Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essays - 798 Words

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American writer in the 1800s. He had many works of Romanticism, most being inspired by Puritan New England. One of these is The Scarlet Letter, which he wrote based on the Puritan era. Puritans had a series of beliefs including: the will of God explains all natural phenomena, God chooses who becomes one of the elect, and ministers and church members control and made up the government. Hawthorn does include examples of Romanticism as the story goes on, but this novel focuses more on the Puritan lifestyle throughout the timeline of the story. Hawthorne also includes a bit of sarcasm when mentioning the Puritan’s beliefs. Hawthorne includes examples of God throughout this novel. When Hester is asking†¦show more content†¦Through his communication with God, he is forgiven, as are the other members of the elect. In the Puritan era, the ministers and church officials controlled the government. During Election Day, Hester says, ‘For the Governor and the magistrates are to go by, and the ministers, and all the great people and good people... and the soldiers marching before them.’ (Hawthorne 105). She shows that all the important people are the Governors, magistrates, and ministers. During Hester’s punishment, the government officials questioned her, â€Å"... the governor, and several of his counsellors, a judge, a general, and the ministers of the town, all of whom sat or stood in a balcony of the meeting-house, looking down upon the platform.† (Hawthorne 27). Hawthorn implies that the governors, ministers, and church members dealt with the crimes in the town. Along with these beliefs the Puritans held, Hawthorne also included many examples of the Puritan lifestyle. â€Å"It might be that a sluggish bond-servant, or an undutiful child... was to be corrected at the whipping-post. It might be that an Antinomian, a Quaker, or other heterodox religionist, was to be scourged out of the town, or an idle or vagrant Indian, whom the white mans firewater had made riotous about the streets, was to be driven with stripes into the shadow of the forest† (Hawthorne 23). He describes their punishments and close-mindedness on religion and they would only take people of their religion. Hawthorne used theShow MoreRelatedIn Nathaniel HawthorneS The Scarlet Letter, There Are948 Words   |  4 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter, there are many important scenes. But there are five scenes that stood out and pushed the plot forward. This includes Hester walking out of the prison, Chillingworth finds out about Dimmesdale’s scarlet letter, and Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl. The final two being Hester meeting Dimmesdale in the forest and the Dimmesdale confessing his sin. These scenes are the key points in his novel. The first major scene in Hawthorne’s TheRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne’s Diction of the Scarlet Letter952 Words   |  4 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s Diction of The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne presents the reader with the harsh, life changing conflicts of three Puritan characters during the 17th century. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Robert Chillingworth must endure their different, yet surprisingly similar struggles as the novel progresses. Despite their similarities, Hawthorne shows these individuals deal with their conflicts differently, and in the end, only one prevails. NathanielRead MoreEssay on Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter1158 Words   |  5 Pagesa term that the Oxford English Dictionary defines as â€Å"the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform.† In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, the characters’ hypocrisy represents the pervasiveness of hypocrisy in all people. Hypocrisy is evident in all of The Scarlet Letter’s main characters: Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, the town of Boston, and P earl. One of the main characters in the novel, Hester, shows the pervasivenessRead MoreA Perception of Sin: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter871 Words   |  4 Pagesof history, those who were considered sinners were often out casted from the society. This is much the case with Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. After a public trial, Hester is considered a sinner due to her birthing of a so called â€Å"devil child†. Hester is convicted to the life long bearing of a scarlet letter on her chest. The Scarlet Letter that Hester Prynne wears symbolizes the change in perception of sin through out the novel. Due to the revelations of the governorRead More Symbols and Symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter1157 Words   |  5 PagesSymbols in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚   In nearly every work of literature, readers can find symbols that represent feelings, thoughts or ideas within the text.   Such symbols can be found in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.   Hawthornes book about an affair between a woman named Hester and a minister named Arthur Dimmmesdale is full of feelings of sin, guilt, hate, secrecy, and honesty.   There are many symbols within the novel that can be interpreted to represent the key topicsRead MoreConflict in Nathaniel Hawthornes the Scarlet Letter Essay996 Words   |  4 PagesConflict in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter Conflict can take on many forms in one’s life, such as conflict with self, with society, with religion and with others. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, develops the theme of conflict through the moral sin of Hester Prynne. Conflict is observed through Hester’s difficulties with the townspeople, challenges with the Puritan way of life, struggles with herself and tensions with Roger Chillingworth. Committing sin in the Puritan societyRead More Justice Explored in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter1043 Words   |  5 Pages Justice Explored in The Scarlet Letter nbsp; Nathaniel Hawthorne created themes in The Scarlet Letter just as significant as the obvious ideas pertaining to sin and Puritan society. Roger Chillingworth is a character through which one of these themes resonates, and a character that is often underplayed in analysis. His weakness and path of destruction of himself and others are summed up in one of Chillingworths last sentences in the novel, to Arthur Dimmesdale: Hadst thou sought the wholeRead MoreVerbal Irony In Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter741 Words   |  3 Pagesdownward upon his fearful client. Wait, a crooked toothed dentist? Ironic, isn’t it. Irony is a clever literary device that many authors use to make the audience stop and ponder what has been said, emphasize a central topic or idea, or do both. Nathaniel Hawthorne, being the exceptional author that he is,uses each of the three types of irony, verbal, dramatic, and situational, to affirm his simple truth, â€Å"Be true! Be true! Be true!† thro ughout his novel. This chair is as comfortable as sittingRead More The Mysterious Forest in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter1011 Words   |  5 PagesThe Mysterious Forest in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter, life is centered around a rigid Puritan society. In this society, people are not allowed to express their true thoughts and feelings. Every human being needs the opportunity to express how they truly feel; otherwise the emotions become bottled up until they begin to hurt the person. Unfortunately, the puritans were not allowed this type of expression. Luckily, at least for the fourRead MoreRomanticism And Transcendentalism In Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter956 Words   |  4 Pages The Scarlet Letter - Research Paper Nathaniel Hawthorne is 19th-century author whose works were primarily classified as romanticism and transcendentalism. His works held many controversial elements for his time including the extensive use of feminist principles. Many of Hawthornes novels depict a different viewpoint on the defiance towards misogyny and patriarchal ways. The Scarlet Letter furthermore enhances these elements. Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, portrays the many elements of feminism