Examples Of Hester's Rationale In The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter In the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester makes the right decision to remain in the town because by doing so she serves an example of why Puritan rationale is defective, and the town is where Dimmesdale lives. Puritan logic is fallible because Hester is accused of her sin; meanwhile, others in the town are also guilty of sin. For example, when Hester is exiting the jail to begin her ignominy, the town gossips brand her with denunciative labels, such as “naughty baggage” and “brazen hussy.” Hester lives in seclusion, and “a small vacant area” is always around her that no one is inclined to enter. In addition, Governor Bellingham is an artificial Puritan because rather than embrace simplicity like a practiced Puritan, he …show more content…
At first, it is evident Hester is mindful of Pearl’s father, since she will not reveal who is, an act that would submit him to shame as well. Hester isolates herself in sin; therefore, she isolates herself in the distant cottage. When Governor Bellingham attempts to move Pearl elsewhere, Hester knows she can depend on Dimmesdale to convince him otherwise because Dimmesdale is the father. Because Dimmesdale has assisted her, Hester concludes “there lay a responsibility upon her, in reference to the clergyman” (Hawthorne 125). Likewise, when they are by the brookside, it is confessed Hester “still so passionately” loves Dimmesdale. Because of these devoted feelings, Hester affirms it is her duty to remain in the town until Dimmesdale can accept his ignominy. Moreover, only after he accepts his ignominy and dies does Hester finally leave the town. It may be believed Hester made the wrong decision by staying in the town, but had she left, the identity of Pearl’s father may not have been exposed. Indeed, it is when Dimmesdale glimpses Hester and Pearl in front of the scaffold that he is prepared to show everyone the
Forgiven Hester's Letter Persuasive Letter
260 Words | 2 PagesWhen Hester would remove her letter nothing bad would happen, instead she was showered with sunshine. The quote “ Such as sympathy from nature” shows that god has forgiven Hester and is going to surround her with positivity. Dimmesdale was never in situations like Hester. Hester was publically humiliated for her sin while Dimmesdale was was still loved by the citizens. Pearl was also living a great life along with Hester.
Rhetorical Devices Used In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
1091 Words | 5 PagesThis interaction between infant Pearl and Dimmesdale is significant because Pearl is described as a child who only shows affection towards her family (Hester). As Pearl ages, many Puritans conspire to separate her from her mother. Upon hearing this, Hester visits the governor’s hall to try and persuade him to allow Pearl to remain with her. Hester is ultimately allowed to keep Pearl, not because of her words, but because of the words spoken by Dimmesdale, who convinces Governor Bellingham and Reverend John Wilson. Afterwards, Pearl “stole softly towards him, and, taking his hand in the grasp of both her own, laid her cheek against it” (79).
Arthur Dimmesdale Quotes
551 Words | 3 PagesConsequently, Arthur Dimmesdale is the cause of Hester Prynne's shame for he is the man whom Hester loves. No one knows he is the father of Pearl, Hester won't say and he isn't strong enough to speak up. He struggles with this knowledge that Hester is being punished and not him. The only truth that continued to give Mr. Dimmesdale a real existence on this earth was the anguish in his inmost soul, and the undissembled expression of it in his aspect, (Hawthorne 142). Being a minister of God the citizens look up to him, and he feels guilty about his hidden sin.
Rhetorical Devices In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
416 Words | 2 PagesWhile Reverend Dimmesdale blocked out the world around him, “the spiritual element took up the feeble frame and carried it along, unconscious of the burden” (Hawthorne, 144). Hawthorne uses irony to describe the huge burden that Dimmesdale had to carry since he did not admit to being the father of Pearl. Though he often put his hand over his heart no “imagination would have been irrelevant enough to surmise that the same scorching stigma was on both of them?” (Hawthorne, 149). While it is ironic that Hester and Dimmesdale bear the same physical mark- the scarlet ‘A’, the truth is revealed that the mysterious lover and father of little Pearl is Reverend Dimmesdale himself.
Compare And Contrast Dimmesdale And Dimmesdale
728 Words | 3 PagesHester still loved Dimmesdale and felt deeply for him. She even looked to him for support when she dealt with the high ranking officials in the colony, like wife would look to a husband. When the government offices were debating whether or not Hester should keep pearl, she looked to Dimmesdale for support and asked him to speak for her. From reading the novel the reader can conclude that Dimmesdale felt some degree of love for Hester just not as deeply as true love. Dimmesdale did not not openly admit his sin with Hester, and when someone loved a person they do not want to see that person in pain and usually share in their
The Guilt Of Reverend Dimmesdale
861 Words | 4 PagesHester willingly took the blame for all of it even though it hurt her, “Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life” (ch 3). Dimmesdale is begging Hester to put the blame on him, but she does not want to cause him shame so she carries the blame for both of them. This hinders Pearl and Hester because they have much more of a burden to carry since Dimmesdale has no punishment according to
How Does Arthur Dimmesdale Commit The Greatest Sin
419 Words | 2 PagesArthur Dimmesdale commits the greatest sin. Throughout the novel, he never confesses to being Pearl’s father, and he acts like a hypocrite. He is the pastor in the town of Boston, Massachusetts, but yet he has committed the sin of adultery by having a child out of wedlock with a married woman. His sin is actually a combination of many sins, but it all starts when he commits adultery with Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father, but he never will confess this to the public.
