Chronic Conscience In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'
Katerina Kilgore Mrs. Gardner AP English 10 March 2017 "Chronic remorse…is a most undesirable sentiment" "Chronic remorse, as all the moralists are agreed, is a most undesirable sentiment. If you have behaved badly, repent, make what amends you can and address yourself to the task of behaving better next time. On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean" (Huxley). This quote can be perceived is many ways, however, there is one theme that tends to stand out. This theme is that one person should not let an immoral action dictate their life; they must accept it and leave the action in the past. In the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne demonstrates this theme with Hester's…show more content…
Hester committed a sin of adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale, as punishment, Hester was required to wear a scarlet colored "A" on her chest for the rest of her life, unless the letter fell off, meaning God forgave her sin. Feeling embarrassed and ashamed, Hester took pearl and herself and moved to the outskirts of the town where she was looked down upon by everybody. Yet Hester didn't mourn in her cottage like the townsfolks expected her to, she instead accepted her sin and tried to make the best from it. For example, Hawthorne states, "She possessed an art…It was the art-then, as now, almost the only one within a woman's grasp-of needle-work" (Hawthorne 77). Hester utilized her skill of embroidery to help her and Pearl survive. Hester also used it a way to recover from her sin and attempt to be accepted normally back into society. As Hester progressed throughout the book, she developed into a strong minded person as a result of her learning from her sin. "The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers,-stern and wild ones,-and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss." (Hawthorne 190). Hester decided to face her sin, and since then has been able to build her character and mature into a better role model for Pearl. She isn't beating herself up over her sin, but is accepting it and improving from it, therefor justifying Huxley's
How Arthur Dimmesdale's 'Transforms Hester In The Scarlet Letter'
How the Scarlet Letter Transforms Hester In The Scarlet Letter, when Hester is first brought out on the scaffold to by publically shamed for her ignominy, Arthur Dimmesdale pleads with her to name him as her fellow sinner so that he will not have to reveal himself when he exclaims, "Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life." Hester refuses him and Dimmesdale goes unnamed and unpunished until the very end of the story. While Dimmesdale refuses to accept responsibility for his sin, Hester embraces the shame of the community. It is this difference which causes Dimmesdale enormous amounts of guilt and pain while Hester in able to find peace with herself and with her situation.
Essay About The Mistakes Hester Prynne Ever Made
"It's okay to not be perfect. It's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to do something that you wish you hadn't done, because if we don't do those things we never grow."- Dawn Stanyon. Hester Prynne was one of the main characters in the book The Scarlet Letter
How Does The Scarlet Letter Be Forgiven
In the story of the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne presents us a religion repressive society. In this society, It's inhabitant lives under strict moral code, transgressors were isolated and punished. Hawthorn questions if religious society should be ruled by grace, our main characters were statements that sinner can be forgiven. Pearl functioned as the second scarlet letter and hope to Hester and Dimmesdale. She continually reminds our characters there is no escape to sin.
Secret Sin And Guilt In The Scarlet Letter
Secret Sin & Guilt Arthur Dimmesdale is a guilty minister in the story of The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This is a man who has been keeping a secret sin from the citizens of Boston, ironically telling them what is sinful and what is not. Though they do not know it, the baby of a special lady named Hester Prynne is the walking proof of his sin. It is revealed more and more as the story unfolds. A man, who happens to be Hester's husband, Roger Chillingworth, senses this secret sin and guilt in Dimmesdale's conscience, and he plans to use this knowledge to his advantage to gain his revenge on this man for the sin he committed.
Hester Prynne's Transformation In The Scarlet Letter
Juliette Dougherty ELA 12/Sec. 08 Ms. Diamond 31 March, 2018 Hester Prynne's transformation throughout The Scarlet Letter Justine Sacco sent out one tweet, and that was all it took to ruin her life. From the time she sent the tweet, to the time she stepped off the plane in Africa her entire life had changed. The entire world's eyes were on her, and they were intent on ruining her life. She lost her job, her face was plastered all over the media as a racist, and she was receiving death threats.
Analysis Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter
Although publicly admitting to sin can be a challenging task, time will heal the initial pain. Hester Prynne, of the Scarlet Letter, lives this lesson as she commits the sin of adultery. Her punishment for the sin is to wear the letter "A" on her bosom until she is allowed to remove it by the Puritan authorities wishes. Initially, Hester feels guilt and shame as she wears it. As Hester's character grows in strength, she overcomes the letter's original purpose of punishment.
Tale Of A True Heroine In The Scarlet Letter
Tale of a True Heroine Nathaniel Hawthorne, a dark romantic, published his novel The Scarlet Letter in 1850 as a method of expressing his disappointment with the Puritans ideologies. Many questions arised whether The Scarlet Letter was a feminist novel or not? As a reminder, the word feminist in literature may simply defines as: to support the belief that women should be given the rights equal to men in the society. Well, lets take a look at the what this historical fiction is all about.
Hester Prynne Character Analysis
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne's character is revealed through all of the punishments and hardships that are bestowed upon her. Hester Prynne commits the sin of adultery, however, the townspeople in the Puritan community discovers her sin. In her community, Hester's actions are seen as a sin because she had a husband. Hester's husband had been gone for several years, learning the art of alchemy and other medicinal properties. During this time, Hester believed her husband had died and ultimately that is what leads Hester to commit the sin of adultery and having a child with another man.
Sin And Guilt In The Scarlet Letter
In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne writes about the idea of sin and guilt, and how it affects a person's life. The story takes place in a small town in Boston, where most of its residents are Puritans who believed in the idea of predestination in which a person is chosen to go to hell or heaven by God at birth. The Scarlet Letter follows a woman named Hester, who has committed the sin of adultery and how she handles the consequences of her actions throughout her life. Throughout the story, Hawthorne shows that everyone feels guilty when they do something wrong, however, how a person handles their guilt and sin determines how the rest of their lives are played out.
Theme Of Ambiguity In The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter features numerous elements of ambiguity, meaning there is not one single or clear meaning. Constant confusion is placed into the readers mind to keep the novel interesting. Most characters presented in the novel can embody both "good" and "evil" qualities, and the characters and symbols are left open to more than one interpretation. Hawthorne's continual use of ambiguity keeps the reader alert and gives an air of mystery that allows the readers to reach their own conclusions on certain aspects as to what Hawthorne only vaguely hints at throughout The Scarlet Letter or has left for the reader to decide.
Who Is Hester Prynne Shameful
Sex is a big deal. Today's culture suggests that women can have sex whenever and with whomever they want. In the world today, people are not criticized as harshly as they are in the Puritan culture, as in The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. In the novel, Hester Prynne is driven to be successful regardless of her sexual mistakes. Even though Hester does not act embarrassed or shameful of her mistakes, she uses them to teach herself how to be confident in her way of life.
Who Is Hester The Protagonist In The Scarlet Letter
The author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces Hester as a compelling protagonist. Hester is the woman who wears a scarlet letter A on her breast and holds her illicit child in her arms on the scaffold, which is a severe punishment and great humiliation to a woman who is charged with adultery in the Puritan colonies,. However, Hester still has her own dignity and people cannot see any flusters on her face. After the punishment, Hester chooses a optimistic way to make up her mistake. Hester is a sinner, but she is also a positive woman who has powerful inner strength.
More about Chronic Conscience In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'