Diction, And Denotation In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
During the early 1600’s, Puritan groups migrated from Europe to the Massachusetts Bay Colony to establish a settlement based around very strict religious beliefs. The Scarlet Letter is set in this time period and settlement where it was considered a horrendous sin to commit adultery. Hester Prynne engaged in sexual relations with the minister, Dimmesdale, which resulted in a child named Pearl. This novel highlights Hester’s struggle to raise her child and protect herself from the societal attacks thrown at her, while overcoming the label bestowed upon her by society. In, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses specific diction, repetition, and denotative diction in order to convey the purpose of overcoming labels and protecting one’s image. …show more content…
The specific word “departed” (Hawthorne 185) is used to describe the feeling of freedom Hester gained when she removed her scarlet letter while she was in the woods with Dimmesdale discussing the chance to run away to Europe. The use of the word “departed” insinuates leaving something behind to start a better journey. This creates a stronger effect to convey the feeling that Hester has prevailed through the difficult endeavor and is ready to start anew. If a more general word, such as “left,” was used, then the effect would not be as strong because the word does not create the feeling of overcoming and prevailing through something to start over. The specific word “departed” used in this novel relates to Hester’s relief and freedom when she took off the scarlet letter, and develops the feeling that her shame and anguish from the sin has now left. This word and strategy support the purpose by showing that Hester has overcome her label and the attempt to protect her image by removing the scarlet letter and creating a better life for herself and …show more content…
He uses this word by its literal meaning of total devotion to oneself to convey Hester’s triumph over society and how she has focused more on herself throughout the years. This conveys the sense that Hester no longer feels like she does not belong in her society for the sin she committed, for she has developed a self awareness that allowed her to thrive and overcome the label given to her. This word and strategy support the purpose by elaborating on how dedicated to herself and making her life better Hester had become. It exemplifies the strength Hester obtained to overpower her label and free herself from the chains of society of the time
Judges In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
1343 Words | 6 PagesThis, however, causes the town to change their perspective towards the scarlet letter. At one point, the town “refused to interpret the scarlet “A” by its original signification. They said that it mean[t] ‘Able’ (158).” This reveals how Hester’s enlightenment towards society not only caused her to grow but it also caused the town to progress. Hester’s enlightened knowledge and her ability to pass it on will allow Hester to become a successful judge because
How Does Hester Prynne Change Throughout The Scarlet Letter
620 Words | 3 PagesAs a punishment for her actions, Hester is required to wear a scarlet letter A on her dress that symbolizes the shame of her adultery. This humiliation continues throughout her life as the town treats her with great disrespect because of her past. Hester proves to be very charitable in her lifetime, regularly bringing food to the poor and helping to take care of the sick. Even though “Such helpfulness was found in her—so much power to do and power to sympathize” (113), the town took advantage of her efforts and only appreciated that she was benefiting them with her actions. As she makes a living as a talented seamstress, her clients in town believe
Scaffold Symbolism In The Scarlet Letter
804 Words | 4 PagesMatt Martin Mr. Anderson Honors English III 9 November 2017 Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel about Hester Prynne, a woman who commits adultery in a Puritan society, and how it affects her life. Hester not only scars her own life, but also Dimmesdale 's, who is one of the town 's ministers. Her husband has been gone for multiple years, so she expects he is dead and can love freely again. Her crime is discovered and she is nearly executed due to its extremity in the Puritan society.
What Is Hester Prynne's Description Of Puritan
1490 Words | 6 PagesHester Prynne is described as a beautiful, tall, young, elegant, graceful, brunette, and ladylike. Her most dominant characteristic is the scarlet letter embroidered on her bosom, reflecting how her sin is the only thing the Puritans see when they look at her. 3. The omniscient narrator guides the reader into Hester’s head. As she walks to the scaffold, the reader learns that Hester is tortured and suffering and feels as if “her heart had been flung into the street for them all to spurn and trample upon”.
Scarlet Letter Passage Analysis Essay
786 Words | 4 PagesIn this passage from Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne begins her life out of prison after being labelled as an adulterer. Accordingly, the author uses the narrator to illustrate Hester’s tormented psyche through the use of contrasts, ambiguity, and erratic syntax. Inviting the reader into Hester’s thought process does not necessarily provide the certainty that she or the reader may long for.
The Scarlet Letter And The Handmaid's Tale, And When She Woke
976 Words | 4 PagesJust as Hillary Jordan’ main protagonist Hannah has been put into boxes her whole life, literature tends to think in boxes as well. Novels are put in different genre boxes and the characters are, through their character traits, in boxes as well. This thesis has three boxes as well, in this case called chapters. Within each chapter it will be tried to break these boxes open and discuss why not everything can be put in just one box and why society should start to think outside the box.
