The Scarlet Letter‚ written by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ the main character‚ Hester Prynne‚ committed an act of adultery. This sinful act resulted in a feeling of guilt and humiliation as she tried to go about her normal life in the community of Salem. Her punishment for this transgression was to stand on a scaffold for three hours while she was shamed and chastised by Puritans. By acknowledging that her actions were wrong‚ Hester matured mentally and she experienced a freedom that she had never felt before
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In Hawthorne’s "The Scarlet Letter"‚ the quote "No man‚ for any considerable period‚ can wear one face to himself‚ and another to the multitude‚ without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true." stands true in many forms. Both Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale‚ prominent characters in the novel‚ convey this two-faced nature in the countenance of an overbearing Puritan society. It is this inner conflict‚ existing within all humans‚ that eventually brings about the downfall of these characters
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Hester vs. Her Adversities The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a historical novel set in 17-century New England. It’s a disturbing tale of Hester Prynne‚ a woman caught in a conflict between puritan ethics of her community and the law of her own love. The struggle is seen between the laws of the bible and those of her own moral authority. In this novel‚ Prynne survives through her trials and torments and triumphs over her adversities. Society fails Hester during her judgment on the scaffold
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Letter‚ were a group of people who were shaped by English experience and complete involvement in religion. The Puritan society molded itself and created a government based upon the Bible and implemented it with force. The crime of adultery committed by Hester generated rage‚ and was qualified for serious punishment according to Puritan beliefs. Ultimately the town of Boston became intensely involved with Hester’s life and her crime of adultery‚ and saw to it that she be publicly punished and tortured.
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creates Hester as an Eve-like figure to reinforce the concept of original sin and to converse the detrimental effects of guilt and sin on the human psyche. “In the view of the Infinite Purity‚ we are sinners all alike” (Hawthorne 310). Hawthorn derives this statement from his belief of original sin. He models Hester Prynne after Eve or the fallen women. Eve’s sin results her from being banished from paradise‚ falling‚ suffering‚ but finally attaining salvation‚ just like Hester does throughout
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Following his encounter with Hester in the woods‚ Dimmesdale projects himself onto others around him in order to protect himself from his selfish fears. Dimmesdale uses Hester’s willingness to take the blame in order to separate himself from the shame of the affair. He labels Hester as fully “accountable” for all of their problems so that he doesn’t have to admit his own wrongdoings (181). The minister knowingly accepts that Hester “bore it all” and continues to let her deal with the repercussions
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life got flip turned upside down ‚ and I’d like to take a minute just to sit right here‚ I’ll tell you how Hester became infamous in a town called Boston. So all and all through this story we were supposed to get out a few things‚ how Hester was an object‚ sinner‚ or something else‚ which I’ve forgotten because I didn’t think it was true‚ and how in the end she became a winner. For me‚ Hester started as a sinner‚ became an object used by the town‚ and in the end never became a winner‚ which I know
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affair through the resulting pregnancy of Hester Prynne. Throughout her punishment‚ Hester refuses to reveal the identity of the child’s father. Hester Prynne‚ after her husband disappeared many years ago‚ has been charged with adultery. Fact is proven by her otherwise unexplainable pregnancy. The mother and child were put in the public eye on the scaffold merely yesterday where Mrs. Prynne refused to disclose her guilty partner. As punishment Mrs. Prynne will be wearing the scarlet letter—the golden
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Thou shalt not commit adultery. It is one of the simplest rules of the Ten Commandments. Love and be loved by only one man or one woman. If one breaks this commandment‚ they are condemned a sinner. Hester Prynne in “The Scarlet Letter” commits such a sin‚ and in her doing‚ is punished harshly by the community. But when taking into account the situation‚ is her punishment just? Could Hester’s punishment be considered too severe‚ or are the perceptions of society on adultery too flexible? The 1600’s
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“The motherchild relationship...requires the most intense love on the mother’s side‚” according to Erich Fromm‚ a German psychologist. The love that Hester expresses toward her daughter Pearl in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ and the lessons that she teaches her are what makes Hester a great mother. In return‚ Pearl improves Hester’s public image with her beauty and keeps Hester’s emotions and actions in check. The way these two characters subconsciously complement each other forms a
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