Some important techniques used in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne are conflict and figurative language, especially irony and symbolism. The conflict drives the story, and affects how different characters change in positive and negative ways, as well as how the characters interact. Hawthorne also uses many types of figurative language, including irony and symbolism. Arthur Dimmesdale himself is a very ironic person; everyone adores him and thinks he is an amazing person, but on the inside he has built up guilt from the crime he has committed, and even refers to himself as “the worst of sinners”. The irony of Dimmesdale is very important to the end of the story, when he confesses his crime to everyone, and how people react. By far
In the novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the protagonist is found guilty of adultery after spending time prison her only other punishment is to wear the letter A for the rest of her life and stand on a raised platform for three hours. Hester is out in the open, in front of society standing there on the platform. For that three hours many fingers were pointed and many whispers filled the air. In that time Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale delivers a sermon convincing Hester Prynne to speak the name of her lover. Dimmesdale uses rhetorical devices to help him get the name out of her such as rhetorical question, where he questions what good does keeping the name from the public get her; pathos, arousing her
One spontaneous but significant mistake made by Arther Dimmesdale caused him to live the rest of his life crawling with guilt. Arthur Dimmesdale, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, had an affair with a married woman, and that crime ruined the lives of almost everyone in the novel. The Scarlet Letter remains a classic to this day because it emphasizes harsh penance which highlights the difference between the treatment of sinners today and those during the 17th century. The way Puritans view sin and guilt cause Dimmesdale’s life to come to an unfortunate end.
In the Scarlet Letter, the most obvious example of irony is the fact that Reverend Dimmesdale is Hester’s counterpart and fellow adulterer. Dimmesdale’s sin is dramatically ironic because the readers catch on to it much sooner than most of the characters in the story. The audience slowly realizes that Dimmesdale was Hester’s companion because of several events. First, whenever he is to speak about Hester or on the topic of sins, he becomes very pale and shaky. He also progressively appears sicker and more gaunt due to the guilt that builds up inside his body and consumes his mind.
Entry 6 (page 101-120) In English class, Melinda’s teacher, whom she calls Hairwoman, is stating that “it’s all about SYMBOLISM, says Hairwoman. Every word chosen by Nathaniel [Hawthorne], every comma, every paragraph break- they were all done on purpose” (101). Hairwoman also explains whom Hawthorne is by claiming that “this is Hawthorne, one of the greatest novelist! He didn’t do anything by accident he was a genius” (102).
Character Foils In The Scarlet Letter Those who contrast each other make for engrossing storytelling. Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates this truth often in his romantic narrative, “The Scarlet Letter”.
Naiara Senra wrote The following book report for Mr. Samuel Jaja's writing and composition class at Notre Dame School. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter a 1850s novel. Published in 1850 by Ticknor & Fields, it began Hawthorne's most lucrative period and consists of two hundred and seventy-two pages. The Scarlet Letter has inspired many films, novels, and stage adaptations. I read this book not only because it was on a required reading list for one of my school classes, but also because it had been recommended to me by a friend a while ago.
When you think of a Puritan society, what comes to your mind? Perfect, flawless, and a religion based on following God? Well, that is what it says on paper, but is it really that perfect? Throughout the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne jabs at the Puritans in an attempt to portray just how flawed they really are. After reading the book, you want to think that Hawthorne is telling the story of sinning in a Puritan society.
The Scarlet Letter’s Development The Scarlet Letter is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and has many different central ideas. Some of those central ideas are hypocrisy, sin, revenge, guilt, and conformity. Dimmesdale, the town being full of hypocritical individuals, and Dimmesdale committing adultery to reveal how Dimmesdale has to conform to how the town sees him, while the guilt is ruining his health. Hawthorne conveys the central idea that sin creates guilt, which creates secrets and conformity by Dimmesdale being a minister who has committed adultery and will not confess that he did.
In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells a thrilling, dark story of a woman who committed a great sin, who also paid the price, and of the man who committed it alongside her, but was able to cower in his pity and shame. Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale have a dangerous and sinful affair while Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, is away and thought to be dead. Throughout the novel, many characters can be depicted as an antagonist, but only one truly stands out. Arthur Dimmesdale proves to be the main antagonist all throughout the novel and in various examples, and through the end, he remains as the same lowly hypocrite that he started out as.
In 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.
In chapter one of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, many rhetorical devices are used. Hawthorne uses this language to create mystery and wonder throughout the book. His writing is precise; obviously to cause readers to feel a certain way. Nathaniel's use of imagery, mood, and symbolism is what makes The Scarlet Letter so interesting to those who read it.
Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, one of the protagonists of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, stands as a highly conflicted character. The source of his divide stems from the consequences of private sins, and is prevalent within the first paragraphs of Chapter 12, “The Minister’s Vigil,” where the narration chronicles Dimmesdale’s surroundings as he dream walks through the town in a state of limbo. He is portrayed as a model citizen who lacks moral imperfections to the general public yet suffers privately from the juxtaposition of his sins to his position within the community. In this specific passage, Hawthorne uses somber diction and imagery to illustrate Dimmesdale’s strife, while portraying his internal conflict through the formation
In 1964, Lawrence Kohlberg, a psychologist introduced the idea that humans evolved through different stages of morality. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne male characters exemplify a moral development as the story unfolds. In particular, Arthur Dimmesdale’s morality differs from the beginning of the novel to the ending of the novel. His morality undergoes continuity and change by constantly changing from selfishness, social order, and social contract. Dimmesdale undergoes the morality maintaining the social order and being considerate of others to eventually being selfish and only thinks about himself.
Amanda Vicente The Scarlet Letter Reading Response AP English Language Period J 16 August 2016 Journal Entry 1: Chapters 1-2 In The Scarlet Letter, the author sets a mood from the beginning of the book. The setting is old and beat up in front of an aged wooden prison with judgmental Puritans ready to tear a women apart. The Puritans are hypocrites and the author portrays that in the story.
In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne effectively conforms to the conventions of the gothic genre for the purpose of characterizing the Puritan society as oppressive, portraying the hypocrisy found within the society and highlighting the consequences for not confessing