Essay about The Scarlet Letter Critical Analysis - 1251 Words

The Scarlet Letter Critical Analysis Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, the direct descendant of John Hawthorne, and a judge at the infamous Salemwitchcraft trials. The guilt that Hawthorne felt over the actions of his ancestor had an enormous impact on his writings. In his introduction of The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne accepts the guilt from his forefathers and offers to repent for their crimes (Waggoner, 5). This unusual way of viewing guilt and sin is one driving factor in Hawthornes writing. The other, which is closely related to the first, is the relationship between men, and of man to humanity as a whole. Many of Hawthornes works center around what is right†¦show more content†¦It was the setting that drove Dimmesdale into silence. He feared Puritan justice coming down on his high brow. Whatever love, fear, cruelty, or punishment one can find in this story is all based on the extended meaning of setting: not just the time and place but the culture, the spirit of the time. Without these elements of setting, there would be no great story. Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl are the unwed mother and illegitimate child. Before the story begins, we learn Hester had been married in Europe to a dried - up, pretentious, academic sort who sent her ahead to America, intending to follow. He got hung up pursuing his fruitless studies, and after a couple of years, everyone, including Hester, presumed he lay dead at the bottom of the sea. Hester and her Puritan minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, had fallen in love and had relations. What Dimmesdale never does have as the story progresses is the courage, or necessity, to own up to his adultery or hid fatherhood. While Hester is forced to stand for hours before the critical community, Governor Bellingham directs Dimmesdale to use his priestly persuasive powers on Hester to make her name the childs father. Hawtornes prototype for his fictional governor and upholder of the law was a real Massachusetts governor of the same name. In 1641 Bellingham married a woman already betrothed to a friend ofShow MoreRelated The Scarlet Letter Essay968 Words   |  4 PagesThe Scarlet Letter A Critical Analysis of Hester Prynne The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written in 1849. This novel won him much fame and a good reputation as a writer. In writing The Scarlet Letter, Hawethorne was creating a form of fiction he called the psychological romance. A psychological romance is a story that contains all of the conventional trappings of a typical romance, but deeply portrays humans in conflict with themselves. The Scarlet Letter won Hawthorne greatRead MoreSins inThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay1517 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred† (Hawthorne). As this sentence is read in the The Scarlet Letter, the reader will realize that the main theme of the book is the sentence above. Throughout the book, secret sin damages the lives, soul, and the integrity of the main characters. However, it could have easily been evaded through open confession of their sins. Nathani el Hawthorne’s purpose in writing this novel isRead MoreHester Prynne Analysis916 Words   |  4 PagesD.H. Lawrence, an English novelist and literary critic, penned his essay On the Scarlet Letter as a critique of the novel The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Lawrence argued that Hester Prynne, the novel’s protagonist, is not a victim, but rather is a sinful, corrupted character acting in her own self interest. Lawrence was effective in portraying his analysis of Prynne by his use of harsh diction, biblical allusions, and choppy syntax. The harsh diction utilized by Lawrence in hisRead MoreSimple Analysis of Diction in the Scarlet Letter715 Words   |  3 PagesPassage 1 Analysis In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne often demonstrates the frailty of humans. Nature is often described as beautiful, while the Puritan society and human nature are viewed in a harsh light. Hawthorne illustrates that human nature is flawed and judgmental through use of figurative language, critical diction, and symbolism. Figurative language plays a vital role in The Scarlet Letter, and this is evident as early as the first chapter. The passage pertaining to a rosebushRead MoreWhat Is The Tone Of The Scarlet Letter By Hester Prynne928 Words   |  4 PagesD.H Lawrence a British writer critiques the novel’s Scarlet Letters heroine and gives his opinions on her in a persuasive, argumentative manner in his critical essay called On The Scarlet Letter. He believes that the heroine of the novel is not the beloved character readers believe she is. Using literary techniques like an ironclad tone, abrupt syntax and biblical allusions Lawrence convince’s people that the beloved American heroine Hester Prynne is truly a conniving adulteress who thrives off ofRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne And The Awakening1416 Words   |  6 Pagesexists in society does not only affect the individual being discriminated against, but the people close to them as well. This is demonstrated throu gh the novels The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Awakening by Kate Chopin. The Scarlet Letter follows the story of a woman named Hester Prynne who is forced to wear a scarlet letter â€Å"A† on her chest as punishment for her crime of adultery. The Awakening follows the story of a woman named Edna Pontellier and the struggle that she faces when sheRead MoreIs the Scarlet Letter a Proto Feminist Novel1510 Words   |  7 Pages21, 2012 Is The Scarlet Letter a Proto Feminist Novel? â€Å"Is The Scarlet Letter a Proto Feminist Novel?† The Scarlet Letter is a very well-known novel, between the scandals and lies. It starts off with a woman named Hester Prynne. Hester decides to leave her husband behind to migrate to Boston. A couple years later, Hester gives birth to a baby girl named Pearl in prison. Hester refused to reveal the father of Pearl. The town then forces Hester to wear a scarlet letter A upon her dressRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1230 Words   |  5 PagesMassachusetts. From 1825-1837, Hawthorne perfected his writing and spent this time to help generate ideas for his novels and poems. One of the most well known novels by Nathaniel Hawthorne is â€Å"The Scarlet Letter.† The Scarlet Letter helped Hawthorne’s career to become one of the most successful of his time. The Scarlet Letter contained passion and strength that all of his other works lacked. However, before his death Hawthorne released one more novel and a collection of articles, â€Å"The Marble Faun and Our Ol dRead MoreThe Devil And Evil s Influence On The Scarlet Letter1101 Words   |  5 PagesThe Devil and Evil’s Influence in the Scarlet Letter In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne makes many references to the devil and evil’s influence on major characters and on the people in the town. The major characters change the way they act towards one another, and are physically and mentally affected negatively. The evil influence not only affects how the people in the town act towards each other but if affects how different people view the scarlet letter that Hester wears. Hawthorne also triesRead MorePsychoanalytic Analysis : The Scarlet Letter 1354 Words   |  6 PagesPsychoanalytical Analysis Throughout The Scarlet Letter there are many Freudian symbolisms that can be found scattered throughout this American classic. In nearly every chapter there is at least one reference to a phallic or yonic symbols to demonstrate the longing for a male figure in both Pearl and Hester’s life, and the symbolism to depict the shift from id to ego. One of the earlier metaphors to symbolize Hester’s suppression is the scaffold that she stands upon in the first chapter of the