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Aphorism In The Scarlet Letter

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This aphorism, much like what one could find in a fable, uses sage advice to connect the reader personally with the story. Aphorisms in general, and this in particular, offers universal truth independent of context. Many passages in The Scarlet Letter, set hundreds of years in the past, can be easily related to modern day, but rarely are they directly applicable. The aphorism serves to remind the reader that while Hester Prynne’s story may or may not be true, it is not entirely based in fiction.

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