Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, the two main symbols, Hester and the scarlet “A”, change profoundly. As a recurring symbol, the “A” first represents the reality of sin, and more specifically, Hester’s sinful act of adultery. Despite this, the letter eventually transforms into other ideas, such as power, courage, and adept, contrasting against the first meaning of the scarlet “A”. The letter also relates to Hester’s daughter, Pearl, various times throughout the novel
In many literary works betrayal is often depicted. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, acts of betrayal were committed by many characters. One character in particular has committed one of the utmost forms of betrayal; Adultery. This character is the protagonist, Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne is a young woman living in a Puritan settlement in seventeenth-century Boston. Her husband, Roger Chillingsworth sends her overseas for a better life with more religious freedom and promises of him
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter”, Hester Prynne, living in the extremely strict Puritan society of Massachusetts, is forced to wear a red “A”, the mark of an adulterer, after having a child with a man who is not her husband, believing him to be dead after his two-year absence. Hawthorne’s commentary on early Puritan society in the New World is highlighted throughout the novel in the ways in which different events that transpire in the town are perceived by the townspeople versus what
The Scarlet Letter carries many themes and one major theme is “sin”. As the three main characters carry on many sins throughout the this novel which are Dimmesdale, Chillingsworth, and Hester Prynne. These three major characters carry a big role in the society, Dimmesdale being the minister and Chillingsworth being the doctor and Hester being a housewife. In the novel Hester wears her sin on her chest the letter “A” reminding her of her sin every single day of her life. There is Dimmesdale who hides
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, a romantic work of historical fiction published in 1860, explores the costs of duplicity and disguised guilt among the lives of individuals who struggle to embrace their self-awareness within a stern society. Set in the mid-seventeenth century in Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, the protagonist Hester Prynne bears the scarlet letter upon her chest. The letter A serves as an unceasing public shaming for her adulterous actions with the highly regarded Reverend
Cheris Kramarae, “feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings” (Good Reads.) In the 19th century, when The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written, it was most commonly used to “label” the fight for women’s vote and property ownership. Now in the 21st century it is used to fight for equality between men and women in politics and the workplace. Hester Prynne is a feminist because it can be inferred that she disagrees with the notions that women have to hide their feelings and
Nathaniel Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter in 1850 in a time much later than the Puritan setting. The main character, Hester Prynne, commits an act of adultery, subsequently has a child, and is forced to wear the scarlet “A” as punishment. The child produced from Hester’s sin is called Pearl. Pearl is her mother’s greatest treasure, as well as the greatest price Hester has ever paid (Hawthorne 499). In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses Pearl to symbolize the Scarlet Letter; her fiend-like actions,
the course of history, those who were considered sinners were often cast out from the society. This was indeed the case with the character Hester Prynne in “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The scarlet letter “A” that Hester Prynne wore on her bosom symbolizes sin, adultery, and capability. Although Hester may be a sinner, and a great one at that, Hester surprisingly benefitted from her punishment changed her attitude, and the way family influenced her. Hester is neither a remorseful sinner
A Sign of Many Meanings An Analysis of Symbolism in "The Scarlet Letter" Early American literature holds an important part in the history of the United States. There are many legendary writers who composed very prominent novels or stories that led to the shaping of early America. These same authors didn't only help with the shaping, but they often explained it, many times exposing the evils of society and the personal experience of the victims of society. To get their point across, many of these
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