Scarlet Letter
There are numerous characters in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, that play noteworthy roles. The character that stands out the most is Hester Prynne. Hester changes significantly during the course of the novel. In the beginning of the novel she is conceived as an extreme sinner through the eyes of the Puritans; she has gone against Puritan ways, committing adultery (Chuck). For this irrevocably harsh sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her life. However, the Romantic philosophies of Hawthorne put down the Puritanical beliefs (Chuck). She is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned, but is forgiven. Hawthorne portrays Hester as a "divine maternity" and she can do no wrong. Not only Hester, but also the physical scarlet letter, a Puritanical sign of disownment, is shown through the author's style and rhetoric as a beautiful, gold and colorful piece (Chuck). Hawthorne uses Hester Prynne in the novel to convey many different meanings. Hawthor!ne is more interested in uncovering the flaws of puritan society and the hypocrisy of their reactions to Hester's sin, than to analyze adultery. Hawthorne uses Hester to scrutinize the Puritan way indirectly, and show the role women should play in society.
Chuck. " The Scarlet Letter: Hester Prynne ". Chuckiii College Resource. Dec. 2000. Van Kirk, Susan. "Cliff Notes: Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter ". Foster City, CA: The Scarlet Letter was a masterfully written piece by Hawthorne. He displays the errors in Puritan ways, and demonstrates the role that women should play in society. Hester was truly a woman ahead of her time as Hawthorne was a writer ahead of his time. Hawthorne used Hester beautifully to get across all the points that he wanted to with his novel. Also the growth that Hester makes during the course of the novel should not only be admired by her Puritan counterparts, but also by women of today.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1436
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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