Essay Test: The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne’s "The Scarlet Letter" is set in the early days of Puritan America. Hester Prynne‚ a seamstress‚ comes to the New World before her husband in order to prepare a place for them. During his absence‚ she develops a relationship with Arthur Dimmesdale‚ a rising minister in the newly founded Puritan community. Hester becomes pregnant. The novel is widely viewed to be a story about her trials and tribulations; however‚ critic Randall Steward argues
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Scarlet Letter Essay Questions---CHOOSE ONE QUESTION TO ANSWER Please read the following questions carefully‚ choose one of the questions‚ think about it and meticulously organize a clear response that includes an effective thesis statement and evidence for support. Your response should be in the form of a five paragraph essay. 1) If Hester and Dimmesdale had the same “teachers” (Shame‚ Despair‚ Solitude)‚ why didn’t they learn the same lesson? 2) The life-changing event happens to
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Hester is the protagonist in the book The Scarlet Letter. She is described as a beautiful and proud young woman who is married to Roger Chillingworth. When she first enters in the story‚ she is wearing an “A” meaning she has committed a sin of being an adulteress with the reverend. When she walks out into the public showing off her “A” she is leaving her head held high. Hester has such an amazing outlook on things. She has decorated her red “A”‚ this shows she is capable of making ugly things and
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"Hidden Guilt Abolishes Selfhood" Those who keep their sins and feelings to themselves cause themselves only anguish and despair. In The Scarlet Letter‚ a romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is a young man who achieved fame in England as a theologian and then immigrated to America. In a moment of weakness‚ he and Hester Prynne‚ a young‚ beautiful‚ married woman whose husband is away in Europe‚ become lovers. Although he will not confess it publicly‚ Dimmesdale is the father
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stories must quickly develop characters‚ so the audience can create a connection early. Protagonists contain a narrow mind in a lot of short stories. Closed-minded characters do not consider the other side of a story or argument. Protagonists in the short stories “The Sniper‚” “The Scarlet Ibis‚” and “The Cask of Amontillado‚” are narrow-minded and biased toward
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this declaration from God was strictly obeyed by the Puritans. Those found guilty of breaking this law‚ and any other of the Ten‚ were severely punished to a degree determined by the leader of the church. Hester Prynne‚ the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter‚ is exposed as an adulteress-which creates the main conflict in the novel. Hester willingly sins against the laws of the church‚ thus causing the tragedy. Puritanism started in the sixteenth century as a movement to reform
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Kristin Moseley Professor Hooks English 101 20 July 2009 The Scarlet Letter: Literary Criticism Published in 1850‚ The Scarlet Letter is considered Nathaniel Hawthorne ’s most famous work‚ and the first quintessentially American novel in style‚ theme‚ and language. Set in seventeenth-century Puritan Massachusetts‚ the novel centers around the travails of Hester Prynne‚ who gives birth to daughter Pearl after an adulterous affair. Hawthorne ’s novel concerns the consequences of the affair
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Dimmesdale’s Arguments: 1. In chapter 8‚ Dimmesdale‚ Mr. Wilson‚ and Governor Bellingham are visited by Hester and Pearl at the Governor’s mansion. When pearl is asked “who made thee?”‚ she responds that she was not made‚ but rather "plucked . . . off the bush of wild roses that grew by the prison door.". This causes the governor and Mr. Wilson to immediately become horrified and ready to take Pearl from Hester’s custody. As Pearl protests her God given right for Pearls custody‚ she pleads that
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Tajbik Sheikh The Scarlet Letter Intro In the 16th century‚ Puritans immigrated to America from Great Britain in order to escape religious persecution‚ and by the mid 17th century they had erected a well established society based on their theological beliefs. The Puritan religion was one of austerity and geared towards spiritual devotion rather than worldly possessions. Puritans followed rigid laws which rarely changed with time. They also had little tolerance for anyone who broke these laws
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The Scarlet Letter Motif: Words and names for the Scarlet Letter Chapter 1: Chapter 2: 1. “‘But she—the naughty baggage—little will she care what they put upon the bodice of her gown!’” (49) CM: Like many Puritan women in Boston‚ this woman illustrates the hate they all have for Hester Prynne‚ by declaring that Hester is unmoved by her sin. 2. “‘Ah‚ but‚” interposed‚ more softly‚ a young wife‚ holding a child by the hand‚ "let her cover the mark as she will‚ the pang of it will be
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