The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter share many themes that are still present in today’s society, such as the use of public humiliation as a punishment. Because of their sins, both John Proctor and Hester Prynne were alienated and punished by their peers and town leaders. The public humiliation that they faced helped shape the characters in the eyes of the reader and affected the way that they behaved and acted. The most obvious theme contained in both texts is sin. In The Scarlet Letter, the sin that has been committed is adultery where Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale conceive an illegitimate child, a daughter named Pearl.
Proctor tried to protect his wife from this and Hester tried to protect Dimsdale’s name; unfortunately they were both punished for it. John and Hester still have their differences. One difference was how they were punished for their sin. Proctor was condemned to death for his sin and Hester was put on a public scaffold for her sin. Also Hester’s name was known thru the town to have committed adultery.
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses several literary elements while writing “The Scarlet Letter” to carefully craft the novel; such as biblical allusions, symbolism, and personification to portray the flaws of human nature. Biblical allusions are referred to throughout the novel to provide reader with an understanding of the nature of sin. He uses Dimmesdale as the main focus point towards this literary element during his death. Hawthorne also uses symbolism and it is present when the Black Man is mentioned, comparing human nature and the evil that can sometimes overcome it. Finally, personification helps bring out another theme, in which light and darkness show through nature in the book.
Hypocrisy, the Ungodly Sin Above all others The question of sin is a reoccurring theme in “The Scarlet letter”, where various sins, from Hestor’s adultery, to Dimmesdale’s cowardice, or Chillingworth’s revenge are put on display to be judged by the Puritan society, and also by the reader. In his novel, Hawthorne uses these smaller sins to display a deeper sin; the sin of Puritan hypocrisy. From the beginning of the book Hawthorne ridicules the Puritan society. As one of the first buildings in their new town, the Puritans build a prison. For a culture that is based strictly on the bible that teaches forgiveness, strangely the Puritans are quick to punish, and Hestor also becomes a victim of this.
The red letter “A” that Hester was forced to wear on her chest for committing adultery was a major symbol. It represents sin; Hester’s sin naturally. The scarlet letter she has to wear on her chest is a scarlet A. Her scarlet letter, like her sin, is something she must always deal with and is something she can never escape fully. “But, on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush, covered, in this month of June,
“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.
The Scarlet Letter Many novels have symbols that mean something other that what they originally mean. Some symbols are objects and some are actual people. In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are many different symbols. In this novel, Hester is punished for her sin and is forced to wear a scarlet A. Her daughter Pearl is born because of this sin.
Effect: Throughout the novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne repeatedly focuses on a recurring idea in the story—the contrast between light and dark, and sunshine and shadow. In many cultures across the globe, darkness and dark colors represent shame, sin, and disgrace. Hawthorne takes advantage of this universal concept and applies it to the novel’s sequence of events. Hester is a sinner. She has committed crimes that defy the wishes of god himself, and she has been ridiculed and outcast from her community.
As .... (688 3 ) Comparison Of Peale Family Painting And Freake Painting .... During the Puritan times, Children were viewed as essentially evil beings, condemned by the original sin of Adam and Eve, however, during the period of .... (779 3 ) The Scarlet Letter- Puritanism .... that Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts. By cleverly inserting examples of the Puritan times, his opinions permeate throughout the novel. (548 2 ) Puritans are Contradictory .... "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. " (Gen 1:27) In Puritan times, the dominating .... (978 4 ) 8.) What characterized puritan religion and government?
The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, writes about the psychological effects of hidden sin and guilt. In this novel he writes about three characters who display hidden guilt and numerous sins. A young beautiful woman, Hester, committed the sin of adultery. From that sin, she bore a child with Arthur Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale as the Reverend of the Puritan society broke his sacred promise with the Lord and church.