Importance Of The Scaffold In The Scarlet Letter
The importance of a scaffold is not very important in everyone’s daily life, but for the members of The Scarlet Letter it is. The Scarlet Letter is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In The Scarlet Letter the scaffold has an importance in Hester and Dimmesdale’s life. The scaffold plays an important part by Hester Prynne standing on the scaffold to receive her punishment, Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold in the middle of the night where he thinks he is confessing but is by himself, and then Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold where he confesses and takes his final breath.
The first importance of the scaffold is Hester Prynne standing on the scaffold to receive her punishment for having a child without a father around. Hester stood in front of a crowd to receive her punishment and when she got her punishment the goodwives did not think fondly of her. “When the young woman-the mother of this child- stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token, which was wrought or fastened into her dress” (Hawthorne 60). When Hester received her punishment she was very self conscience about her scarlet letter. She felt that she had to
…show more content…
The scaffold plays an important part by Hester Prynne standing on the scaffold to receive her punishment, Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold in the middle of the night where he thinks he is confessing but is by himself, and then Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold where he confesses and takes his final breath. The scaffold has an importance in everyone’s life, but for Hester and Dimmesdale it plays an important role. The scaffold is where Dimmesdale takes his final breath and that is where Hester sees her lover die right next to her. For Hester and Dimmesdale the scaffold is their whole
Blindness In The Scarlet Letter
1270 Words | 6 PagesShe receives three punishments from the townspeople, who claim they will free her from her sin. The community orders Hester to go to jail, wear a scarlet letter on her chest, and stand on the town scaffold for hours. Hester wears her scarlet letter proudly on her chest, and endures much suffering because of her public ridicule. Hester is “kept by no restrictive clause of her condemnation within the limits of the Puritan settlement” after she was released from prison, but she chooses to stay (Hawthorne 71). Later, Hester’s child, Pearl, symbolizes the Puritan view of Hester.
Comparing Reputation In The Scarlet Letter And The Crucible By Arthur Miller
511 Words | 3 PagesIn The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses Hester to create the theme of reputation by presenting her as a woman whose reputation was ruined by an extramarital affair. She endures being forced to stand on a scaffold while holding her newborn babe, while villagers gossip below. "You must needs be a stranger in this region, friend," answered the townsman, looking curiously at the
What Is The Juxtaposition Of The Night In The Scarlet Letter
721 Words | 3 PagesEva Meza Ms. Orr English III: 5 Due Date: November 25, 2014 Day Versus Night In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, day versus night is a reoccurring motif. Throughout the novel, people conceal their true identities and desires in the dark.
Essay On The Scaffold In The Scarlet Letter
1344 Words | 6 PagesIn 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
Dimmesdale's Concealment In The Scarlet Letter
1317 Words | 6 PagesHester is punished by being publicly humiliated, forced to the top of the scaffold and to expose her scarlet letter that she wore, and being booed and hissed at amongst the public. As Dimmesdale is upon the scaffold, he calls to the citizens of the town during the night, and Hester and Pearl soon join him, when a meteor later appears in the sky. The meteor appears in the sky looking like a letter A. Dimmesdale thinks that it is a demeaning representation of his sin, just like Hester’s scarlet letter. Chillingworth’s position on the scaffold involves Dimmesdale, Hester and Pearl upon the scaffold with him, with Dimmesdale revealing Chillingworth’s true evil figure after the torture he had committed upon Dimmesdale as revenge for his adulterous affair with Hester. The idea of the scaffold becoming a unifying device comes from the dynamic changes it goes through.
Guilt In Dimmesdale's The Scarlet Letter
404 Words | 2 PagesGuilt lead Dimmesdale to whip himself, starve himself, and possibly carve the scarlet letter into himself. His health depletes rapidly after Hester is publically shamed but he is allowed to continue his normal daily life. This creates unrest in Dimmesdale, he feels that he also deserves a punishment. Therefore, one night, Dimmesdale in his state of omnipresent guilt, goes to the scaffold, the one that Hester was publicly shamed on. While traveling
Judges In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
1343 Words | 6 PagesThis wisdom, is clearly noted by the difference between Hester at the beginning and at the end of the novel. When Hester initially walks out onto the scaffold, her “first impulse [was] to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token, which was wrought or fastened into her dress (50).” Hester’s immediate reaction to the town surrounding the scaffold demonstrates how there was a glimpse of shame that fell upon her as she felt the critical eyes of the town. Even though one can argue that Hester felt no shame since she elaborately embroidered the scarlet letter with gold thread, it is important to note the split second of humiliation she felt. After this moment, Hester wears the scarlet letter with pride and accountability to reveal her ability to let go of the town’s judgment.
