thesis proposal on scarlet letter
On the Symbolism of The Scarlet Letter
Introduction:
Nathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the 19th century. His novel, The Scarlet Letter, is considered as the first American psychological novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It reveals the psychological insight with which Hawthorne proved guilt and anxiety in the human soul. The Scarlet Letter is deeply concerned with ethical problems of sin, punishment, and atonement.
The background of the story is set in Salem, Massachusetts, a strictly controlled Puritan town with harsh laws and fierce prejudices. Hester Prynne, a young wife whose husband is presumed dead, is being publicly humiliated for the sin of adultery. The proof of her sin is her baby girl Pearl. She conceals the identity of Pearl’s father to protect him from the harsh judgment of Puritan law. She however is doomed to spend the rest of her life marked as an adulterer by wearing a scarlet “A” on her chest. Hester’s husband meanwhile has arrived in the colony and taken up practice as a doctor. He makes Hester promise that she will not reveal his identity to anyone. It is the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, who is renowned as an especially holy and pious man. Wracked by guilt he starts to show outward signs of serious illness. Hester’s husband under the assumed name Roger Chillingworth moves in begins taking care of Dimmesdale. Chillingworth soon discovers that he is Pearl’s father. For revenge, Chillingworth uses his influence to multiply the feelings of guilt in the minister as a form of emotional torture. At the climax of the story, Dimmesdale confesses his sin and dies. Hester and Pearl leave the colony. Chillingworth’s gets the purpose of revenge but suddenly finds his life meaningless and dies within a year.
Hawthorne is outstanding in literary skills, especially in symbolism. In this novel, symbolism runs through the whole novel where the scarlet letter “A”, the characters of story and the settings are all endowed with a
Introduction:
Nathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the 19th century. His novel, The Scarlet Letter, is considered as the first American psychological novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It reveals the psychological insight with which Hawthorne proved guilt and anxiety in the human soul. The Scarlet Letter is deeply concerned with ethical problems of sin, punishment, and atonement.
The background of the story is set in Salem, Massachusetts, a strictly controlled Puritan town with harsh laws and fierce prejudices. Hester Prynne, a young wife whose husband is presumed dead, is being publicly humiliated for the sin of adultery. The proof of her sin is her baby girl Pearl. She conceals the identity of Pearl’s father to protect him from the harsh judgment of Puritan law. She however is doomed to spend the rest of her life marked as an adulterer by wearing a scarlet “A” on her chest. Hester’s husband meanwhile has arrived in the colony and taken up practice as a doctor. He makes Hester promise that she will not reveal his identity to anyone. It is the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, who is renowned as an especially holy and pious man. Wracked by guilt he starts to show outward signs of serious illness. Hester’s husband under the assumed name Roger Chillingworth moves in begins taking care of Dimmesdale. Chillingworth soon discovers that he is Pearl’s father. For revenge, Chillingworth uses his influence to multiply the feelings of guilt in the minister as a form of emotional torture. At the climax of the story, Dimmesdale confesses his sin and dies. Hester and Pearl leave the colony. Chillingworth’s gets the purpose of revenge but suddenly finds his life meaningless and dies within a year.
Hawthorne is outstanding in literary skills, especially in symbolism. In this novel, symbolism runs through the whole novel where the scarlet letter “A”, the characters of story and the settings are all endowed with a