The Scarlet Letter Interpretive Essay In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ the Reverend Dimmesdale is the central conflict of the story. He is torn between his need to accept and pronounce his sin and Pearl as his daughter and his love of freedom. His demeanor drastically changes from the first scaffold scene‚ where he is seen as a two-faced criticizer to the third and final scaffold scene‚ where he humbly repents and acknowledges his sin publicly. The three scaffold scenes in the book
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Scarlet Letter. Chillingworth is a man disgraced by his wife’s actions. Throughout the book‚ he chooses to remain in the shadows of the pages to torture Dimmesdale‚ his wife’s lover‚ with his guilt. However‚ before the events of the novel‚ Chillingworth is described as a kind‚ intelligent man. Nathaniel Hawthorne characterizes Rodger Chillingworth as a Lucifer type figure‚ using fierce diction and a good and malevolent binary. Rodger Chillingworth is not a weak man‚ in The Scarlet Letter. The reader
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In the story‚ The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ sacrifice runs through almost every character. One specific person who portrays this kind of trait towards the end of the book is DImmesdale. He sacrifices the sin he created with Hester and his placement with everyone else when he finally exposes the “A” for all to see. Dimmesdale is fond of Hester‚ but he could never share the sin he committed. No one can find out. People who are selfish never realize the impact they make on other’s lives
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 In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ life is centered around a rigid Puritan society in which one is unable to divulge his or her innermost thoughts and secrets. Every human being needs the opportunity to express how he or she truly feels‚ otherwise the emotions are bottled up until they become volatile. Unfortunately‚ Puritan society did not permit this kind of expression‚ thus characters had to seek alternate means to relieve their personal anguishes and desires. Luckily
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Arthur wishes to have his shame displayed as Hester’s is and even says to her: Happy are you‚ Hester‚ that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret! Thou little knowest what a relief it is after the torment of seven years’ cheat‚ to look into an eye that recognizes me for what I am! Had I one friend‚ or were it my worst enemy‚ to whom‚ when sickened
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secret changes someone’s personality‚ leading them to have self-doubt or guilt until that secret is out. After the secret is divulged‚ the character affected by the secret are more at peace than they were previously‚ being oblivious. In The Scarlet Letter‚ Hawthorne focuses on the idea that having a secret changes a person in inconceivable ways‚ and that the only way to reverse effects of the secret being withheld is
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minister’s clothing‚ and‚ upon witnessing the dark secret on the minister’s bare chest‚ becomes engulfed in vengeful delight. The leech‚ unable to contain his ecstasy‚ releases it in a cathartic dance as he flails and sways like a madman. In The Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne argues that sin has detrimental and severe lasting effects on one’s life. Through the use of third person omniscient point of view and the characterization of the vengeful and obsessed Roger Chillingworth‚ Hawthorne delineates
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In The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ the use of public shaming has an everlasting effect on a woman named Hester Prynne after she commits adultery within her Puritan society. She was sentenced to stand on a platform in front of her entire community‚ and she must wear the scarlet letter for the rest of her life. Public humiliation is the dishonoring showcase of a person for everyone in a community to see. To this day‚ some judges still use public humiliation to punish people for their
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Puritans‚ the people upon a hill of Christian faith‚ were known for their strict religious regimen‚ and thus often perceived as monotonous. Likewise‚ in Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter‚ the author expresses his accusatory and judgmental view of the Puritan community mostly through the usage of selective detail‚ dismal and contemptuous diction; as well‚ he expresses his view of the Puritan community through his grim and suspenseful tone. By using details selectively‚ Hawthorne promotes his judgmental
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Have you ever had something that brings you both joy and torture? In the book the Scarlet letter the main character Pearl punishes her mother by constantly reminding her of the horrible deed that she has done‚ yet Pearl also brings Hester joy. The author-Nathaniel Hawthorn-uses Pearl as a symbol of punishment and a gift. The author uses symbols and diction to convey the theme that even the most brutal of punishments can be confernting. Hawthorne uses diction to showhow Hester’s precious Pearl
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