How Does Nathaniel Hawthorne Use Lies In The Scarlet Letter
1137 Words | 5 PagesHester kept the identity of her love a secret, even to Pearl. Pearl could not know who her father was. With the constant bombardment and questions about it, Hester knew Pearl would not be able to handle the pressure. Hester wanted to keep Pearls mind clear so that she could not find herself in any trouble, pearl could not lie if she had not known therefore could not be guilty of anything. Out of all the sins and lie committed in this novel, Hester’s were the only one’s committed out of
Hester And Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'
209 Words | 1 PagesHawthorne’s use of the Formal Register in the sixth chapter, “Pearl” helps with amplifying the intensity of Hester and Pearl’s relationship in “The Scarlet Letter”. Hawthorne’s use of diction in the lines “ Mother and daughter stood together in the same circle of seclusion from human society...”, shows that Hester and Pearl are not just excluded from society but, are in a totally different sphere for the same reason; Hester’s sin. Hawthorne makes it crystal clear that there is no Pearl separate from the scarlet letter, she is the scarlet letter in human form. Despite Dimmesdale committing the same sin as Hester, he is not in the same sphere of seclusion because there is an obvious divide, him being the town’s beloved reverend and Hester being
Examples Of Heinous Punishment In The Scarlet Letter
1095 Words | 5 PagesThe townspeople all look at Hester as an example for a sinner. Hawthorne composes, “ Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin” (Hawthorne 69). The little kids, and the woman will see Hester as an example as what would happen if they were to commit a sin. Seabrook addresses, “She 's forced to stand in shame before the mass of Puritan citizens, enduring their stares, their whispers and their contempt. In the self-righteous eyes of the townspeople, she is the ultimate example of sin” (Seabrook 1).
Essay On The Scarlet Letter Hester's Transformation
1097 Words | 5 PagesIn The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the element of change is paramount in the understanding of Hester’s personal transformation as well as her relationships with Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and the Puritan community. Throughout the story, all three of Hester’s major relationships go through many shifts that affect the plot of the book. In the beginning, none of Hester’s relationships are benefiting to her. However, they slowly progress into either a loving relationship or relentless bitterness towards one another.
Dimmesdale's Confession
649 Words | 3 PagesHester and Dimmesdale had planned to escape their sins to Europe, however, after his last sermon, Dimmesdale realized that he yearned for a public confession. Therefore, though he was scarcely strong enough to walk on his own, he summoned Hester and Pearl to the scaffold and proceeded to mount it with them. Proceeding to confess in the presence of the entire town, Dimmesdale tore off his minister’s robe to reveal a concealed scarlet letter of his own. After bidding farewell to Hester and their child, Dimmesdale, relieved once and for all from his guilt, died a peaceful death on the scaffold. Thus, Dimmesdale had finally realized that the guilt of his adultery with Hester was inescapable by ordinary means, and only such a public confession could free his
How Hester Prynne Changes In Scarlet Letter
941 Words | 4 PagesWe are all sinners, no matter how hard we try to hide our faults, they always seem to come back, one way or another. Written in the 19th century, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows us Hester Prynne and how one sin can change her life completely. Hester Prynne changes a great deal throughout The Scarlet Letter. Through the view of the Puritans, Hester is an intense sinner; she has gone against the Puritan way of life committing the highest act of sin, adultery. For committing such a sinful act, Hester must wear the scarlet letter while also having to bear stares from those that gossip about her.
Who Is Pearl In The Scarlet Letter
562 Words | 3 PagesWhen she sees Dimmesdale repeatedly placing his hand over his heart, she asks her mother why he does that. Every time she asks, Hester is reminded of Dimmesdale and how their sin keeps them apart. Whenever Pearl asks about the letter that Hester wears, she is reminded of the reason she has to wear, even if she won’t tell Pearl the real
Judgment In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
164 Words | 1 PagesLater in the novel it’s confirmed that the remorse Dimmesdale feels has taken an emotional toll on him (Hawthorne, 538). Hawthorne expressed the emotional toll of judgment and justification on Hester when she states refers to the world as “hostile” (Hawthorne, 541). It is important to note that she calls her heart “bitter,” therefore, implying that the judgment she has endure has changed her, and contemplates if her child should experience this pain. Hawthorne demonstrates Hester’s internalization of the judgment and negative perception from her peers. In many other chapters, Hester perceives Pearl as a positive outcome of her sin, but in this particular quotation, Hester is questioning is living is worth it.
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