The great scene of grief, in which the wild infant bore a part, had developed all of her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her father’s cheeks, they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but be a woman in it.” (197). Pearl finally feels dissociated from the letter “A”, puritan rule, and her mother’s sin giving her freedom to pursue her own friendships, love, and religion. Pearl, Hawthorne’s symbol of the affair, challenges the Puritan belief system throughout the book The Scarlet Letter. While Pearl acts primarily as a symbol of her mother’s shame throughout The Scarlet Letter, by the end of the book she is allowed to become free from shame and isolation. This freedom comes when Dimmesdale publicly confesses and releases her from the imprisonment of the spell.
“Beauty is the mark God sets upon virtue.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature. A woman, in the eyes of the Puritans, due to her unvirtuous act, was given an unbeautiful gift. They believe she was given a demon child for her sin. Living in a strict Puritan town in the 1800’s, Hester Prynne, a transcendentalist, is forced to wear a scarlet letter on her chest for the rest of her life as punishment for her sin of adultery. Because Hester is a Puritan, she understands that she participated in a horrible sin and can never be forgiven.
As long as internalized sexism remains unaddressed and unhealed, mistrust and “horizontal oppression” will continue (Szymankski 103). Internalized sexism “[reinforces the] web of insecurities and rigidities” between women (Pheterson 159). Relationships between women in The Handmaid’s Tale reflect this. The acrimony between Offred and Serena Joy or Aunt Lydia and the novice handmaids both reveal the same truth; the female characters in The Handmaid’s Tale antagonize one another because of the toxic situation in which they must live. In their attempt to survive, they become complicit in the society that restricts women.
Her own people shun her because she falls in love and bears her child through an affair with Dimmesdale. From the first page of the novel, Hester is exiled, shunned, and thrown into reality. The Scarlet Letter exemplifies the battle between individuals and society containing the central theme of appearance vs reality and Hester is a prime example of someone who lives by reality instead of appearance. The best example of this is Hester’s lifestyle before and after she is shunned by society. Before being exiled, Hester recognizes the unjust nature of the laws around her.
Knowing how her mother really thought of her gave Penny the impression that her teammates had a similar opinion, which made cheering more miserable. Concerned for her daughter’s lack of social ability and constant isolation, Penny’s mother states “I don’t think you really appreciate the good in your life. You are always unhappy” (Wilson 166). Wilson uses this situation to show that Penny gains a spiritual awakening by confronting her mother and accepts herself. Penny argues with her mother, “I don’t like what you think is good.
However as the play goes on, we realize that she is very much afraid of being vulnerable to love, and uses her wit as a cover for it. Even though Beatrice is a strong-willed and independent woman, she does admit she has limitations. After the wedding, when Claudio wrongly accused Hero, she told Benedick how she had a plan (to kill Claudio). Benedick questioned her if any person could do it, and she responds
Throughout the book we see the hypocrisy of society. The first character we come across with that trait is Miss Watson. Miss Watson constantly corrects Huck for his unacceptable behavior, but Huck doesn 't understand why, "That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don 't know nothing about it". Later when Miss Watson tries to teach Huck about Heaven, he decides against trying to go there, "...she was going to live so as to go the good place.
Brabantio implies that women put on an act and pretend to be trustworthy. Even a father thinks women act one way and are not what they seem. Then Brabantio, still enraged about the new marriage, continues to say, “Keep an eye on her, Moor. She lied to me, and she may lie to you”(1.3.5-6). This shows that Brabantio believes that Desdemona will continue to be deceiving.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne’s character is revealed through all of the punishments and hardships that are bestowed upon her. Hester Prynne commits the sin of adultery, however, the townspeople in the Puritan community discovers her sin. In her community, Hester’s actions are seen as a sin because she had a husband. Hester’s husband had been gone for several years, learning the art of alchemy and other medicinal properties. During this time, Hester believed her husband had died and ultimately that is what leads Hester to commit the sin of adultery and having a child with another man.
Hester has a daughter as a result of the affair. She names her daughter Pearl. But then comes Chillingworth which causes some conflict. Hester has come to love Dimmesdale and doesn't know wether to stay with Chillingworth or run away with Dimmesdale and Pearl. Hesters adultery and wearing of the scarlet letter affects Pearl because she is born from sin, she has no father figure, and she is isolated.