Essay On The Scaffold In The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, focuses on the life of Hester Prynne—the unlucky soul who is caught committing adultery and forced to live a life of shame and ignominy. The scaffold is not only the start of her predicament, but it is also the end of the once seemingly perfect Reverend Dimmesdale’s own guilt. The scaffold is the setting of a scene three times throughout the novel: the beginning, middle, and end. For such a lifeless object, it is difficult to recognize its significance in the novel; however, the scaffold is used by Hawthorne to portray the changing relationship between the characters, specifically Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl. In the first few chapters, the scaffold serves as the exposition of the novel to introduce Hester’s “walk of shame” and Dimmesdale’s absence from the very same fate. During the first scene, Hester is “dragged out into the sunshine” and displayed to “the crowd of spectators” (38). Hester likely feels dreadful as she is like a circus animal viewed upon by people uncaring about her physical well being and only worried about the entertainment. She is “dragged” into the sunlight; hence, she is being forcibly extracted from her one hiding place, the dark jail, and exposed so that everyone can see her guilt. By likening …show more content…
The scaffold also serves as a backbone for the general structure of the novel; it is effectively the exposition, rising action, climax, and falling action; efficiently documenting the major changes in characters by utilizing the setting it is placed in. “On a field, sable, the letter A, gules” (180). Hawthorne leaves the tombstone inscription as a reminder of the scarlet letter’s legend, and the long term consequences of a sinful
Hester Prynne Shame Quotes
1140 Words | 5 PagesHester's divine beauty outshines others corrupt beliefs of her. While Hester walks stumbles out the prison doors and onto the dreaded scaffold, Hawthorne describes Hester as "the young woman [who] was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance, on a large scale" (40). Hester Prynne is being publicly shamed for the act of adultery she committed along with the minister who condemns her. She is forced to stand on the scaffold and beat the sorrow of he sins with the scarlet letter "A" on her bosom to represent her shameful acts. This mark of embarrassment serves a purpose to make her appear unrighteous, but the author chooses to focus on her beauty, which outshines this emblem.
How Does Dimmesdale Change Throughout The Scarlet Letter
631 Words | 3 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is commonly considered a classic, most likely due to it’s intense examination of the human soul. The Scarlet Letter is a novel about Hester Prynne, a woman who commits adultery and is therefore required to wear a scarlet ‘A’ on her chest, her lover, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, her legal husband, Roger Chillingworth, and her illegitimate child, Pearl. Throughout the novel Hester and Dimmesdale keep the fact that Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father a secret, and explores the consequences of their actions. Through the development of the previously listed characters Hawthorne provides great insight into the human condition, especially through the development of Dimmesdale.
How Does Hester Prynne Change In The Scarlet Letter
530 Words | 3 PagesThe Scarlet Letter opens with Hester Prynne, a young woman who has committed adultery and is being punished. She is shown to be a proud, confident woman but is quickly forced to mature under the burden of public humiliation. Hester becomes an unhappy and bitter woman, her mind and body hardened by the stress of her punishment and her inability to forgive herself and move on. Throughout the story, she struggles to come to terms with what she has done and only when she finally does, can she return to her former happy, unburdened self and regain her former beauty. At the start of the novel, Hester has just received her sentencing for her crime of adultery.
Outline For The Scarlet Letter
762 Words | 4 PagesIntroduction In the novel “The Scarlet Letter”, Hester is constantly reminded of her sin and put down for it. The Puritans look down upon her because she has committed a sin. Thesis: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter” can be seen as criticism of the beliefs of puritans and how symbolism is used to show Hester’s sin and how she is defined. Body Paragraph 1 Topic Sentence: When the Puritans had found out that Hester had conceived a child with another man, the Puritans saw this as a sin that deserved punishment.
Scarlet Letter Human Condition Essay
723 Words | 3 PagesThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals a lot about the human condition. A theme that is consistently expressed throughout this novel is the drastic effect of committing a sin, or something that is considered immoral in society. Specifically the book focuses on how secrets can weigh on a person’s mental state and lead to a heavy toll on their daily livelihoods. Hester Prynne, and Arthur Dimmesdale both have to pay a hefty price for the toll that keeping secrets has caused and that is what the novel reveals about the human condition.
Shame Symbolism In Scarlet Letter
480 Words | 2 PagesThus the letter serves as a gateway into other people's secret crimes, and it acts as a focal point for the shame of the entire community. The letter thus can be interpreted as a symbol of shame shared by everyone rather than by Hester alone. The treatment of Hester worsens after she is displayed on the scaffolding. Her friends abandon her, and she must live in an isolated cottage on the outskirts of town. Even though Hester spends time helping to make clothes for the poor, they treat her badly in spite of her good intentions.
