In the novel titled The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a single letter is worth a thousand words. In this tale of faith and empowerment, the scarlet letter is intended to represent human sin and the price you pay for going against God’s word, specifically the sin of adultery. Although the letter served for quite a while as the symbol of evil, and pitiful-self indulgence, the letter eventually transforms into something entirely different. As the story continues the reader learns that the letter serves as a reminder of empowerment and self actualization as well.
After undergoing sentencing for her heinous crime, the main character Hester Prynne is forced to bear this mark of shame for the rest of her life as she walks amongst her fellow Puritan townspeople. She soon comes to grip with the reality of being ridiculed and discriminated; judged only by the intricately sewn “A” on her chest. Although her imprisonment is over, she is still seen and remembered by both new and old folk as the woman who committed adultery with an unnamed individual. Although she tries to get involved with charity work, the recipients refuse her help, and she is forced to stay secluded in her cottage.
Not only has the scarlet letter served as a mark for herself, but also as a mark for her daughter Pearl. Due to the fact that Pearl was a child conceived form Hester’s wrong doing, the townsfolk easily see her as the devil’s child. Chillingworth, Hester’s husband has thought out a plan to destroy the soul of her fellow sinner, thus causing her to feel miserable in the process. The reader later finds out that this is Reverend Dimmesdale.
Throughout this novel there are many events that challenge Hester in a mental/emotional way. She is forced to choose between the well-being and safety of the one she loves (Dimmesdale), and that of her own. Circumstances eventually lead her to revealing her husband’s true identity to Dimmesdale, and together they devise a plan to hop aboard the next boat to England. This is when the scarlet letter takes on a whole other meaning.
Due to the amount of courage it took for Hester to remain strong with her head held high, she evidently shaped the meaning of the scarlet letter into something positive. After her years of having to endure such pain and suffering on behalf of her sins, she has remained a strong individual with high ideals. Through her open mind and strong, compassionate nature, the people who once saw her as an outcast now view her as a strong independent woman. The sign that once stood for “adulterer”, now stands for individualism and empowerment.
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I really liked the Scarlet Letter and how you pointed out that it can be seen in a different way. Nice adjectives!
ReplyDeleteLauryn, I think that your introduction was great and your word choice was very effective =D Although I haven’t read the Scarlett Letter, I could understand how the letter served as a symbol in the novel through your very thorough explanations. Even though you clearly explained the symbolism of the letter in your introduction, I think it would help to connect back to it more throughout the middle of your essay.
ReplyDeleteThis blog has interested me into reading Scarlett Letter! I enjoyed how you gave some overview of the story, at the same time conveying unto us the symbolism shown throughout the novel. The ending of the prompt ended smoothly and left us with the thought of its symbolism.
ReplyDelete!!! Beastly word choice.
ReplyDeleteI like the continuity from the very beginning to the end. Some of it is confusing to me, as I didn't read it, but I do get the main point. To improve, I think you could remove some of the extraneous parts about the story. Lahvv it though.
Nice Job, Mow.
laurynnnn
ReplyDeletethis makes the scarlet letter sound so goood. i never read it, but now i want to haha. your word choice was strong, fromt beginning to end. it contributed to the overall flow of your essay. i also liked the fact that your intro explained what your symbol was and you switched back and forth from explaining the symbol, and backing it up with a summary of the book. man, it's so killers. good job :D
hmm idk what to say, because I ahte hurting people's fealings. But I think that I would actually need to read the book to understand how that works, although I slightly get the idea your trying to project. It was a great essay though. :)
ReplyDeleteohh typo i mean i hate hurting people's feelings. hahaha :)
ReplyDeletehey =),
ReplyDeletei felt like this was very well written and i like your word choice. I hear about this story all the time&it sounds like it's worth reading. good job!!
Lauryn! Ehhh why you wen copy my book for! but anyways like like the essay and how you have such a large vocabulary. i think the word choice was wonderful
ReplyDeleteLauryn, This is good. I want you to focus more on the "A" in the middle, but you came back to it. People call Pearl the living "A." It would have been stronger to have ended the meaning of the "A" to change from adultry to another "A" word.
ReplyDelete