Scarlett Letter - Summary
Summary: The novel, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1850's, was a book involved in the ubiquitous movement of Romanticism. The main story is set in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (modern-day Boston), a colony newly established by English Puritans.
The novel, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1850's, was a book involved in the ubiquitous movement of Romanticism. The main story is set in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (modern-day Boston), a colony newly established by English Puritans. Their society was based on a strict religious code (The Puritan Creed), however was sadly surrounded by a weak judiciary system. This masterpiece of Hawthorne showed how one sin affected the lives of three people. When Hester and Dimmesdale committed their sinful act of love, Pearl was born; she symbolized a sin, a secret and a connection. She played three major roles in The Scarlet Letter: Hester's second physical reminder, the duel role of Hester's saviour/tormenter, and a constant reminder to Dimmesdale and Hester of their sin. She functions more than just a child-character - she is an indispensable aid to the reader (giving a child's eye view of the situation; arguably the best view) and an extended metaphor of the scarlet letter.
First, Hester Prynne the adulteress in The Scarlet Letter is forced by the Puritan community to wear a scarlet letter A on the breast of her gown. The letter "A" being her first physical reminder of her sin, while the birth of Pearl leading to her second reminder. Now, not only did Hester Prynne have to walk through the streets with the burden of her letter "A", but in addition with the result of their sin, Pearl. Hester realizes that "Pearl is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved..." (Hawthorne 77). Hawthorne establishes a direct link between the scarlet letter and Pearl by saying, "It was the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life!" (Hawthorne 70). Pearl is
The novel, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1850's, was a book involved in the ubiquitous movement of Romanticism. The main story is set in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (modern-day Boston), a colony newly established by English Puritans. Their society was based on a strict religious code (The Puritan Creed), however was sadly surrounded by a weak judiciary system. This masterpiece of Hawthorne showed how one sin affected the lives of three people. When Hester and Dimmesdale committed their sinful act of love, Pearl was born; she symbolized a sin, a secret and a connection. She played three major roles in The Scarlet Letter: Hester's second physical reminder, the duel role of Hester's saviour/tormenter, and a constant reminder to Dimmesdale and Hester of their sin. She functions more than just a child-character - she is an indispensable aid to the reader (giving a child's eye view of the situation; arguably the best view) and an extended metaphor of the scarlet letter.
First, Hester Prynne the adulteress in The Scarlet Letter is forced by the Puritan community to wear a scarlet letter A on the breast of her gown. The letter "A" being her first physical reminder of her sin, while the birth of Pearl leading to her second reminder. Now, not only did Hester Prynne have to walk through the streets with the burden of her letter "A", but in addition with the result of their sin, Pearl. Hester realizes that "Pearl is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved..." (Hawthorne 77). Hawthorne establishes a direct link between the scarlet letter and Pearl by saying, "It was the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life!" (Hawthorne 70). Pearl is