“Wherefore not; since all the powers of nature call so earnestly for the confession of sin, that these black weeds have sprung up out of a buried heart, to make manifest an unspoken crime?” This quote from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, represents the truth upheld by a person, and how it carries with them through eternity. Hawthorne captures the truth of reality and sin in The Scarlet Letter. By using many literary devices, he reveals the truth of the Scarlet Letter and the characters in his novel. Being a novel during the romantic period, Hawthorne makes many symbolic and archetypical references to the power of nature, and the supernatural. Hawthorne uses these archetypes and symbols in addition to light motifs to demonstrate
The realist of the two would be Nathaniel Hawthorne, his intentions for writing was to eliminate degradation and to retain morality. Hawthorne and Poe use a wide range of symbolism in their writings. Hawthorne often made use of items such as scarlet letters, black veils, poison bushes, and haunted houses to symbolize for secret sin. However, Poe employed many symbols such as black cats, ravens, vulture eyes, harlequin costumes, catacombs,
Ambiguity in the Scarlet Letter In his 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s continual use of ambiguous and unclear elements allows him to “mingle the marvelous” and to give the book a certain air of mystery, permitting the reader to draw his or her own conclusions by constantly weighing the natural versus the marvelous reason for an event. To what extent can we say that the ambiguity and imagery are inextricably linked all over the story? Symbolism and allegory of particular events will be explained in a first part, and the study of Pearl’s meaning throughout the story will be done in a second part. To begin with, the prison door is described as having never known "a youthful era.” Yet, the wild rosebush that grows at the side of the portal is its saving grace. The rosebush represents kindness and forgiveness to the prisoners who must face either a prison sentence or a death sentence.
Imagery in Fiction Writing Authors often use imagery as a powerful tool for describing and delivering their main point in fiction writing. Imagery can hint at an underlying meaning, let the reader know character traits, describe the setting, and has a host of other uses. As such it is one of the most important literary devices. Two excellent examples of how to use imagery properly are Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” and Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral”. In both of these stories the authors use imagery to help drive home their main points, although in a somewhat different manner.
Ethan Frome – Motifs and Symbols A motif is an distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition. Whereas a symbol is a material representation of an abstract idea. In literature, motifs and symbols often play an important role in the outcome of a story. Ethan Frome, a novel written by Edith Wharton, is an excellent example of this relationship. Several motifs and symbols present in the novel influence Ethan Frome and alters him to a condition that represents his failed attempt to fulfill his dreams.
ALLUSIONS IN FAHRENHEIT 451 Literary allusions often are used to relate a novel to various other pieces of literary work. Ray Bradbury used a multitude of literary allusions to enrich the plotline of Fahrenheit 451. These references provided subtle hints of depth in the novel to the reader. Some allusions helped the novel by adding to the plot, providing a relatable experience to the reader, referencing familiar stories and fables, and giving characters and settings that special something called an “it factor” that the reader could find special. Some allusions, however, were harmful to the plot or to the reader, most often by confusing the reader if they did not know the context of the original quotation.
CUSTOMS AND BONDS A piece of writing, as in every form of art, is a manifestation of its creator. Authors include fragments of themselves, their history, and their experiences for either personal motive or simply to establish a moral connection with the reader. In The Custom House, Nathaniel Hawthorne's introduction to his novel The Scarlet Letter, an unnamed narrator establishes a connection with the reader through personal anecdote, history, and emotion. This anonymous customs officer is not Hawthorne himself, rather an idealized figment of the author's imagination, a vehicle to deliver personal motives and apprehensions. It can then be said that the purpose of this piece is to act as a bond to Hawthorne's past, present, and views toward his strong familial ties to an area so rich with religious fervor, giving a glimpse into the realities caused by his own family and past.
The Scarlet Letter In a time where evil was believed to lurk amongst the puritan colonies, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Author of “The Scarlet Letter” discusses religious mind sets and prosecutions of the convicted sinners. The depth and complexities discussed in this historical fiction fulfills William Faulkner’s definition of a writer’s purpose. The writer has a responsibility which through Hester he shows the intensity of her experiences that she endeavored. William Faulkner delivered a classic speech upon receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature. Faulkner’s perspective on a writer’s responsibility should portray “love and honor and pity and pride and sacrifice”.
How effective is the setting in revealing information about Maycomb? Settings in a novel is essential for the use the plot of a story and assists in depicting themes found in a novel through the use of characters and descriptive language in the novel. The effectiveness of this, helps a reader sense and determine a character's emotions and behaviours that link back to the theme/s of the novel. Harper Lee's prize winning novel: To Kill A Mockingbird, reveals the setting of Maycomb society around the concerns of ignorance, discrimination and hypocrisy. Maycomb society and it's setting is situated around the concerns of ignorance.
Many writers often express the truth and meaning of a story through one of the literary techniques, symbolism. Throughout the story, The Flowers, Alice Walker repidiatly uses symbolism to express the deeper levels of meaning in her story. During the events of this very short, but well constructed text, Walker exercises the usage of symbolism to show the true meaning of what this story is all about and who the characters really are and what they represent. to give the reader a greater understanding of this story, Alice Walker provides in depth meanings of the events that take place in this story. Myop's tragic discovery, which had been the result violents and discrimination of racism, was a life changing event for her.