The Scarlet Letter

A detailed Summary of The Scarlet Letter

"The Scarlet Letter" Character Types

The term "character type" does not have an exact definition and therefore can mean something different to each person. My definition of "character type" is what a person or thing in a story ( character) is or represents based on their actions ine the story. It's the core of what they are. A character's type can be defined by many factors such as their their actions, emotions, appearnce, etc. All characters add their own element to the story and no two character scan be exactly the same. Every character brings something different to the story. Hester stands out as avery brave and independent individual. Her beauty and uniqueness separates her from the rest of the Puritans. She represents the revealed sinner, which makes her unique because even though all of the Puritans had sinned only Hester's sin was revealed to the entire town. She is the strongest character in the book. Through her needlework she represents the artist. Hester also represents unrestricted human nature. Throughout the novel Hester's actions make it possible for her letter "A" to mean many things other than adultery, such as: Able, Affection, Artist, Angel, Antagonism, America, Alone, Anguish, and Atonement. Hester su

Pearl is the child of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Pearl represents art,truth, and sin because she is the product of Hester, the artist along with the adultress. To keep with her representation as art, Pearl is always dressed in extravagant clothing made by Hester's own hand. Pearl represents unrestricted human nature. Pearl also represents truth, and the theme "be true" therefore she will often appear to have an uncanny grasp of the truth, whether the other characters in the scene realize it or not. At the end of the book after Dimmesdale's confession she kisses Dimmesdale, because he has finally been true to himself and to the townspeople. After Pearl kisses Dimmesdale, her symbolic role as truth is completed and Pearl is able to live a normal life. Pearl's representation of sin is based on the fact that she is a product of sin and on her wild and crazxy behavior as a child. Pearl is also a symbol of the Old World, which she returns to at the end of the novel. She is a throwback to the older class of European women and is very different form Hester.

In conclusion, as you can see from the characters in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, variation of character type is a key element in a story. Each one of these characters represents something very strong, such as evil or bravery. They all bring something important to the story. Without this variation in character types stories would not be fun, exciting, or interesting at all. Imagine how boring a book would be if every character felt the same way about every situation; there would be no arguments, conflict, or even action. Also, this variation in character types allows a chance for more readers to be able to relate to at least one

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Approximate Word count = 1147
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels