Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter, based in 17th Century New England, affectation found within the budding civilization is revealed. The hypocrisy of the Puritan religion is exhibited through the actions of the religious townspeople and the prominent church leader, Arthur Dimmesdale. The absolute hypocrisy of the theocratic Puritans is established in the dawn of the novel and lives on throughout. Upon the expected dispatch of letter-clad, Hester Prynne, several Bostonians
watched for rule breaking. The Scarlet Letter tells the story of a woman by the name of Hester, who breaks the societal rules and religious law in order pursue love and have a child. As punishment by the authorities, she is forced to wear a letter “A” which initially means “adulterer.” However, later in the story, it becomes clear that there is a more complicated rationale behind the letter and the characterization of Hester, which portrays the hypocrisy
their religion. They were made to read their bibles, and whoever did not comply with their beliefs were considered to be a devil worshipper. So it makes sense for the Puritans to punish Prynne in that manner. 2. The theme of hypocrisy is all throughout the Scarlet Letter. The “church” women sort of put a brand on Prynne’s head after she is put on the scaffold. They even suggest that she should be put to death for her sin. Before Hester is put up on the scaffold those women they are discussing
The scarlet letter was a novel that portrayed a Puritan society that embodies sin, guilt and the conflict between their beliefs and actions. Hester Prynne, a young woman, that committed adultery in a puritan society. She was shamed publically holding her baby daughter, Pearl, on a scaffold and was made to wear a scarlet A as a symbol of her sin. She later moved near the wood to raise her child in isolation. Chillingworth, her ex husband, plotted against her lover, which was later revealed as
1. I empathize with Hester Prynne in the book of The Scarlet Letter. She survives through guilt, hopelessness, and loneliness throughout the novel. Like the letter A that is sown on her bossom, Hester is the symbol of sin in the Puritan society she lives in. Guilt is something everyone can relate to. It is something we all hate but is, sadly, inevitable. As Nathaniel Hawthorne says, “...guilt...once made into the human soul is never, in this mortal state, repaired” (75). Guilt is a never
he went by in his writings. In 1850, Hawthorne wrote what is considered to be his greatest novel, The Scarlet Letter. The novel is set in a Puritan community in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 1640s. Hester Pryne is a young woman in the town that performs an act of adultery with a man unknown throughout most of the novel. She is forced to wear an ‘A’ on her breast, which is called ‘The Scarlet Letter’,
Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses an admirable character, Reverend Dimmesdale, in order to portray that being a hypocrite is one of the worst sins that one can commit. Hawthorne uses hypocrisy as a major theme of the novel. Consequently, Hawthorne is able to express his hatred of the Puritanical society, by proving to the readers that the majority of Puritans were hypocritical. Throughout the novel, poor Hester Prynne had to face the evil Puritans by herself, and bravely wore the Scarlet letter
in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter isn’t just about a woman dealing with the sin of adultery but a woman who faces many different hardships and obstacles to build her character. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, wrote the novel during a time when religion was very strict, corrupt, and harsh. Hester, the main character of the novel, has a child named Pearl with another man that is not her husband. Hester has to stand on the scaffold for an hour and wear a scarlet letter
During pious Puritan times, a person was not worthy of respect without an honorable reputation. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, uses the, often horrible, decisions and reputations of characters to shape the story, moulding it into the classic novel both English teachers and students come to know and love. Nathaniel Hawthorne shapes characters such as Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale through their sins, their evolving mental and physical state, and their crippling lack
An analysis of The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, reveals several symbols, one of the most prominent being the scarlet letter. Throughout the novel the scarlet letter contributes to the plot by being the object of concern. Nearly every event in the novel is due to the scarlet letter and its significance to others. The scarlet letter takes several forms throughout the novel, first being adultery and sin. Branded on her chest by the letter glowing with scarlet, Hester Prynne is commanded to