The Burning Vs The Scarlet Letter
782 Words | 4 PagesCompare/Contrast Essay Chelsea Cain, a famous novelist once said, “I’ve always been more interested in what happens after the bad thing has happened-the fallout of the bad thing, when the people are already damaged. I’m less interested in seeing people when they’re fine and following their journey to becoming damaged” (Brainy Quotes). People can never see the good in people they see the one mistake they have made. Hester, and the woman form the barrio make one mistake and the rest of their life are judged by it. Nathaniel Hawthorne author of The Scarlet Letter, and Estela Trambley, author of “The Burning” are both similar stories by using the comparison of the townspeople, being unexpected by the church and finally seeking happiness by the
Scaffold Scenes In The Scarlett Letter
1106 Words | 5 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” the basic structure for the novel is also provided by the scaffold scenes because everything else revolves around what happens during these scenes. Each scaffold scene foreshadows the next and brings about a greater understanding of the story itself. In the Scarlett Letter, Hawthorne uses these scenes to bring together the major characters and bring attention to the scarlet letter "A" on Hester Prynne and the significance of both her and her relations with Dimmesdale as well as the influence of Pearl on the entire story. The first scaffold scene gives the reader insight as to what the story is going to depict and how sin and guilt play major factors in the characters' lives.
Scarlet Letter Dbq
2184 Words | 9 PagesThe Scarlet Letter is a popular novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne which is mainly read during one's high school years. The Scarlet letter is set during the sixteenth century in Boston Massachusetts where a young woman named Hester Prynne is publicly shamed by the Puritans. When Hawthorne was writing this novel he described the puritans as a sad, bland society which had a reliance on the consequence of sin. His description of the Puritan society was not fully opinion-based since the Puritans that came over from England did dress simply. This leads the reader to wonder how much of his personal opinion made its way into the story and how much is historical fact.
Juxtaposition In The Scarlet Letter
426 Words | 2 PagesThroughout the passage from The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses Hester’s baby, Pearl, to illuminate the theme of beauty in a dark place. Once released from prison, Hester, an adulterer, becomes a public spectacle. Through this hard time, Hester has her daughter Pearl to soothe her and to bring her strength and hope for a better future. By using vivid imagery and juxtaposition, Hawthorne depicts Pearl as Hester’s happiness, light, and beauty during a sad and lonely time. While in Prison, Hester is all alone and depressed.
What Does The Scaffold Symbolize In The Scarlet Letter
100 Words | 1 PagesHester is now able to see her husband among the crowd surrounding the scaffold. He is dressed in odd fashion, a mixture of Native American and traditional English clothing. He gestures to her, suggesting she not reveal his identity, and asks a member of the crowd of her crime and punishment. Hester refuses to reveal the identity of her child’s father. She is to receive three hours on the scaffold and must wear the scarlet letter on her chest for life.
Summary: Symbolism Within The Scarlet Letter
616 Words | 3 PagesOne of the best signs of symbolism is repetition shown throughout the story. The scaffold reappears within The Scarlet Letter three times within the writing; in the beginning, midway through the writing, and towards the end. In each scenario where Hester is reunited with the scaffold, Hawthorne uses distinct similarities and differences that help enhance the meaning. Through Hawthorne’s word choice, one can clearly see the bountiful embarrassment brought by Hester being shamed on the scaffold; "a penalty, which in our days, would refer a degree of mocking infamy and ridicule, might then be interested with almost as strong a dignity as the punishment of death itself" (Hawthorne 44). The scaffold directly symbolizes emotion such as persecution and confession.
Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
274 Words | 2 PagesThe Scarlet Letter was written in 1849 and its main topics are guilt, forgiveness and religious fatalism. Hester Prynne, a young lady, is led out of the Puritan town‘s prison with an infant daughter in her arms and is found guilty of adultery. Not wanting to reveal her daughter‘s father Hester must wear a Scarlet Letter A on her bossom as a sign of shame. Furthermore, she must stand on the scaffold for three hours, exposed to public humilation. As Hester looks out over the crowd, she notices a small, misshapen man and recognizes him as her husband who has been presumed lost at sea.
What Does The Deep Red Symbolize In The Scarlet Letter
940 Words | 4 PagesIt reveals how the character Dimmesdale evolves as time progresses, in the beginning he asks Hester to stand with him so he can confess his sins but only for a minute because he doesn't want to admit the sin. This adds to the guilt that increases with time but also foreshadows his final coming out with the truth and death caused by this action. Hester's past will always be apart of her although others have forgotten about the sin that tore her life apart. The scarlet letter becomes apart of her and also turns into a symbol of redemption and how she overcame the difficulties in her life. Although she was emotionally tormented as a young woman she was able to overcome and become a light to others.
The Role Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter
466 Words | 2 PagesEven though she is supposed to be humiliated in front of the town as punishment for her adultery, she smiles proudly and wears her scarlet letter as a badge. In this instance, Hester refuses to accept her punishment thereby nullifying the punishment. If Hester were to be embarrassed on the scaffold, she would give her punishment the power to be a punishment. However, when Hester instead smiles on the scaffold, she shows that she won’t let her sin control her, no matter what the other townspeople think of her. Another example of how Hester denies her punishment is how she designed the scarlet letter.
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