Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Morality in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay - 2124 Words

Morality in The Scarlet Letter ...pain is in itself an evil; and indeed, without exception, the only evil; or else the words good and evil have no meaning. (Chase 127) In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne presents a very clear view of his stand on morality, which he carefully cultivates through the course of the story. The moral, which is Be true! applies equally well to all of the characters in the novel. Though his view does seem to stand as true through the length of the story, it does not, unfortunately, transfer as smoothly to our lives today. In essence it is a hedonistic view to take, which requires a slight stretch as to his interpretation as to how evil, and important, an individuals pain is unto†¦show more content†¦However, either way, it defined her. This is implied in one passage which reads: ...owing to a particular effect of this convex mirror, the scarlet letter was represented in exaggerated and gigantic proportions, so as to be greatly the most prominent feature of her appearance. In truth, she seemed absolutely hidden behind it. As a result of this eclipse of her former personality, Hester became everything the Puritans wanted physically. She was a great Samaritan in the community, and was utterly humble and honest. When she showed the worst in her at all times, she had nothing to hide from the people who she met, and their opinions of her could only raise. The irony in the fact that she became a model citizen in the eyes of the Puritans only points to Hawthornes distaste for the Puritan way of life, for Hester manifested a perfect Janus; a two faced entity of whom no one knew the true nature. Physically, the Puritans loved her behavior, actions, and example. Mentally, however, the community might not have been as pleased. The scarlet letter did not complete its work, and Hesters thoughts began to stray toward what they would possibly have labeled as evil, or heretical. In doing so, however, she found an abiding peace in herself and her child, if a hate for Puritan society. ThisShow MoreRelatedJosh Lyon. Mrs. Voshell. Honors English 10. 6 January 2017.979 Words   |  4 PagesJosh Lyon Mrs. Voshell Honors English 10 6 January 2017 Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter Within The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne uses symbolism, â€Å"the use of symbols to represent ideas† (Bell 10), affluently. The amount of symbolism Hawthorne uses could lead some to believe that The Scarlet Letter is in fact an allegory. Nearly every object in Hawthorne’s novel is symbolic. Hawthorne uses everyday objects and places to symbolize many main themes, concepts, and ideas in the lives of Hester and Pearl asRead MoreHester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter Essay906 Words   |  4 PagesD.H. Lawrence’s criticism, â€Å"On the Scarlet Letter,† criticizes Nathaniel Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. Lawrence finds fault in how Hester’s sin of adultery is glorified in the novel. D.H. Lawrence argues that Hawthorne mischaracterizes Hester Prynne as a heroine by using choppy syntax, biblical allusions, and a sarcastic tone. One rhetorical device Lawrence effectively uses to argue that Hester is mischaracterized as a heroine is choppy syntax. This is evident whenRead MoreBeing Earnest By Oscar Wilde1332 Words   |  6 Pagesindirectly connected to the idea of moral ambiguity that The Scarlet Letter portrays. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel The Scarlet Letter depicts the actuality of romance, sin, and revenge rooted in the 17th century American society. Strong Puritan beliefs of the characters in The Scarlet Letter created many different forms of moral ambiguity that can be described as illustrating both good and evil. Among the characters in the Scarlet letter with such moral struggle, Dimmesdale is presented to theRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne960 Words   |  4 PagesJack Joseph Ms. Lagan English 3H 13 August 2014 The novel, The Scarlet Letter, was written by the author Nathaniel Hawthorne and was published in 1850 (1). It is a story about the Puritan settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, set around 1650 (2). The story is written in the third person with the narrator being the author. The common thread that runs through this novel is Hawthorne’s apparent understanding of the beliefs and culture of the Puritans in America at that time. But Hawthorne is writingRead MoreLiterature Has Functioned Throughout History As A Means1266 Words   |  6 Pagesa means of social criticism that is accessible to the lay public. Classics like Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe leverage their plots to reveal alarming realities and comment on social issues. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the earliest examples of literary social criticism. Hawthorne uses the plight of the main character, Hester Prynne, a convicted adulterer in a society that severely punishes sinners, to take a stand against PuritanismRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s Writing Style864 Words   |  4 Pageswas another part that defines Hawthorne’s writing style. At the time Hawthorne wrote his stories, printing technology was not advanced and where his symbolism comes to play. He would write lengthy visual descriptions because his audience would not read the setting where the story is in. Next, we will mention some of his stories that personally express his use of symbolism and what they represent. One of Hawthorne’s best works to use symbolism is The Scarlet Letter, where the story’s heroine HesterRead MorePsychoanalysis Of The Scarlet Letter1669 Words   |  7 PagesKyle Michka English 4 2nd 9/28/14 Psychoanalysis of The Scarlet Letter Sigmund Freud created the psychoanalytic theory of personality, of which there are three elements; the id, the ego and the superego. These elements all work in conjunction with each other to create complex human behaviors. Freud originally came up with the theory while he was performing dream-work studies, since some elements exist in the unconscious realm, where the first element, the id, mostly presents itself. Freud describesRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Hawthorne s The Old Town Of Salem My Night Essay1151 Words   |  5 Pagesinvested by family tradition with a dim and dusky grandeur, was present to my boyish imagination as far back as I can remember. (6) Hawthorne’s analogy is used to explain his disdain for the stern morality and rigidity of the Puritans. He was a soldier, legislator, judge; he was a ruler in the Church; he had all the Puritanic traits, both good and evil. (7) Hawthorne’s narrator identifies more closely with the ancestor who embodied different traits, not just those of the Puritan Church, but of someoneRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1896 Words   |  8 Pagesoften associated with the savages and the devil. In his work The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne finds herself exiled by society for having an adulterous affair with the town reverend which brought forth the child known as Pearl. Pearl is quickly established as the child of the wilderness: wild, capricious, and thought by the town to be a demon-child. She represents several entities in the novel just by her being, but when her morality is delved into, much more of the nature of the story can be revealedRead MoreThe Characterization Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne729 Words   |  3 PagesLawrence suggests in his article, â€Å"On the Scarlet Letter.† There is a genuine disparity in the methods Lawrence uses to portray Prynne, and those used by The Scarlet Letter’s author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Because of his utilization of impactful syntax, religious allusion , and critical tone, D.H. Lawrence’s claim, that Hester Prynne is a contradictory character to pure society, is effectively justified when compared to the seductive elements of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing. Lawrence uses impacting

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