment that would give a miserable life. The punishment was to wear the letter "A" on her ... more sympathy for Hester and favors her more than any other character in the novel. Nathiel Hawthorne criticized the way Puritans live...

  • Word Count: 673
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

4. The Scarlet Letter Least Moral

... reasonable and correct to the teacher? Similar to the Scarlet Letter, it falls to the same, how do we know if a person is the most or the least moral? Everyone's morals are different, it is not based on religion, but on what the people believes in and whether he or she follows it righteously or not. Hester Prynne, the protagonist of the Scarlet Letter is forced to wear the letter A on her ... bosom for committing adultery with another man and doesn't confess the name. "On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic ... flourishes of go...

  • Word Count: 833
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Isolation in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

... he used were very important, but the one that stood out the most was isolation. Many characters throughout the story, such as Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale experienced isolation, the consequence of sin. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the theme with the greatest amount of emotional meaning and importance is isolation. Hester Prynne, the scarlet letter bearer who committed adultery, is the protagonist that experiences isolation the most throughout the novel. As the consequence of her sin, she ... is separated from her community and from her family. Hester is kept isolated fr...

  • Word Count: 979
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Symbolism in the Scarlet Letter

... in "The Scarlet Letter", whoa just gave one away! A symbol is defined as something that stands for or represents something else, especially an idea, quality, or condition. Symbols, also, can be objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent, in most cases, ideas or concepts, which in novels, usually contribute to the main theme in the book. Sometimes referred to as "the first symbolic novel to be written in the United States", "The Scarlet Letter ... feelings, must seek refuge, which, in this case, brings in the forest, which represents a place of solitude or truthfulness for...

  • Word Count: 2041
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: High School

7. The Scarlet Letter

... not performing his job as he should. Besides the parallel of ministers, there are also other parallels between characters in these two works. Another parallel is between Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter and Abigail Williams in The Crucible. While Hester is considered the protagonist in The Scarlet Letter and Abigail is considered the antagonist in The Crucible, both are startlingly similar in many ways. For one thing, both go through the same types of problems, because they are ... both very much alone in their lives. Hester is shunned by society ... ...

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

8. Nathaniel Hawthorne - Capturing the Past

... them to live. Hawthorne, like other authors during the nineteenth century, took into consideration the relationship of the individual and their community, and the impacts upon society's members, as well as the way in which women were perceived during that time. The way in which women were thought of during that time explains the subject of "The Scarlet Letter." Hester Prynne, the protagonist character in the book, married an elderly scholar, Chillingworth, who had ... sent Hester to America but did not follow her. During her time there, she had an affair with a Puritan minister by the n...

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

9. The Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne

... between ignorant and often malevolent religious characters and sinful but relatable protagonists. The novel The Scarlet Letter, The Ministers Black Veil and Young Goodman Brown all unite upon this common thread. The opening scene of chapter 2 in The Scarlet Letter describes a gaggle of gossiping women viewing Hester Prynne's punishment. Hawthorne writes, ""The magistrates are God-fearing gentlemen, but merciful overmuch,-that is a truth,' ... one would be turned into a symbol to be ridiculed. Such is the position of Hester Prynne. Early on in The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne says "Thus the...

  • Word Count: 1379
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

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