In Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, he focuses on the conflicting views of society and nature in the Puritan society and uses contrast, symbolism, and imagery to convey his beliefs. From the beginning of the novel, color was used symbolically, representing everything from life to death; punishment to freedom. The color red was used throughout the novel, most notably as the scarlet letter. A letter “A” was forced upon Hester’s chest by the Puritan society as punishment for her sin of adultery in the beginning of the novel, with gold lining surrounding a vibrant, red cloth. It felt to Hester as though the red cloth emanated a “burning heat; and as if the letter were not of red cloth, but red-hot iron” (30).
Throughout the novel, the Scarlet letter bequeaths new meanings. The scarlet letter starts off as a way to symbolize adultery, then it turns to symbolize angel during Dimmesdale’s vigil, and finally it symbolizes able as Hester develops into a strong woman because of her sin. The original meaning of the scarlet letter is adultery. Hester Prynne had an affair with Reverend Dimmesdale, and her punishment because of her sin is to wear a scarlet letter “A”. Along with the meaning of adultery, the scarlet symbolizes shame.
In Nathaniel Hawthorn's, The Scarlet Letter, Pearl is the symbol of sin and adultery as portrayed by society. She is the “living” scarlet letter that acts as a reminder to Hester of her sin. She is a unique child with traits that make the rest of the town believe she is the devil child. However she is also the connection that Hester and Dimmesdale have with one another, and the reason why they came out to the public. Pearl is the human
Masculinity and femininity differ vastly in a society due to social construction, actions of men and women, and the social norms in a society and so on. Behaviour is a very important role as it defines people. The behaviour of men and women can sometimes not be acceptable as it can be obscene and vulgar to the public, though this
A place where there is absolute belief in religion and reproduction and where women are forced to cover themselves but at the same time are committing sinful sexual acts such as adultery sounds like a society which is inexplicable. The Handmaid’s Tale portrays a Biblical society named Gilead. The element allusion is used in the Handmaid’s Tale to show how higher officials can pervert the religion to their own benefit. Also the ceremony that takes place between the Commander, Offred and Serena Joy has another Biblical allusion. A part during the ceremony is where the commander sheepishly only reads parts of the Bible, and those parts only emphasize reproduction and childbearing – “It the usual story the usual stories.
The scarlet letter is one of the main symbols Hawthorne uses in the novel. The scarlet letter is an A, which stands for “adultery.” Hester wears this letter on her breast as a reminder of her sin. The letter is mentioned numerous times throughout the novel because it is a constant reminder to all the characters of what Hester had done. Hester feels guilty while she wears the scarlet letter because she knows she committed an immoral sin, and the townspeople scorn her for it. Reverend Dimmesdale also wears in A on his chest, since he too was a part of this sin.
Through the novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the reader learns that the Puritan religion looks down on sinning and punishes sinners harshly. Through several examples throughout the text, the reader can conclude that Hawthorne did not agree with the Puritans’ attitude toward sin. Hawthorne uses satire throughout the novel to make fun of the Puritan views. The main character of the novel is Hester Prynne, who is found cheating on her husband. As a result, she is forced to wear a sewn scarlet “A” on her clothing.
The Puritans in The Scarlet Letter ironically condemn Hester by hypocritically reacting to her sin and by foolishly praising the preacher who actually committed adultery with her. Once the puritans realize Hester was pregnant, they began to condemn her and give her harsh consequences. All together they banished her from the town and tried to take her daughter away from her. These consequences were given hypocritically since the majority of the town participated in witchcraft. The town, in order to justify it's sin, acted like they actually held standards by harshly attacking Hester's sin.
In the 1690’s, the character of Abigail Williams would be dreadful and obnoxious. Her actions of adultery would deem her imprisonment not only for herself, but for John Proctor. It is her latter actions of perverting the court of Justice which would sentence her for imprisonment in the 21st century. Her criminal offence and her personality of being malicious and wicked, however powerful and mature, allow the audience to appreciate the story and realise that she is pivotal in the play. She is a character who appears in critical parts of the play, and adds crucial information by her language, gestures and actions.
“The Crucible” was written in 1953 and exposes the truths about the Salem Witchcraft trials, in Massachusetts. Ultimately, through their respective protagonists’ acts of aggression and violations of boundaries, authors Hawthorne, Soto, and Miller illustrate that the guilt derived from sin itself, especially if concealed from society, can cause emotional and mental torture, leading to everlasting internal punishment, and an increase in remorseful feelings. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne depicts the consequences of concealing transgression through Hester by showing the internal punishment she faces and overcomes. Hawthorne opens this novel with a depiction of Hester’s punishment where she publically shamed on a scaffold and has no hope of hiding or concealing her guilt and sin. The author introduces an image of guilt and shame through the description of Hester as she appears from the darkness of the prison to the dazzling light of the day.