How Does Nathaniel Hawthorne Use Diction In The Scarlet Letter
227 Words | 1 PagesIn The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne, Hawthorne uses diction to characterize John Wilson. Hawthorne begins by talking about the malevolent John Wilson by calling him a culprit. An older meaning of culprit is the cause of a problem or defect. Going with this, Hawthorne begins this passage by stating John Wilson is the cause of the problem. Later in this passage Pearl, Hester’s child, begins wailing and screaming.
Sin And The Sinner In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter
522 Words | 3 PagesFollowing Hester’s punishment at the stands, Hawthorne wrote, “Every gesture, every word, and often expressed, that she was banished, and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere” (58). Despite these social ramifications, Hester sought to become a better person. Eight years after receiving the scarlet letter, the townspeople perceived Hester differently. Because of Hester’s desire to help the community, the town now views her as a force for good. Hawthorne explained that, “[The town] said that [the scarlet letter] meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne” (111).
Examples Of Sinning In The Scarlet Letter
561 Words | 3 PagesFrom the moment she conceived Pearl, Hester confessed that she had commited adultery. At frst, the townspeople looked down on Hester as just a living reminder of sin. Nevertheless, once Hester began doing charity work, “Hester bestowed all her superfluous means in charity, on wretches less miserable than herself, and who not unfrequently insulted the hand that fed them”(87.) The people began to notice her more as the person she is, rather than what the scarlet “A” defined her as “The letter was the symbol of her calling.
Theme Of Appearance Vs Reality In The Scarlet Letter
903 Words | 4 PagesFrom 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. She refuses to follow them and presents the appearance of perfection and happiness.
Essay On Evil In The Scarlet Letter
719 Words | 3 PagesEven though the Puritans may have designated the letter as a representation of sin, Hester’s renewed sense of pride does not want society to define the A for her. Rather Hester wants to define it herself and by doing so she develops responsibility and power over her own actions. Because Hester has the power to change who she is, she also has the power to change what the Scarlet Letter represents. By letting the letter be “embroidered with gold thread” readers are able to see how for Hester sin is not something to be fearful of; furthermore, it allows one to see how Hester has developed into an independent individual who accepts who she is and the situation she is presented with. Hester’s lover unfortunately
Positive Impact Of Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter
529 Words | 3 PagesHester’s tale is legendary by the end of the book because of all that she has endured due to the scarlet letter, and the person that she is in spite of it. Additionally, another positive impact the scarlet letter has on Hester is that because of it, she is all the more sympathetic and selfless. Even though the letter causes her and her daughter Pearl to be ostracized from society, Hester does not become bitter and angry in her seclusion. Instead, she becomes a “self-ordained Sister of Mercy” and comforts those who are distraught, being “the softer pillow for the head that needed one” (149). The meaning of the scarlet letter even changes because of her generosity and altruism: “such helpfulness was found in her, --so much power to do, and power to sympathize, --that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification.
Hester Prynne Transformation
704 Words | 3 PagesHester Prynne develops her strong character greatly throughout the book from the first formal introduction to the very end of her life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Right from the second chapter when we in the beginning are Introduced to Hester Prynne, we are convinced of her strong inner character from the first time we meet her during the hardship of her public humiliation. Without giving the reader much knowledge of her background, Hawthorne creates her as this young beauty, with tall, elegant figure and dark hair who also shows great irony and contempt, which we get the idea of when she stands on the scaffold and is described as to be showing a “haughty smile”, and we see it in the subtle clue to how she carries her elaborate scarlet letter (50). Another clear example of Hester 's steadfastness is in her determination of being alone through her humiliation and judgement, even with the many grim opinions the villagers in the crowd
Hester Prynne Character Analysis Essay
1148 Words | 5 PagesThe scarlet “A” on her bosom and the bonnet covering her ebony locks weighed on her as a physical representation of the heft of her sin. She lost her edge and began to give up. Hester was no longer enjoying life and blocking out judgements like she once was that day on the scaffold. Seven years is a long time to be publicly shamed for a sin you once committed. The gravity of the secrets she kept to herself was causing her to fade.
The Symbolism Of 'A' In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
959 Words | 4 PagesReceiving the scarlet letter changed every aspect of Hester’s life. Especially at the start of the story, the letter symbolized the solitude and great suffering Hester faced just because of a letter placed on her bosom. The “A” also depicted how no one viewed Hester the same way as before her peccant actions. “…she saw that, owing to the peculiar effect of this convex mirror, the scarlet letter was represented in exaggerated and gigantic proportions, so as to be greatly the most prominent feature of her appearance” (Hawthorne 109). The pejorative community Hester lived in never saw Hester as the beautiful, young woman she was, but now, as a horrible fiend.
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