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Scarlet Letter Figurative Sympathy

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The ability for a person to transcend from stereotypes and labels comes from the support from others. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne a respected woman and seamstress hiding in the shadows of society, is soon throw in the spot light when she is publically convicted as an adulterer. This crime comes with a loaded punishment; she is sentenced to a life of shame where she must a wear a scarlet “A” on her chest, in order to publically humiliate her and provide an example of what not to grow up to be. The story begins by introducing Hester and her beloved daughter Pearl, and how they cope with the new labels of an adulterer and a daughter of an illegitimate marriage. Overtime, Hester rises above this life of misery she has to deal with, and learns to cope with it by showing pride into who she really is and her ability to withstand this scrutiny of the judgmental peering eyes of society. Instead of being overwhelmed by puritan community’s infamy, she boldly withstands the shame and for herself and her daughter diminish these labels. The author utilizes the symbol of a rose bush that portrays multiple themes during the story. The ability people have to transcend labels given from society that are obtained through sin, and the figurative sympathy nature has towards humans are illustrated through the use of a major symbol, the rosebush and its personified qualities.

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