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The Scarlet Letter: Platform Of Sin - Online Term Paper

The Scarlet Letter: Platform Of Sin

“This scaffold constituted a portion of a penal machine . . . . The
very ideal of ignominy was embodied and made manifest in this contrivance
of wood and iron” (Hawthorne 62-63). A scaffold's effect on the novel can
be seen through an examination of the first, second, and third scaffold
scenes. These sections mark the beginning, middle, and end of the novel.
The novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is constructed around
a scaffold, which provides the story with a constant reminder of sin.

The first scaffold scene sets the stage for the novel; it
establishes who the main characters are, and where they stand in relation
to each other in the story. This scene is where Hester ...

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multitude, at about
the height of a mans shoulders above the street . . . . The unhappy culprit
sustained herself as best a woman might, under the heavy weight of a
thousand unrelenting eyes” (63-64). At the same time, the first scaffold
scene is the setting for the introduction of Roger Chillingworth,
Hester'shusband, and establishes his desire to punish the man who has
wronged both him and his wife. Chillingworth's conversation with one of
the townsmen about Hester's crime serves as an example of his vengeful
nature. “It irks me, . . . that the partner of her iniquity should not, at
least, stand on the scaffold by her side. But he will be known! - he will
be known! - he will be known” (69)! An example of the scaffold being a
constant reminder of sin is when Hester and her daughter, Pearl, stand
together on the platform. Pearl's presence, as a three month old child,
represents the birth of this sin between Hester Prynne and her lover. The
final way in which the ...

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The Scarlet Letter: Platform Of Sin. (2006, August 3). Retrieved January 10, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter-Platform-Of-Sin/50169

"The Scarlet Letter: Platform Of Sin." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 3 Aug. 2006. Web. 10 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter-Platform-Of-Sin/50169>

"The Scarlet Letter: Platform Of Sin." Essayworld.com. August 3, 2006. Accessed January 10, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter-Platform-Of-Sin/50169.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 8/3/2006 10:04:56 PM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1054
Pages: 4

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