Scarlet Letter Day Essay

What is the significance of the scarlet letter A which is embroidered on Hester’s gown?

I have became a stronger women over the years. My little Pearl is now seven years old. Time sure does go by fast. Nowadays the townspeople are now respecting me for what I do so I have respected my role in the community. When the disease struck through the town, no one was more dedicated to the sick than me. The scarlet letter became the symbol of my calling. I was so helpful to others with so much power to aid, that many people refused to recognize the letter ‘A’ for its original meaning. They said it stood for “able”. I feel like I should be able to do more things and my reputation shouldn’t stop me from doing things in my life. I told my Pearl to run down

In his book, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells of a story where a young woman has had an adulterous relationship with a respected priest in a Puritan community. Typical of Hawthorne's writings is the use of imagery and symbolism. In Chapter 12, The Minister's Vigil, there are several uses of imagery when Dimmesdale, the priest, is battling with confessing his sin, which has plagued him for seven years. Three evident techniques used to personify symbolism in this chapter are the use of darkness versus light, the use of inner guilt versus confession, and lastly the use of colors (black versus white).

The Scarlet Letter Introduction The Scarlet Letter is a classic tale of sin, punishment, and revenge. It was written in 1850 by the famous American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It documents the lives of three tragic characters, each of whom suffer greatly because of his or her sins. Shot Plot The story begins with Hester Prynne, a resident of a small Puritan community, being led from the town jailhouse to a public scaffold where she must stand for three hours as punishment for adultery. She must also wear a scarlet A on her dress for the rest of her life as part of her punishment. As she is led to the scaffold, many of the women in the crowd complain that

Hester Prynne, the main protagonist of The Scarlet Letter, was punished by the townspeople and was cast away. Hester Prynne committed a sin; she committed adultery. The townspeople felt that people who commit sins are to be punished severely. In chapter 2 of The Scarlet Letter, Hester is branded with the letter “A”. This mark is used to humiliate Hester for committing adultery. The townspeople don’t seem to agree with this

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written in 1849. This novel won him much fame and a good reputation as a writer. In writing The Scarlet Letter, Hawethorne was creating a form of fiction he called the psychological romance. A psychological romance is a story that contains all of the conventional trappings of a typical romance, but deeply portrays humans in conflict with themselves. The Scarlet Letter won Hawthorne great critical acclaim, and even today the book remains on the best seller list. The Scarlet Letter is so popular maybe because generations of readers can interpret it and see subtle meanings that somewhat reflect their own lives. Each of us, has

Hester Prynne, the main character of the book "The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, commits adultery, is considered a hussy, and has a child as the result of her sin. She cheats on her husband while he is absent from town and receives a harsh punishment for her behavior already. Hester is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her bosom for the rest of her life. It is now on debate on whether or not Pearl should be taken away from her mother’s guidance. This is due to the fact that she is a sinner and might not be a qualified mother for her child.It is true, that no matter what you did in the past, a child is a blessing and parents change due to the love they have for their children. Therefore, Hester

The symbol of the scarlet letter is meant to be a symbol of shame but, as the story continues its meaning changes to something different for Hester. The letters meaning changes briefly as time goes on in the setting of the story. In the beginning the “A” was to identify Hester as someone who committed adultery. “ On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread appears the letter “A”.”(p.37) Hester was to wear this letter because of her sin of committing adultery and having a child while married to another. When the native americans had came they were all interested in Hester’s scarlet letter. “- conceiving, perhaps, that the wearing of this brilliantly embroidered badge must needs be a personage of high dignity among her people.”(p.169) All of the natives thought that Hester was a person of high power and that was what the

In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is accused of adultery and is forced to wear a scarlet letter A on her chest. While Hester owned the sin, the father was not as strong as Hester to face the sin. With this shame, she was forced to live in isolation with her child. As Hawthorne states in chapter 18,

In the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, the letter is understood as a label of punishment and sin being publicized. Hester Prynne bears the label of “A” signifining adulterer upon her chest. Because of this scorching red color label she becomes

The Puritans despised Hester and her symbol for her sin, and shunned her for many years even after her prison sentence. Hester could have just lived a depressed, lonely life in seclusion with her daughter Pearl, but she decided to accept her sin and wrong doing to become a mentally stronger woman. During the many years of Hester being in prison and being rejected when she was released, she practiced needlework to provide food for her and her daughter. As the people in Salem recognized her talent of her embroidery and garments, they began respecting her talent, and so the scarlet “A” that stood for “adulterer” slowly began to stand for “able.” Hester started to supply apparel for babies, ceremonies, inaugurations, and funerals. Furthermore, the Scarlet letter has another symbolic meaning. When Pearl went to the seashore, she made a green letter “A” out of seaweed – nature’s color. This was symbolic for Pearl’s sinless life so far because she hasn’t truly been introduced to sin; she still is “green” and “pure”. As for Hester, her scarlet “A” is symbolic of her many sins, for no one can avoid sin as they grow older.

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the scarlet letter ‘A’ as a symbol for one of the novel’s themes that sin can lead to heavy guilt and shame, if no reconciliation is sought. The Scarlet Letter is set in seventeenth-century Boston, which at the time was a strict Puritan society, meaning that they strongly observed religious law. Hawthorne begins this story by revealing the main character, Hester Prynne, being publically mocked in front of her entire town. Hester is seen exiting out of a prison and making her way to stand on a scaffold in the presence of her townspeople, carrying a baby, and bearing a scarlet and gold letter ‘A’ on her chest. “With all the townspeople assembled and levelling their stern regards at Hester Prynne,” the reader is

Hester Prynne is an essential character in the Scarlet Letter who embraces her sin and turns it into something positive. She is condemned for committing adultery and for punishment she must wear a Scarlet Letter “A” embroidered on the

     Throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter there are many symbols. One of the biggest symbols of the novel is the scarlet letter A that Hester Prynne is sentenced to wear after she commits adultery. It is a symbol that is sewn onto her clothes for everyone to see. It is a punishment that is meant to humiliate her for the duration of the time that she stays in Puritanical Boston. During the novel, the scarlet letter changes and evolves from meaning adultery to meaning ability and even physically changes its form.

This is the first time the Scarlet Letter is mentioned in the novel. The letter A is sewn on Hester’s bosom and she’s forced to wear for the rest of her life. This symbolizes the guilt and shame, which are the themes of this book. Hester Prynne is guilty of committing adultery, therefore the society will never want to come near her, unless she confesses of her crime and gives the father’s name.