ipl-logo

How Does Tolstoy Present The Concept Of Adultery

2919 Words12 Pages

Abstract
Russian author Leo Tolstoy and American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne are both recognized for their popular books Anna Karenina and The Scarlet Letter respectively, where both novels main characters are represented as adulteresses. Anna Karenina and Hester Prynne embody women of affairs, both of who express their guilt and opinions of their crime in different ways.

3 sub questions: In society how are the adulteresses viewed? Similarly what attitudes does the people around them portray? How are the children of the adultery treated?

Word Count:

Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter are two of the most known novels when it comes to the concept of women of adultery. Both Hawthorne and Tolstoy portray their adulteresses, Hester Prynne and Anna Karenina respectively, in such a manner that allows the reader to not only understand the reasoning behind the adultery, but also see how …show more content…

Petersburg. She is first shown as the caring mediator to her brother, Prince Stephen ‘Stiva’ Oblonsky, and sister-in-law, Princess Darya ‘Dolly’, during their fight due to Stiva’s affair with their governess. Before arriving at the Oblonsky residence Anna is introduced to Count Alexis Vronsky, and Vronsky is immediately drawn to her. Though after their first meeting a train worker is killed in an accident, which leads Anna to see this a bad omen that she later connects to meeting Vronsky. Soon after this Vronsky and Anna meet again at a ball, where Anna dances him and eventually discovers her attraction towards him, and him to her. This causes Anna to return to her husband and son Sergei in St. Petersburg, in order to avoid her feelings for Vronsky. This is not the case, as Vronsky follows Anna back to St. Petersburg, and soon after their affair

Show More
Related

  • How Did Vladimir Petrov Influence The Soviet Union

    371 Words  | 2 Pages

    Meanwhile, the Soviet Union had thought that the Australian Government figured out that Petrov was a spy so they send two escorts from Moscow to retrieve Mrs. Evdokia Petrov from Australia and have her placed under house-arrest. This gave time for the Union to figure out what was going on with Vladimir whether he was caught or whether he was thinking about defecting against the Union. Sooner or later, they figured out that Vladimir was going to defect against the Union so the two escorts moved in to retrieve Evdokia from Australia. (Presumably to have her executed or killed once she returned to Russia).

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Crucible And The Scarlet Letter

    1076 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, there exists a common theme of adultery, a sin according to the commandments of the Puritan church. The stories center around the adulterers- John Proctor in The Crucible, and Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. Both are members of early Puritan communities that are known for their very devout faith. Each character shows different reactions and feelings towards the sin, and each must face different consequences. A common theme that brings the two characters together is that they are given a chance to escape their sin and move on with their lives.

    Read More

  • How Does Dimmesdale Change Throughout The Scarlet Letter

    631 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nathaniel 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.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of John Updike's 'The Lady With The Little Dog'

    1100 Words  | 5 Pages

    Why does Anna think she has deceived herself now, has her short-term happiness and the acknowledgement of her desires made her realize how unhappy she has been? Is she a low woman because by allowing herself to give in to her desires she has gone against her religion? Is her statement about being a low woman related at all to the action she has just taken, or is it the bigger lie, her marriage to a husband she doesn’t

    Read More

  • Examples Of Adultery In The Great Gatsby

    1557 Words  | 7 Pages

    Adultery- In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne Commits adultery. Once she has committed she gets shamed for life. Adultery is also a very important point throughout the story. It shows how it can wreak havoc on anyone’s life.

    Read More

  • Scarlet Letter Pearl Symbolism

    1051 Words  | 5 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a novel that focuses on sin in the Puritan society. Hawthorne revolves the theme around the four main characters Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth., and Pearl. Hester Prynne is forced to wear the scarlet letter ‘A’ after committing adultery against her husband Roger Chillingworth, with the minister Arthur Dimmesdale. As a result an odd child is born.

    Read More

  • Scarlet Letter Essay

    712 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Scarlet Letter written by author Nathaniel Hawthorne is an American novel based on sin and the act of Adultery. This novel is based on the early days of the Massachusetts colony and shows how differently crimes are approached then from now. Hester Prynne commits the unfaithful crime of Adultery and not only does she have to serve for her punishment, but her daughter serves for it as well. Pearl, the symbol of an act of forbidden love and passion has to live with being the reminder of her mother 's misconduct for her entire life. Growing up in a small town with her reputation, it is hard for Pearl to have any kind of normality in her life.

