Colleen Callahan 12/2/12 Period 5 A Tale of Three Sinners In the classic novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ Hawthorne utilizes the extraordinary power of description and word choice to illustrate the tragically harsh lives and expectations of 19th century Puritans. The story begins with the ostracization of Ms. Hester Prynne‚ and quickly escalates toward a much deeper and darker focus: sin. Sin can be defined as the deliberate disobedience of Puritan morals and man-made law. To sin will always be
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The Scarlet Letter: The Theme of Punishment Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter deals with many themes‚ the most powerful being punishment. In this novel‚ Hester Prynne becomes a highly respected person in a Puritan society by overcoming one of the harshest punishments‚ the scarlet letter. This object on "her bosom"; however‚ does the exact opposite of that which it was meant for. Eventually‚ Hester Prynne inverts all the odds against here due to her
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The preface to Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ “The Custom House”‚ serves to introduce the society and times in which the story is set; also‚ this essay provides the background story for the finding of the scarlet letter. The Custom House also provides a definition of what a romance is. Excerpts from “The Custom House” essay closely link to The Scarlet Letter’s text. Two notable examples of these parallels can be found in the descriptions given of the townspeople in Salem who live by ancient moral
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There are many types of "scarlet letter’s" in modern day life that apply to all in any given society. A type of "scarlet letter" in today’s society is none other than appearance and self-presentation. Another "scarlet letter" that all people are subjected to‚ especially earlier in life‚ is popularity and recognition. One more "scarlet letter" example in modern day society is money. Appearance and presentation has involved itself in society too much. If certain people in society don’t like an appearance
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Many of the major themes of The Scarlet Letter are introduced in the opening scene. Some of these themes were sin‚ nature’s kindness to the condemned and the dreary lifestyle of puritan society. The first chapter has little action but it sets up these major themes. The tone of the whole story was set in this chapter. The opening scene of The Scarlet Letter‚ many major themes were introduced. One of the major themes of The Scarket Letter was sin. Much of Puritan society was based on sin. The first
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“Thou hast escaped me!”-Chillingworth says. Throughout the course of the Scarlet Letter many of the characters suffer personal struggle and make choices that affect the lives of others. All characters experience this but one such character is Roger Chillingworth or Mr. Prynne‚ as he is also known. The choices and character changes of Roger Chillingworth will be explained throughout this essay. The first point is about Chillingworth’s main conflict in the story. His wife Hester Prynne‚ a main character
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the problem is or what is going to happen for the rest of the story is the gun going off. The climax is the final stretch where the racer uses the last of his strength. The end‚ when the author raps everything up‚ is the awards ceremony. In “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne there are three scaffold scenes scattered throughout the novel. The three scaffold scenes are similar in the fact that someone is being humiliated and the
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Kelsey Federspill Scarlet Letter Literary Analysis R5 12.2. 12 Over Coming Guilt Remorse is a feeling experienced after committing an act that produces a sense of guilt. A life lesson can be learned in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel‚ The Scarlet Letter‚ about the theme of guilt. Everyone experiences guilt when they commit a sin or human frailty but the way one handles the feelings of guilt is different. Guilt is expressed in three main ways: ignoring or hiding the sin and letting the guilt build
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Human Nature in the Scarlet Letter In the Scarlet Letter‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne shows the flaws of the main characters‚ revealing the negativity in their human nature. Throughout the novel‚ each character is depicted to have his or her own value and ideas. The novel begins with the main character‚ Hester Prynne‚ being led from a prison to a scaffold before the townspeople of early Boston‚ Massachusetts. The Magistrates of the town are punishing her for committing the sin of adultery and having
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An American Tragedy: Comparing "The Crucible" and "The Scarlet Letter" by: Jamie Newlands Two American authors‚ of two distinctly different time periods had one very similar task‚ to turn a piece of American History into a believable tragedy. Arthur Miller with The Crucible and Nathaniel Hawthorne with The Scarlet Letter. Perhaps one might wonder which author did a better job in doing so‚ but with such different pieces of work‚ this is hardly a question that can be answered. Miller’s the
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