The Sentimentality Of William Tavener Passage Analysis

Repeatedly she stays silent to protect both those she loves and those she is indebted to. One instance of this is when she denies information about Dimmesdale, her lover, to her husband in order to protect him, saying “‘That thou shalt never know!’” (Hawthorne 69). This privilege of trust is not just exclusive to loved ones however, as she turns right around and offers the same deal to her husband, who asks her to “‘[b]reathe not, to any human soul, that thou didst ever call me husband!’” (Hawthorne 69-70). She complies, and no one ever finds out their prior relation. Hester is loyal to more than just the people around her, however. Hester is also loyal to her punishment and societal beliefs despite her lack of respect for the clergymen and their decisions. Hester has the option to escape her punishment, but chooses not to, rather displaying her embroidered ‘A’ to the public “... which was of a splendor in accordance the the taste of the age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony” (Hawthorne 50). She views this mark of her sin as something to be proud of, decorating the letter like a trophy and taking a firm ownership of her sin. At the same time she also remains loyal to her ideals, refusing to believe she has done anything wrong. Hester “remains unwilling to separate herself from her sin by recognizing it as a sin,” and as a result maintains a strong “devotion to

This page describing her crime shows how Hester defies the Puritan belief system through rebellion because the crime of adultery is a serious sin in their religion, showing that she purposely disobeys the laws of their religion by having an affair. Hester Prynne also defies the Puritan belief system through the scene where she immerges from the jail cell and is seen in public with her wedlock child for the first time. Hawthorne describes the manner in which she immerges from the jail and how the town reacts, in the quote “Those who had before known her, and had expected to behold her dimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud, were astonished, and even startled, to perceive how her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she had enveloped” (46). This quote shows Hester’s rebellion against the Puritan beliefs because, due to how serious her crime is seen in the Puritan community, the town members had expected her to show sorrow, shame, and weakness as she walked from the jail cell. But, instead she walks out with her head held high, ignoring their judgment, showing no shame and in the crime she committed, and disregarding the mannerisms the Puritan’s expected of her. Along with her rebellion, Hester Prynne defies the Puritan belief system

Plot is very important to a story, novel, or even movies. It helps to make object of the story plain to the reader, and make it as enjoyable to the reader as the author wanted it to be. Plot starts out with an introduction of sorts then runs into the rising action, followed by the main point of the story, then the exposition. When that is over the falling action occurs and finally, the resolution of the story. Willa Cather expresses this very intently in his story “The Sentimentality of William Tavener.” He draws the reader in with a man that is strict with his son and wife who are worthy to participate in the circus in town. Willa tells of the wife trying to convince her husband to allow them to go. Then he surprises the

In "Sentimentality of William Tavener" the events of the plot are ordered in chronological order with brief flashbacks. The story is about a family who lives in the middle of nowhere. The kids of the family work hard on the farm every day and the mother believes that they should have a break to go to the circus. The husband and wife did not have a very loving relationship, so the mother was always defensive on the topic of her sons: the main cause of the majority of their disagreements. The mother went into detail on how much fun her experience was as a child. The husband corrects her on one of the animals that she had mistaken for something else. They then got into the discussion of certain elements of the circus. The topic of the circus soon changed to more recent, topics. The husband and wife connected again and the mother announced that the boys could go to the fair. She took into consideration how the father would feel and took up for him by saying that he earned his money by

In his essay “On the Scarlet Letter,” D.H. Lawrence criticizes Hester’s immoral behavior for her adulterous actions. Lawrence views her as a shameful member of Puritan society and centers his argument on her sin and its effects on the story’s plot. D.H. Lawrence’s use of different literary techniques strengthens his claim that Hester is not the heroine through his sarcastic tone, abrupt syntax, and biblical allusions.

The plot of the passage starts out with Hester, the mom, and William, the dad, expressing opposing opinions, and half-way through they started reflecting on their experiences with the circus. The two characters had grown distant over the years, but the nostalgia made them seem closer than ever. The way the author has the plot ordered introduces the type of relationship and discussions

When Hester is released from prison, she ponders the effect of the scarlet letter and realizes, “she must either sustain and carry it forward by the ordinary resources of her nature, or sink beneath it” (Hawthorne 69). In other words, Hester knows that allowing other people to bring her down will lead to self-destruction. Through a great deal of inner strength, Hester decides to stay in her hometown and let “the torture of her daily shame . . . purge her soul and work out another purity than that which she had lost; more saintlike, because the result of martyrdom” (Hawthorne 71). Essentially, Hester resolves to learn from her “mistake” and use the situation as a growing opportunity. Decisively, Hester concludes that although she cannot change the past, she can show her strength and resolve by overcoming the shaming that is sure to occur in her town. Hester’s honesty and willingness to accept her punishment enable her to

As the book opens, Hester is brought forth from the jail and walked to the scaffold. For the first time being seen in public named an adulterer, Hester shies from the public as they mock her. However, "She never battled with the public, but submitted uncomplainingly to its worst usage; she made no claim upon it, in requital for what she suffered; she did not weight upon its sympathies." (Hawthorne 140). Soon, it did not matter what other people thought of Hester because of her sin. She chose not to live with the humiliation, but she did have to live with herself.