Sunlight Symbolism In The Scarlet Letter
1411 Words | 6 PagesSymbolizing Sunlight Secrets are like a personal, private jailer. They keep you locked away from others, isolated and alone in darkness. Every passing day makes your cell more condensed slowly trapping you between promises and morals. Secrets steal your freedom. Likewise, in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne refuses to expose the name of her husband and the name of her partner in sin; by not revealing the entire truth, Hester becomes a trapped soul in her own mind.
The Cost Of Error In The Scarlet Letter By Bill Clinton
1086 Words | 5 PagesAfter having a sexual relationship with a man that she was not married to, Pyrnne was sentenced to spending 3 hours on the Scaffold while being publicly humiliated by the crowd that came to witness the suffering that she endured. This public shaming brought pure joy to the people who witnessed the punishment. For example, “the scene was not without a mixture of awe, such as must always in-vest the spectacle of guilt and shame in a fellow- creature, before society shall grow corrupt enough to smile, instead of shuddering at it”(Hawthorne 48). The crowd in which Pyrnne is being humiliated in front of is filled with excitement by her embarrassment. The embarrassment that Hester encounters during her time on the Scaffold represents how people gain a sense of power and superiority over someone else's misery.
Hester's Punishment In The Scarlet Letter
640 Words | 3 PagesHester was sentenced to wear the scarlet letter "A" for the rest of her life and Hester was forced to stand on the scaffold, so she could be publicly humiliated for her sin. Hester and Pearl will go through life, being shamed by others. The townspeople want to see Hester suffer. Hester and Pearl are strong enough to receive the looks and the talks that they will be getting from the
Hester Prynne Punishment In Scarlet Letter
791 Words | 4 PagesAlthough the community originally knew Hester as a disgrace, the town’s opinion of her changed over time as she began to do work for the poor and needy. After this shift in the town’s view of Hester, “many people refused to interpret the scarlet [letter] by its original signification” (111). Instead of Hester’s scarlet letter serving as a reminder of her scandalous sin, her peers “ had begun to look upon the scarlet letter as a token . . . of [Hester’s] many good deeds” (111). She became known for her charity and generosity, which caused the civilians to overlook her sinful behavior.
Arthur Dimmesdale's Confession
837 Words | 4 PagesThe Scarlet Letter is a story that signifies the treachery behind the sin of adultery. Arthur Dimmesdale plays a key part in the book, since he is guilty of the sin himself. Dimmesdale is seen in the first scaffold scene, looking as pale as death, for he is aware of his sin, but is too cowardly to confess and share the public ridicule with Hester. A few years pass and in the second scaffold scene, Dimmesdale is more reluctant to confess his guilty thoughts, but he merely gives himself a private confession still too guilty to come clean. However, several days after, Dimmesdale greets the crowd of people, witnesses in the third scaffold scene, with his confession for being the reason Pearl, Hester's daughter, exists.
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.
Essay On Evil In The Scarlet Letter
719 Words | 3 PagesThe townspeople “[began] to look upon the scarlet letter as a token, not of that one sin, for which she had borne so long and dreary a penance, but of her many good deeds since.” This quote exemplifies how sin is not a death sentence for Hester. Through hard work and charity it allowed the rigid Puritan society to see her as something different, and as someone who would not let society define who she was. Hester, thus, was not only able to change herself, but also the image in which society viewed her by working hard to benefit the public. Likewise, the scarlet letter which was supposed to represent sin was instead “fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom.”
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.
More about Importance Of The Scaffold In The Scarlet Letter
Blindness In The Scarlet Letter
1270 Words | 6 PagesComparing Reputation In The Scarlet Letter And The Crucible By Arthur Miller
511 Words | 3 PagesWhat Is The Juxtaposition Of The Night In The Scarlet Letter
721 Words | 3 PagesEssay On The Scaffold In The Scarlet Letter
1344 Words | 6 PagesDimmesdale's Concealment In The Scarlet Letter
1317 Words | 6 PagesGuilt In Dimmesdale's The Scarlet Letter
404 Words | 2 PagesJudges In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
1343 Words | 6 PagesSunlight Symbolism In The Scarlet Letter
1411 Words | 6 PagesThe Cost Of Error In The Scarlet Letter By Bill Clinton
1086 Words | 5 PagesHester's Punishment In The Scarlet Letter
640 Words | 3 PagesHester Prynne Punishment In Scarlet Letter
791 Words | 4 PagesArthur Dimmesdale's Confession
837 Words | 4 PagesWhat Does The Deep Red Symbolize In The Scarlet Letter
940 Words | 4 PagesEssay On Evil In The Scarlet Letter
719 Words | 3 PagesThe Role Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter
466 Words | 2 Pages