Stark Romanticism
“Change,” declared political science writer Saul Alinsky, “means movement. Movement means friction.” Indeed, society transformed and clashed between 1649 and 1850 as the austere Puritan lifestyle gave way to Romanticism. Because of their distinct contrasts, The Scarlet Letter, a nineteenth-century tale of punishment against sin in seventeenth-century Boston, misrepresents Puritan life. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter applies a Romantic technique of literature to illustrate Puritanism by tinting situations in the story to a nineteenth century approach.By describing Hester’s punishment as romantic fantasy rather than Puritan custom, Hawthorne imposes Romanticism into The Scarlet Letter. The plot initiates as Hester Prynne receives punishment for committing adultery with the clandestine Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the zenith of divinity within the Boston community. As a punishment for her crime, Boston magistrates require Hester to wear a letter ‘A’ on her clothing to remind her, and others, of her sinful deeds. Upon receiving her punishment, one town’s woman cries out, “This woman has brought shame upon us all and ought to die” (Hawthorne 49). The exclamation of the anonymous voice points out the brutality associated with
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Hester Prynne, Conversely Hester, Hester Dimmesdale, Scarlet Letter, Flesh Spirit, Arthur Dimmesdale, Puritan Romantic, Bostonians Hester, Saul Alinsky, Notably Hawthorne, scarlet letter, hester prynne, hesters punishment, exemplifies puritan, nineteenth century, gothic detail, puritan literature, puritan outlooks, puritan life,
Approximate Word count = 843
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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