She states that when she was no older than the boys, that she herself had went to the circus. Hester was a loyal and faithful wife, but she knew that her boy’s needed some freedom from working all the time. She felt that since her boys had worked non-stop for quite a while; they should be rewarded for their hard work on the farm.

Conflict is first observed through Hester’s ongoing difficulties with her fellow townspeople. Hester receives ridicule from on looking townspeople, as a gossiping woman states, ‘ “At the very least, they

Hawthorne once again displays an indignant Hester, through his description and choice of words that give us an idea of how Hester was “provoked her to little less than madness”(Para 7), as the dispute between Hester and the governor men continued over Pearls well being in terms of having her apprehended from Hester. With no doubt having this discussion

Hester’s initial sacrifice for love is highlighted during her decision to commit the affair with Arthur Dimmesdale. Although she was fully aware of the consequences that accompanied the affair, she considered love to be more valuable than her reputation among other individuals in the community. Yet again, Hester was met with another option to further sacrifice the reputation that had already been abandoned, when she exclaimed “that I might endure his agony, as well as mine” (Hawthorne 58). She held the identity of her affair a mystery to the outside world, which not only provided the man with protection, but it also defined Hester’s idolization of love and endearment. Due to Hester’s reputational sacrifice, Nathaniel Hawthorne used her forbidden relationship to characterize the rigid and punitive Puritan community of the colonial

Next, the interaction between Chillingworth and Hester further proves Hester’s strength. Chillingworth orders Hester to tell him the name of Pearl’s father. Hester refuses, “Ask me not! That thou shalt never know!” (Chapter 4). This is surprising now because during the puritan times, husbands had control over their spouses. Women were seen as disobedient if they didn’t follow their husband’s orders. The setting and Hester’s replies to Chilling worth shows Hester’s obvious strength and her

Throughout past times, women have been assumed to be inferior to men. They were refused human rights such as education. Some civilizations view women as a surmised evil. Others believe women were to birth, attend worship, and agree with their husband. Nonetheless, the promoting of women’s rights in regards to political, economic, and social tolerance prevailed within society. Such feminists anticipated to fight for their power. One intent for the protest of inequality could have possibly resulted from the strict regulations of society put in place by the government. These regulations had a direct impact on the conformity of women. Women were directed to avoid self-loving reasoning, which led to the questioning of political and societal leaders. “It was an age in which the human intellect had taken a more active and a wider range than for many centuries before” (Hawthorne 154). This quote emphasizes the uprising of change in peoples’ minds regarding abuse towards women. Hester serves as the face of the crowd that thinks freely. She is unsatisfied with the destiny a puritan society has in place for. She demonstrates this by challenging the female role and attempting to reconstruct the patriarchal society she lives in. The other women that live in the town are shocked by Hester’s actions. This shows how they are afraid that if other women start acting out, the society structure

While Hester is a feminist, not only does she share the ideals but shows superiority to the town while being fearless. " It may seem marvelous, that this woman should still call that place her home, where, and where only, she must needs be the type of shame.” (chapter 5, paragraph 2) Hester does not let the shame and remorse of the sin keep her away from the town like most would do. Hawthorne even states that Dimmesdale is weaker than Hester by punishing himself and holding his heart while Hester embraces the sin and is strong while carrying the letter on her chest. She leads a self-righteous life, although she could keep what she earns, she gives most away. Even the townsfolk say Hester is "so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted."(chapter 13, paragraph 5) Hester can be seen over the townspeople helping them although they shamed her. Hawthorne presents that Hester’s “tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free.” (chapter 18, paragraph 2) With this Hester has a “radiant and tender smile, that seemed gushing from the very heart of womanhood. (chapter 18, paragraph 12) These quotes from Hawthorne show that Hester’s kindness helps her overcome her sin on her own. With Hester’s contribution to the town, “Her handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion.” (chapter 5, paragraph 6) In his research, Sacvan Bercovitch remarks that “Hester Prynne ‘builds upon the tradition of the biblical Esther -