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The Scarlet Letter - Online Term Paper

The Scarlet Letter

The book is all about symbolism. People and objects
are symbolic of events and thoughts. Throughout the course of the book,
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Hester, Pearl, and Arthur Dimmesdale to signify
Puritanic and Romantic philosophies.
Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner;
she has gone against the Puritan ways, committing adultery. For this
irrevocably harsh sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her
life. However, the Romantic philosophies of Hawthorne put down the
Puritanic beliefs. She is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned, but is
forgiven. Hawthorne portrays Hester as "divine maternity" and she can do
no wrong. Not only Hester, ...

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and free thought, a trait of the Romantics. One of Pearl's
favorite activities is playing with flowers and trees. (The reader will
recall that anything affiliated with the forest was evil to Puritans. To
Hawthorne, however, the forest was beautiful and natural.) "And she was
gentler here [the forest] than in the grassy-margined streets of the
settlement, or in her mother's cottage. The flowers appeared to know it"
(194) Pearl fit in with natural things. Also, Pearl is always
effervescent and joyous, which is definitely a negative to the Puritans.
Pearl is a virtual shouting match between the Puritanical views and the
Romantic ways.
To most, but especially the Puritans, one of the most important members
of a community is the religious leader; Arthur Dimmesdale is no exception.
He was held above the rest, and this is proven in one of the first scenes
of the book. As Hester is above the townspeople on a scaffold, Dimmesdale,
Governor Wilson, and others are still ...

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The Scarlet Letter. (2005, April 19). Retrieved August 2, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter/25593

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"The Scarlet Letter." Essayworld.com. April 19, 2005. Accessed August 2, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter/25593.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 4/19/2005 12:31:45 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 506
Pages: 2

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