A reveiw of the scarlet letter
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel that takes place in a
Puritan community during the middle of the seventeenth century. The story is about a
woman named Hester Prynne who has an affair with a man by the name of Reverend
Arthur Dimmesdale. This occurred after her husband inexplicably failed to join her in
Boston after their emigration to American from Europe. Hester soon gives birth to a child, and is from then on condemned by her fellow townspeople. This condemnation
consists of the town forcing her to wear an "A" upon her bosom. Throughout the book
the letter A takes various shapes and forms for different people.
The first person for whom the letter "A" takes shape for is Hester Prynne. For
Hester the "A" can represent adulteress, ashamed, artist, able, armor, and alienation. An adulteress is someone who commits adultery, voluntary sexual intercourse between
a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse. Hester commits adultery
when she engages in sexual intercourse with Reverend Dimmesdale, a man who is not
her husband. Her deed is found out when Hester becomes pregnant, a task not
possible by her husband since he had been missing for some odd number of years.
The term adulteress is placed down on her as a punishment for going against the puritan ways and having
intercourse with a man other than her husband. The "A" is supposed to be used as a form
of punishment but Hester does not see it that way. The town places the A upon her bosom
because it "is meant to be a symbol of shame, but instead it becomes a more powerful
symbol of identity to Hester. The letter's meaning shifts as time passes (Sparknotes, 7)."
They wanted her to be "ashamed" of...
More "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
essays:
A Summary of the Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter
... with Arthur hastily and gives birth to Pearl, for which she is condemned to wear on the breast of her gown the scarlet letter "A", which stands for adultery. But Hester's adultery haste ...
A Summary of the Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter
... with Arthur hastily and gives birth to Pearl, for which she is condemned to wear on the breast of her gown the scarlet letter "A", which stands for adultery. But Hester's adultery haste ...
A summary of the novel 'The Scarlet Letter' written by Nathaniel Hawthorne
... both Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth to be greater than that of Hester Prynne, which I see as correct. Reverend Dimmesdale also ... The Scarlet Letter' written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the mid-Nineteenth century, however it is regarded by many as a classic today. The Scarlet Letter is ...
The style of The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne
... seriously condemned by the Puritans of seventeenth century Massachusetts that is was often punished by dead. In contrast, Hawthorne does not condone Hester's adultery, but he does find it less serious a sin that the sins of Dimmesdale and ...
Analysis of The Scarlet Letter
... The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is essentially a story of sin, punishment, and hypocrisy. In the marvelous romance. Hawthorne deals with the conflicts between young women and the rigid laws of seventeenth-century Puritan society ...
Rewriting of Hester Prynne's Fate
... the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. "Arthur, takest me out of this place! Please, Arthur! Wilt thou? " Hester's cheeks glowed with excitement. "Hester, we ...
Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne: The sins of the characters.
... strived. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, and the Puritan society characterized by the townspeople, all ...
How far do you share Hawethorne's view of The Scarlet Letter as an "allegorical romance?"
... text. Hester Prynne is the public bearer of the scarlet letter and she is the central character of the text. She is the romantic hero figure in the novel and Arthur Dimmesdale is the leader of the local Puritan church ...