The Scarlet Letter The Puritan World - 1674 Words

In a society filled with minimalistic opportunities for women, oppression and a feeling of inferiority, what would it take to be considered a heroine? Before asking yourself that question you would first have to delve deeper and truly ask yourself what society was truly like at this time. The puritan world portrayed in The Scarlet Letter is one of sure damnation where sinning will leave you not only looked down upon but also exiled from others. Women are not respected and seen as the weaker gender with less mental capacity and worse decision making, along with less physical prowess. Along with being domesticated into quite stay at home wives with no voice, they were also punished unfairly and usually received the sharp end of the sword.†¦show more content†¦Hester doesn’t allow everyone else’s complacency with the laws of this society influence her to give in, but instead determines her own future. The situation of Hester creating her own future and salvation has been spoken upon by Lehtie Chalise Thomson as â€Å"Hester rejects predestination and becomes her own savior, eventually advising other society members. Her self-realization allows Hester to break free of the cultural norms and focus on impacting society for the good. She uses her wisdom to comfort the discouraged individuals struggling against the system.† (6). This shows that instead of Hester simply rolling over to the system of society and allowing it to overwhelm her she does what she thinks is for the greater good, in order to not only improve herself as a person but to also create an impact on society and help others. When creating her own salvation, Hester decides not to allow her sin to overshadow the fact that she has become a better person due to her sin. Hester is shown to be a strong character and heroine when The Scarlet Letter introduces her â€Å"The first description of Hester notes her natural dignity and force of character and mentions specifically the haughty smile and strong glance that reveal no self-consciousness of her plight.† Says source (â€Å"How did Hawthorne show Hester was strong†). This shows that all though Hester is aware of her sin and punishment, she does not allow it to weight on her mind and insteadShow MoreRelatedHow Does the Scarlet Letter Comment on Religion in America? Essay754 Words   |  4 Pagesorg, 2008). Christianity was the first religion that was brought to the world by European settlers and it became dominant religion of the United States throughout its history. 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The Scarlet Letter that Hester Prynne wears symbolizes the change in perception of sin through out the novel. Due to the revelations of the governor Winthrop andRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter 1071 Words   |  5 PagesJalon Ellison English 10 Mrs. Jackson 16 December 2015 A Sinner Defined by The Scarlet Letter Society has not changed as far as labeling people and probably never will. In the Puritan society they branded, tortured, and defined human beings the way they saw them even though they did not know how the person they were humiliating truly was. Hester Prynne is a good example of this in the novel The Scarlet Letter written by the author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne is using the character HesterRead MoreAnalysis Of The Scarlet Letter 972 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of The Black Man In The Scarlet Letter Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. In the novel â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, symbolism is the main feature of the story. Symbolism is used throughout the novel to describe every object in the story from the characters to the rosebush to the scarlet letter itself. One of the major symbols in â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† is the black man, who can not only beRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter : Wilderness Vs. Society1259 Words   |  6 Pagessociety In the novel Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne presenting the idea for humans to endure the laws of nature and conscience, rather than following the laws of man, to fulfill happiness. The novel consists of a young woman named Hester Prynne carrying her infant daughter named Pearl. The golden letter A embroidered on Hester’s bosom symbolizes adultery, a vile sin which is looked down upon in her community. She encounters Dimmesdale, an influential Puritan priest who commits adulteryRead MoreScarlet Letter : The Rejection Of Puritan Values1466 Words   |  6 PagesBenjamin Stoops Mr. Goldhammer Honors American Studies 2 November 2015 Scarlet Salvation: The Rejection of Puritan Values in The Scarlet Letter In The Scarlet Letter, each of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s characters undergo internal challenges. When Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter concludes, many characters’ personal struggles have ended, either in their favor or resulting in their downfall. Hawthorne most notably fixates upon Pearl, Hester, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth and the challengesRead More Relation between Pearl and Nature in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter1042 Words   |  5 PagesThe Relation between Pearl and Nature in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Nathaniel Hawthornes work, The Scarlet Letter, nature plays a very symbolic role. Throughout the book, nature is incorporated into the story line. One example of this is with the character of Pearl. Pearl is very different than all the other characters due to her special relationship with Nature. Hawthorne personifies Nature as sympathetic towards sins against the puritan way of life. Hesters sin causes Nature to acceptRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1026 Words   |  5 PagesRomantic Period of literature. The Scarlet Letter was set in 17th century Boston where most of the population was of firm Puritan faith. Hawthorne used great symbolism in his novel to convey a message of guilt, sin, and judgment. The symbols used most profoundly by Hawthorne are the various settings of the book, Hester’s daughter, Pearl, and lastly, the ever important scarlet letter endowed upon the adulterers, Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale. It is no secret that Puritans had an allegorical outlook on