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Symbolism Of The Scarlet Lette - Papers Online

Symbolism Of The Scarlet Lette

The Scarlet Letter, written in the 1800’s by Anti-Transcendentalist Nathaniel Hawthorne, tells the story of Hester Prynne. Young Hester lived in New England, about the same time witch trials were still conducted, and she is found guilty of carrying a baby whose father she refuses to confess. The punishment for this crime is from then until the rest of her life, Hester had to bear a stitched “A” on her breast. This “A” carries the namesake of the book, The Scarlet Letter. Although thought to be an embarrassment and form of torture for Hester, this scarlet letter seems to become a sense of pride for Prynne. This scarlet letter grows to become a part of ...

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This use of public humiliation for Hester was thought to be necessary to punish and teach Prynne a lesson. This puts much focus on the way people harass and torture others simply because they feel other people have done things morally wrong and deserve punishment. While the “wrong-doers” are being punished, the punishers in turn commit wrongs. Here many questions arise. Was it wrong for Hester to keep her child’s father a secret from the public? Was is wrong for her to have to live her life as a walking, breathing example of what that Boston community thought was bad?
Another usage of symbol in this book was what the scarlet letter becomes for Hester. This punishment which was branded into her soul for eternity starts to shift gears as the novel progresses. The sentence for her crime starts to become more a part of her than she would ever have imagined. Although the origin of the “A” to the public was, is, and always will be for her ...

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Symbolism Of The Scarlet Lette. (2004, July 3). Retrieved August 22, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Symbolism-Of-The-Scarlet-Lette/10461

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 7/3/2004 07:43:31 AM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 588
Pages: 3

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