Struggles of Frankenstein and the Scarlet Letter
Shelby Kane
Dr. Mulholland
College Literature
February 21, 2012
Life Struggles in The Scarlet Letter and Frankenstein If you read a lot of classic literature, you can usually see multiple similarities in them. Whether the plots or themes are alike, they convey similar messages. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, there are very similar life struggles that the characters go through. The main characters of each novel; Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Victor Frankenstein, and the Frankenstein monster are all judged by society and have guilty consciences after committing some crime. Even though the characters are very different from each other, they go through similar experiences that leave them with similar emotions. They each have their own story that was told to show people how difficult their lives really were. If these stories and struggles are looked at together, the similarities between them are clearly seen. The main character in The Scarlet Letter is Hester Prynne. The novel is about her crime of adultery which resulted in a daughter named Pearl. Because of this crime, there were many conflicts and issues that happened. The main struggle that occurred with Hester’s crime was how the public viewed her. As soon as the village found out about her, they shunned her from society. They put her in jail until she could be sentenced properly. She was a single mother with no one to turn to for help. She had to be strong for her child but she also had to of felt alone. Just her and her child alone in a dark jail cell. That was only the beginning of her struggles. She was sentenced to stand on the platform in front of everybody. People that she was once close to were judging her and saying cruel things where she could easily hear them. She couldn’t do anything except stand there and face humiliation. Also, the fact that she has to wear a red ‘A’ on her outfit is a constant reminder of what she did. When everybody sees that ‘A’
Dr. Mulholland
College Literature
February 21, 2012
Life Struggles in The Scarlet Letter and Frankenstein If you read a lot of classic literature, you can usually see multiple similarities in them. Whether the plots or themes are alike, they convey similar messages. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, there are very similar life struggles that the characters go through. The main characters of each novel; Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Victor Frankenstein, and the Frankenstein monster are all judged by society and have guilty consciences after committing some crime. Even though the characters are very different from each other, they go through similar experiences that leave them with similar emotions. They each have their own story that was told to show people how difficult their lives really were. If these stories and struggles are looked at together, the similarities between them are clearly seen. The main character in The Scarlet Letter is Hester Prynne. The novel is about her crime of adultery which resulted in a daughter named Pearl. Because of this crime, there were many conflicts and issues that happened. The main struggle that occurred with Hester’s crime was how the public viewed her. As soon as the village found out about her, they shunned her from society. They put her in jail until she could be sentenced properly. She was a single mother with no one to turn to for help. She had to be strong for her child but she also had to of felt alone. Just her and her child alone in a dark jail cell. That was only the beginning of her struggles. She was sentenced to stand on the platform in front of everybody. People that she was once close to were judging her and saying cruel things where she could easily hear them. She couldn’t do anything except stand there and face humiliation. Also, the fact that she has to wear a red ‘A’ on her outfit is a constant reminder of what she did. When everybody sees that ‘A’