    Read More

  • 'Between Shades Of Gray By Ruta Sepetys The Lottery'

    1083 Words  | 5 Pages

    Later, an NKVD officer laughs at a group people that froze to death during the snowstorm. Lina says, "He was laughing. Those people died and Ivanov was laughing." (288) Another example of the NKVD's cruelty, is the way they treat Mrs. Arvydas, Andruis's mother.

    Read More

  • Dimmesdale's Responsibility For Sin In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    878 Words  | 4 Pages

    The book “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a complex novel that has underlying themes of sin and the responsibility for sin. The novel takes place in a Puritanical society, but two people, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, fornicate with each other, even though Hester is married to someone else. Only Hester is punished, so Dimmesdale keeps his guilt inside, not revealing it to anyone. Hester’s husband, Chillingworth, then proceeds to ruin Hester’s partner in crime, corrupting his soul and being the ultimate cause for his death. Hester, on the other hand, leads a relatively happy life after she had repented for her sin.

    Read More

  • The Romanov Family In Robert Alexander's The Kitchen Boy

    1469 Words  | 6 Pages

    Robert Alexander’s The Kitchen Boy is a work of historical fiction that captures the execution of the infamous Romanov family during the Russian Revolution through their kitchen boy, Leonka. In the beginning, the reader finds out the narrator claims to be the Romanov’s kitchen boy, who is now very old, and is recording the story of his personal encounters with the Romanov family for his granddaughter, Katya. We also learn that he is now living in Oak Forest, Illinois and his real name is Mikhail Semyonov, also known as Misha. Misha, the main character, shows the reader the daily activities and interactions of Tsar Nicholas and Alexandra, along with their entire family --- four girls and a young boy.

    Read More

  • Hypocrisy Of The Puritan Society In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    936 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the “Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays hypocrisy of the Puritan society, where the protagonist Hester Prynne face many consequences of her actions and the how she tries to redeem herself to the society. During the seventeenth puritans believe that it is their mission to punish the ones who do not follow God’s word and it is their job to stop those from sinning. Therefore, the hypercritical puritan society punishes Hester harshly for committing adultery, but in Hester’s mind, she believes that what she did was not a sin but acts of love for her man. Eventually, she redeems herself by turning her crime into an advantage to help those in need, yet the Puritan society still view her as a “naughty bagger.” (Hawthorne 78)

    Read More

  • Hester Prynne: A Romantic Hero

    796 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, the protagonist, Hester Prynne is a Romantic Hero. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, we see Hester Prynne’s struggle in Colonial America after she is condemned by the Puritan society. She is sent to America by her husband, but he never returns, and Hester later conceives a child with the local minister. She is convicted with the crime of adultery, but refuses to identify the father, she is then forced to wear the Scarlet Letter. The novel captures her experience as she struggles to survive the guilt, sin, and revenge.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Kate Chopin's 'A Respectable Woman'

    765 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, because she modifies her statement with the suggestion that she will be “very nice” to him on his next visit, she may indicate that after overcoming her distrusts and her mental restrictions, she has decided to fill her desires in choosing of having an affair. Chopin deliberately leaves the meaning of this statement uncertain, but knowing what we know about her

    Read More

  • Mrs. Popov In Anton Chekhov's 'The Brute'

    902 Words  | 4 Pages

    On the other hand, Mr. Smirnov came off as cold and closed off because he wanted to stop getting played by women after he had given so much to many relationships without getting that attention returned. Ironically, though, he instantly falls in love with Mrs. Popov. After having a few drinks, he states, “I like her. I’m even prepared to consider letting her off the debt… I never knew a woman like this before” (Chekhov 537).

    Read More

  • Theme Of Suffering In The Scarlet Letter

    1662 Words  | 7 Pages

    In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne explores recurring themes of suffering surrounding the main characters, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester and Dimmesdale both commit adultery with each other, and, as a result of this, both experience gruesome and occasionally unbearable forms of suffering. Though they undergo different forms of pain, both of their experiences are highly reliant on how the Puritan society treats them. Hester 's pain stems from the shame and estrangement she receives from the community, while Dimmesdale’s is due to the reverence with which the community regards him. Although, in spite of the fact that both Hester and Dimmesdale receive harsh penalty for their sin, by the end of the book, Hawthorne shows how their suffering is, in fact, the key to their salvation.

    Read More

More about How Does Tolstoy Present The Concept Of Adultery

Open Document