The Scarlet Letter Essay

Submitted By baybear17

Words: 464

Pages: 2

Open Document

Baylee 9-16-12
Scarlet Letter Paper Transcendentalism was popular during the 1800s, which was right in the time when Nathaniel Hawthorne was writing The Scarlet Letter. In order to get an idea of where Hawthorne was coming from in regards to the Transcendentalist movement is important that we know a little about Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism was a philosophy which taught that human problems can be fixed by the development of human emotions. Its basis was on the idea that experience and observation were not the only way to attain knowledge. They believed that the way to the physical world is through their senses and understanding. They learn about the spiritual world by means of reason. Transcendentalists also believed that people should look to their inner self and emphasize individuality. They also taught that the organized churches hinder people from having about god in their own way. This is just a little part of what the Transcendentalists believed. Hawthorne used the ideas of the Transcendentalists when he was writing about the character Hester Prynne. There was one part in the book where the townspeople were talking about her and they said that she didn’t listen to the laws of the land. She judged right and wrong based on her heart and what she felt was right. It is one of the finest examples of Transcendentalism in his book. The Puritan idea of thinking was also shown in The Scarlet Letter. Grace, devotion, prayer, and self-examination were the principles that the Puritans taught were necessary to achieve religious virtue. Hawthorne portrays Reverend Dimmesdale as a very Puritanistic person. He was always praying and being very holy (according to the public). Through this story we can see why two different “religions” are not meant to be mixed. Dimmesdale always wanted to hide his sin of adultery

Scarlet Letter Essay

English III 1st Period The Symbolism of The Scarlet Letter Have you ever read a book with lots of symbolism? Did you notice there was one symbol the author went to great extents to represent to the reader? The Scarlet Letter is a well known book that has been read for many generations. It is one of those books that has lots of symbolism but has one primary symbol that is concentrated on throughout the book. This major symbol is a scarlet letter A. This letter is worn by a young girl that has committed…

Words 497 - Pages 2

The Scarlet Letter Motif)

Mini-Report #2 (The Scarlet Letter Motif) In chapters nine through sixteen, Hawthorne alternates the meaning of the scarlet “A” from adultery to able. The letter now symbolizes Hester’s strength and ability. Metamorphosis says that the townspeople who once condemned her now believed her scarlet "A" to stand for her ability to create beautiful needlework and for her unselfish assistance to the poor and sick (Metamorphosis online). During this section of “The Scarlet Letter,” Hester begins to be…

Words 340 - Pages 2

Sympathy In The Scarlet Letter

Surname 5 Name Professor Subject Date The Scarlet Letter This essay will take a defensive position on the assertion that people are not actually “humanized” or capable of sympathy until grief deeply touches them. Evidence will point out that people reactions to sympathy for others have to be emotionally induced, mostly by pain or unusual happenings and acts. Pearl is the daughter of Hester, and the book uses her as a symbol. She becomes an important character in the book through her ability to provoke…

Words 1134 - Pages 5

Essay on scarlet letter

of the Letter in The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter includes many profound and important symbols. This device of symbolism is portrayed well in the novel, especially through the scarlet letter "A". The "A" is the best example because of the changes in the meaning throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, the scarlet letter "A" is viewed as a symbol of sin. The middle of the novel is a transition period, where the scarlet letter…

Words 1495 - Pages 6

The Scarlet Letter Transcendentalism

disagreed with the practices and dependency on religion, and he wrote The Scarlet Letter in backlash. Puritan society did not believe in putting individuals over the whole community nor did they believe in finding spirituality in nature. Transcendentalism is a literary movement presented in the book the Scarlet Letter, It is demonstrated through Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Pearl. The main character of The Scarlet Letter is Hester Prynne, a woman who committed adultery and who is publicly…

Words 518 - Pages 3

Hycrisy In Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter is a romantic fiction, that was written by the American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850. The setting of the novel is Boston during the Puritan era, where a woman (Hester Prynne) who is not married gets pregnant which makes her an adulteress. Her punishment for adultery is to wear a the scarlet letter “A.” on her chest as a visible representation of her sin. The town then basically shuns her, especially because she does not disclose the identity of pearl’s (her child’s) father…

Words 1208 - Pages 5

The Scarlet Letter Essay

The Scarlet Letter “The Scarlet Letter” is set in Puritan times when morals and beliefs greatly affected daily existence and people’s belief structure. The functional physical setting of “The Scarlet Letter” is to both foreshadow what will come and relate to the actual events occurring. For example, in the beginning of the story, the cemetery can represent the negativity in the following scene where Hester is made fun of at the scaffold. The forest represents evil because it is where witch meeting…

Words 476 - Pages 2

Scarlet Letter Symbolism

that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow” (74) shows that the rose holds valuable significance throughout the story. The scarlet letter itself, the “A”, descriptively stands for “Adulterer”, which outlines the sin that Hester had committed. The letter holds a lot of pain and shame to it, shown by, “...for the remainder of her natural life to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom” (95). Another form of symbolism is the scaffold, which…

Words 1032 - Pages 5

Scarlet letter Essay

Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter is a figure of shame and sin. Hester is looked down upon and shunned by the townspeople because she's has committed adultery. She is forced to wear the letter "A" to tarnish her reputation. Hawthorne's attitude toward Hester is different from the rest of the townspeople because of the way her presents her and finishes the story. As the novel continues the meaning of the scarlet letter changes from adulterer to able, adding to Hawthorne's true view of Hester Prynne…

Words 597 - Pages 3

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…

Words 478 - Pages 2