Badge of shame

Good Always Overpowers Evil “Good can exist without evil, whereas evil cannot exist without good” (Brainy Quotes). In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the story of Hester Prynne, a woman who is accused of committing adultery, and to eternally remind her of her sin she has to wear a scarlet letter on her bosom and gives birth to her daughter Pearl, who was the product of her affair. Arthur Dimmesdale, the minister of the town, and Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s secret husband, are…

“A mockery at which angels blushed and wept, while fiends rejoiced, with jeering laughter” (Hawthorne 101). The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the article “Concerns Raised on ‘Scarlet Letter’ for Drunk Drivers,” by Toni Locy, both provided very different examples of public shaming. Both show the pros and cons of shaming by either telling a story or explaining people’s opinions. The Scarlet Letter provides a historic view on shaming during the Puritan times. A woman named Hester is…

"On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A" ( Hawthorne 45). In the book, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is a woman convicted of adultery and who must wear the letter A upon her chest for her sin. The reader may assume that Hester is a coward who refuses to show her face in town after this incident but instead, Hester is a strong leader because of her ability to be honest about her sin…

In this riveting novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne explored the ideas of Adultery and he chose different quotes to express the meanings of the story. In this quote they are talking about the puritan prisoners and how they were when they were in prison and not just that but there are roses growing just beside the door and its explaining that even though they are prisoners there’s still roses growing near the door. Hester Prynne wears the scarlet letter for being accused of sleeping with a married man;…

The Scarlet Letter as Hypocritical Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet letter is a book of great symbolism. This book is about how society treats, and punishes a woman who have committed adultery. The plot of the book that follows the life of the main character, Hester and her daughter, Pearl. In the meantime, there are a few other main characters that are play a big role in hester’s life. These characters are the preacher of the town, Dimmesdale, and the doctor of the town, Chillingworth.…

“But she named her infant “Pearl,” as being a great price- purchased with all she has- her mother’s only pleasure.” The Scarlet Letter is one of many books wrote to teach the values of many possessions. But Hester’s scarlet letter is something much different. Hawthorne conveys the two central ideas of Sin and Temptation, and the Judgment of the Puritan Society to impact how the puritans believe everyone is born a sinner and how society judges them. The development of characters, setting, and…

which signifies adultery, for the wrong that she has done in her life. For the rest of her life, and till death, she is forced to wear forever her public shame. Now, in the society that we live in currently, people aren’t branded, but if I was branded with a letter that shows my flaw, what would it be? What letter would I have that would shame for the rest of my life and till death? Furthermore, the letter that would show my blemish would be P for procrastination due to me being a last minute…

gradually becomes one of them again. Aiding the needy also helps Hester to not be an outcast anymore, and the people remember her good deeds instead of her sins. When Hester takes off the scarlet letter in a fit of passion, she feels “the burden of shame and anguish departed from her spirit” (182). By removing the scarlet letter, Hester symbolizes that she no longer feels resistance because of her adulterous sin. Her goodness towards her society leads the residents of Salem, Massachusetts to…

People in Puritan society were taught to think and live a certain way all according to the Bible, yet author Nathaniel Hawthorne creates a novel that goes against the views he has been forced to live by. Hawthorne uses the main character Hester Prynne to depict his inner struggles in writing, of what he sees as the hypocrisy of puritan society. Hawthorne uses syntax, tone and imagery to convey this hypocrisy through Hester’s supposed “sin”. Hawthorne utilizes syntax to structure The Scarlet…

to a crime she committed. She is forced to wear the letter on every piece of clothing and is required to show it at all times to show people what she had done. Throughout the story, the letter changes meaning. It was supposed to be a symbol of shame and guilt, but ended up being a powerful symbol to identify Hester Prynne. It was originally intended to label Hester as an Adulterer, but as the story progresses it changes to “able.” In the beginning of the story, Hester Prynne walks out of the…