The Scarlet Letter

D.H. Lawrence writes to expose the malicious side of Hester Prynne in his critical essay, “On The Scarlet Letter”. With his unique style of writing, Lawrence criticizes the way Hawthorne victimizes Hester, creating the facade that is her character. To convey his reasoning, he provides context and analysis of her disgraceful character throughout the novel. Lawrence uses sarcastic tone, biblical allusions, and choppy and repetitive syntax to prove that Hester Prynne is not a heroine in The Scarlet Letter. Lawrence presents a sarcastic tone to prove that Hester is not as heroic as Hawthorne describes. For example, while writing that Hester’s sin should not be overlooked, he mentions that the greatest “triumph a woman can have, especially an American woman, is the triumph of seducing man: especially if he is pure” (Lawrence). In this way, he believes Hester is a bad example for American women. She is the one who wrongfully entices Dimmesdale, even though she is still married. However, Hawthorne sees Hester’s sin as…

In the “Scarlet Letter” novel, the plot takes place in an early New England colony, mid-17th century at Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was the best called name for the Puritan community of Boston in which is also part of the setting. The author Nathaniel Hawthorne mentions many settings in the novel, including the wilderness, custom-house, prison door and the town scaffold. The town scaffold is the place that sets off the novel’s beginning, middle, and end. It’s also…

Converse to the busy cover of option #1, option #2 has little happening, but each figure has a discrete meaning pertaining to the themes of “The Scarlet Letter”. The foremost pronounced thing in the art is the large red “A” which overshadows almost everything in the illustration. The overt letter correlates with the scarlet letter overshadowing Hester and dehumanizing her. The “A” chokes “all the light and graceful foliage of her character… leaving a bare and harsh outline” (Hawthorne 151). As…

Symbolism of The Scarlet Letter “A” “On a field, sable, the letter A, gules” (Hawthorne 259). The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story of a woman named Hester Prynne who overcomes the pestering punishment of wearing the scarlet “A”. This letter is given to her by the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester changes the symbolic meaning of the letter “A” from her sin of “adultery,” to being an “able” woman, to gracious, ultimately defining her own…

As a stark contrast to today’s culture having a scant amount of repercussions, the Puritans had considerably more numerous disciplinary actions that were noticeably harsher. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is heavily centered on how the Puritan people face guilt and sin in ways their religion and culture allowed. As the plot develops, the four main characters-Hester Prynne, Pearl Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingsworth- reach individual development by dealing with the…

The scarlet letter is supposed to be a symbol of dishonor; however, Hester Prynne turns the meaning around, and it becomes a symbol to distinguish her. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter shows that one should not flee from sin but should take it on directly. Puritans came to the New World to change the rules; however, committing adultery was not one of them and is still looked at as a terrible sin. Adultery is the sin of being unfaithful and cheating on one’s partner. Even though Hester is…

Scarlet Letter "…This scarlet letter is his mark!" (176 Hawthorne). The character has become victim of sin, but she grows from this sin and guilt. She fought to make life better: despite, her place as a social outcast. The symbolism of the letter “A” changes from the meaning of adultery, to able, to angelic qualities, to Pearls living persona of the letter “A” on her mother’s bosom. Hester fell in love with another man, a man other than her husband. The emotional state leads to the “A” first…

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism throughout the entirety of The Scarlet Letter to show the importance and meaning of several people, objects, and things. Hawthorne utilizes these precious symbols throughout the novel for various reasons. While some symbols only have one distinct meaning, others are ambiguous, unlocking the secrets of a story. For example, Hester’s beloved scarlet letter “A”, the most obvious symbol in the narrative, takes on many meanings, such as shame, punishment, and…

The Scarlet Letter Through a Feminist Lens In a 17th century puritanical society one definitely does not get too much freedom. Especially if one is like that of Hester Prynne, an adulteress with a child from her affair. While Hester may be a cheater and stands for all of the things that are wrong in the world, there is two sides to every story. Hester could be seen as a hero, a 17th century feminist role model for all of the girls in the Puritan community despite the sins that she has…

What is life without risk? The two books The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, are both set during Puritan time establishments. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Arthur Miller do a remarkable job of illustrating what the typical Puritan society is like. In the two pieces, risk is a common theme in order to illustrate how Puritan society dealt with matters in contradiction to the religion. In the Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Hester Prynne very early in the novel as “. . . perfect elegance…