Identity In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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What is Nathaniel Hawthorne intending to do when he states in his book, The Scarlet Letter, “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true” (367)? What he is aiming to do is make us ask ourselves who we truly are and why we may contrast around different groups. We may be mistaken for being “two-faced,” however, it is fine to be unique and carry multiple traits. It’s part of what makes you, you. We do not act the same around our friends as we would around our family, teachers, or strangers. Along with ourselves, our culture affects us as well. Everyone is raised differently. If our identity remains the same with every group we might be considered “weird” or “awkward.” Hawthorne says, “Identity is shaped by our interests, personality, and talents.” …show more content…
Throughout Countee Cullen’s poem “Heritage,” he explains how his culture has made him who he is today (504). In Mahmoud Darwish’s poem “Identity Card,” he also explains how people’s culture and how someone is raised affects who that person is and how they grow to be (513). We may become a new person with new people around because it is what we have been taught or what we have observed in others. Our culture affects all of our identities differently. We may have grown up to be conservative around every group, or extremely friendly and outgoing around every group. But, once again, this is not necessarily our personality that is changing because our unique combination of characteristic qualities that makes us distinct, is remaining the same, just our manners are altering. Our personality is made up of several different pieces, and even though our manners or interactions, responses and reactions change, as a whole we are still the same person with the same

Scarlet Letter Essay

A simple letter of the alphabet transforms into a symbol of sin, shame, and identity in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlett Letter. In the Scarlet letter, as a punishment for the crime of adultery, Hester becomes forced to wear the scarlet letter A for the duration of her life. In Puritan Boston, which the story sets, the town considers adultery an ignominious act. In the romance The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses diction, and point of view to create a critical and analytical tone in order…

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Guilt In The Scarlet Letter

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Essay about Scarlet Letter

Puritanical Vengeance Revenge is a thematic motif found in the puritanical works The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller. While Roger Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter seeks vengeance against Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale for their adulterous actions, Abigail Williams in The Crucible likewise seeks revenge against Goody Proctor for the pursuit of her husband, John Proctor. However, revenge in both novels proves to be a double edged sword, for not only…

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The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne Character Analysis

Hester Prynne, the main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, is ostracized from her community because of her sin of adultery. Even when she is punished for her crime of adultery and publicly humiliated by being forced to wear a scarlet A on her chest, Hester does not break. Hester is the protagonist in the novel because of everything she must endure. Hester is strong, honest and confident. The moment Hester emerges from the prison doors, she is frightened, but tries to…

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Scarlet Letter Essay

"No man for any considerable period can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true." Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a fabulous book, in which he titled “The Scarlet Letter.” Many problems were told of, but the main one being the crime of adultery. The woman, Hester Prynne, who committed the crime is said to be the protagonist of the novel. Though there have been many debates on who the antagonist is of the book, there is only one…

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The Scarlet Letter Analysis Essay

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