This rose-bush serves to “Symbolize some sweet moral blossom. This is seen to represent Hester’s sin as a passion, and since Pearl is a result of her passionate sin, maybe she is the symbol of mortality.” (The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne: Note 5). When Hester crosses over in to the prison, she is now living a threshold life of time. This is the threshold of time. When Hester gets out of prison; she has to now stand on the scaffold in the market in front of the whole community.
We must stop running after the accumulation of worthless religious "things" and find our satisfaction in the Person of Christ. Nee claims that this proves we miss the point of Christianity altogether in our prayers for "gifts" as if they were something separate from the Person of Christ. He writes, "Christianity is not reward, neither is it what Christ gives to me. Christianity is none other than Christ himself." The Person of Christ is what we really seek.
One has the impression that the letter represents the Puritan’s message that is drilled to the population in order to anchor it in their mind. The numerous occurrences of the scarlet letter combined with the hypotaxis style, gives a sense of a message being hammered to the reader just like a sermon: “the ignominious letter” (chap.2 p.52), “with the scarlet letter of infamy “ (chap.3 p.58) “the mark of shame” (chap.3 p.60), “at the token of her shame” (chap. 4 p.68). This is reinforced by the many metaphors of the flames of hell – “burning shame […] the scarlet letter […] seemed to scorch into Hester’s breast, as if it had been red-hot” (chap.4 p.67) ; “… burned on Hester Prynne’s bosom” (chap.14 p.148). One is invited to see the Puritans as ignominious as their
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).
Edwards' success shows not only his absolute devotion to his Christian belief but also that his words do somehow give proper credence in spite of their Earthly shackles. Edwards' saw himself in a very precarious situation since his prose is both incapable of divine description and yet the only possible way he can convey his sermons. Edwards' openly admits in his inner contemplations that the soul cannot be described in words, that it "is no impression upon the mind, as though one saw anything with bodily eyes. It is no imagination or idea of an outward light or glory, or any beauty of form or countenance, or a visible luster or brightness of any object". Through the use of oxymoron Edwards claims that since man cannot rationalize the way to God, he must turn to his senses to connect with pure adoration.
The most important symbol which is carried in The Scarlet Letter is certainly the letter A. In the beginning of the story it symbolizes the act of adultery, but by the end of the tale the A has a variety of meanings. The letter appears in many other places other than the chest of Hester Prynne. For example: while Dimmesdale is standing on the scaffold he sees a bright red letter A in the sky. One of the most significant A's is one the townspeople see on Dimmesdale's chest at the end of the novel.
In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne demonstrates through Reverend Dimmesdale how not repenting for sin can affect a man's soul, which changes the ways that he relates to himself, to others, and to God. The most noticeable effect of sin on Dimmesdale is how it changes his character, and the ways that he sees and relates to himself. Dimmesdale is a highly respected and eminent clergyman, who is renowned as one of the most godly men in Massachusetts. Hawthorne attests to this when he writes of Dimmesdale, "His eloquence and religious fervour had already given the earnest of high eminence in his profession"(26). However, Dimmesdale possesses an unusual manner about him for a man of his position.
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of the letter “A” and the Jail in the Puritan town to portray the theme of sin, and show how the puritans, despite their biggest beliefs and deepest desires for a utopian society, looked to seek out sin and punish it publically because they knew that ultimately sin was inevitable as it was human nature. The theme of sin is a reoccurring phenomenon throughout the book, and ultimately an integral part of the story’s plot and moral. The symbolism that the author conveys through the mentioning and description of the Jail in the center of the Puritan town clearly shows how immense the desire to punish sin, which the puritans realize is inevitable, really is. The letter “A” serves as a symbol that portrays the importance of seeking and labeling out sinners to the puritans in their society. The theme of sin, and its inevitability and punishment in the puritan society, is clearly conveyed by Hawthorne through the symbolism of the town Jail in The Scarlet Letter.
31) as he “like[s] not the smell of this ‘authority’” (1. 31). Here, he underscores one of his biggest objections to Parris’ leadership, the reverend’s inability to rule by praise of the Lord and his tendency to rule by fear of Hell; a minister’s influence in society should be more brightening than darkening. Furthermore, in regards to Parris’ leadership, John sees him as a person less concerned about spreading the word of goodness and God and more concerned about material
The Friar tries to dissuade Giovanni from commencing the relationship despite there being little effect from his words. Annabella is harshly reprimanded by the Friar, so much so that she sees sense to confess to her sins. Despite her confession however, she is still punished grotesquely towards the end of the play. Giovanni does not confess; instead he sees his actions as necessary to deal with the problem that he is the main cause of. The final line “Who could not say, ‘Tis pity she’s a whore?” can be seen as directed towards her and so she is blamed for everything that has occurred.