In the novel The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Hester Prynne‚ the female protagonist‚ must cope with being named a sinner within a strict and judgemental seventeenth century Puritan society. Hester chooses to accept her punishment of wearing a scarlet letter ‘A’ on her breast but feels no remorse for her allegedly shameful and sinful act. Hester Prynne proves herself to be a strong‚ independent‚ modern heroine by refusing to conform to societal gender norms‚ while still earning the respect
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At first‚ Hester may seem to be the victim. The adultery she committed when her husband was at sea‚ leads puritan authorities to give her the bright red "A" for adultery. She is left to stand in shame of puritan citizens‚ feeling their stares‚ their whispers and their judgement. In the eyes of the people‚ she is the greatest example of sin. Hester Prynne is also the object of a shady love triangle between herself‚ Arthur Dimmesdale‚ and her husband‚ Roger Chillingworth. The drama of the patriarchial
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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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a young wife while Hester Prynne is on the scaffold for the first time. While a group of people discuss how they feel about Hester’s punishment and whether or not it is fair‚ this sentence is softly spoken. This is the most important quote in The Scarlet Letter‚ because it describes how the literal “A” embroidered in Hester Prynne’s clothing is a meaningless punishment‚ while the true punishment is the guilt of being an adulterer and a sinner‚ which will not go away until Hester confesses her sin
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Hester Prynne The character of Hester Prynne changed significantly throughout the novel "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester Prynne‚ through the eyes of the Puritans‚ is an extreme sinner; she has gone against the Puritan ways‚ committing adultery. For this irrevocably harsh sin‚ she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her life. From the beginning‚ we see that Hester Prynne is a young and beautiful woman who has brought a child into the world with an unknown father. She is
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the Heart: Mother-Tradition and Sacred Systems in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club "Concentrate your will. Hear not with your ears but with your mind ;not with your mind‚ but with your spirit . . . blank‚ passively responsive to externals. In such open receptivity only can Tao abide. And in that open receptivity is fasting of the heart." (Chuangtze‚ in Yutang‚ 228) "The Master said‚ ’Look at the means a man employs‚ observe the path he Joy Luck Club Is it fair to judge someone by their sex? In traditional
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Hester Prynne Analysis Hester Prynne is the main character‚ in addition the protagonist‚ of book The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the book‚ Hester Prynne’s physical appearance is depicted as being a young and attractive woman. Hester Prynne is depicted as a compassionate woman who submissively deals with the stress and anguish of a sin that was committed prior to the beginning of the story. Three words that would greatly describe Hester Prynne are strong‚ partly because Hester Prynne
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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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believe. It takes someone who will not crumble under pressure or because of criticism from others. A hero is somebody who never gives up no matter the troubles that face them. Hawthorne uses Hester as the heroine because she is the only character in a puritan society who is morally justified by their actions. Hester Prynne is “a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale‚” a young and beautiful woman (Hawthorne 46). She brought a child into the world with an unknown father. She is punished by Puritan
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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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