The Unambiguous Letter A In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

In The Scarlet Letter, The scarlet letter at first was a symbol of her sin of adultery, but as time went on it became a symbol of her being able and being like an angel. The scarlet letter to the Puritan people was a symbol of disgrace and dishonor, until they saw the good works Herster was doing. Hester saw the letter as something that she had done, but the letter became part of her. The scarlet letter affected how Hester’s raised Pearl and who Pearl is as a person. The scarlet letter caused many changes in the lives of the people who saw it and to Hester, the one that wore it.

(Ch. 13, pg 107) She had gained respect for having raised her child as a well behaved young girl, and having provided for the both of them with an honest living as a seamstress, all the while being cut off from the rest of society. Hester was allowed to assimilate back into the community. John proctor was only given one chance to save himself and his wife, and that chance forced him to fall out of God’s good graces by lying. John Proctor fancied death over the guilt of being a sinner, and was content with knowing that his refusal to confess to witchcraft would preserve the good that he believed was still in him.

Another example of Public vs. Private punishment is when... Again, she is on the scaffold and has to be Humiliated publicly. Although internally she was dealing with the fact that the father. Dimsdale the father was present at Hesters "punishment" and he even spoke up and asked who the father was, this shows that Dimsdale was feeling guilty. Hester wouldn’t say who the father was because she still loved Dimsdale and didn’t want him to get in trouble.

This proves that even after the hard and troubling times she still cares for her family more than herself. During her husband’s trial, she denies the fact the John committed adultery. She did this out of the sense of protecting him from being killed. After the death of John, she was in endless pain because she just lost the one she had come to love over and over again. These are few of the many actions portrayed by Elizabeth that validates the fondness she possesses for her

Isabel is gullible. The first example shown is at the start of the story where slave sisters Isabel and Ruth are at the funeral of their former master, Miss Mary Finch. Miss Finch was good to the girls, she treated them well, was kind and caring, and most important of all taught them how to read and write, which slave were not allowed to learn how to do. Her will stated that when she died the girls would be free without an owner. In this scene they are asking the Pastor where they would be able to find a place to sleep.

Hester is accused of being unfaithful to her husband, Roger Chillingworth, despite his absence from her life for a long period of time. During one of Roger’s extended absences, Hester conceives a child born out of sin with Arthur Dimmesdale. Arthur Dimmesdale is a local holy man and is never exposed for his sin, while Hester is frequently mistreated, and eternally punished with a scarlet “A” marked on her clothing to represent Adulterer. Hester talks about wearing the “A”, and resents the fact that it may be pointed at as a sign of weakness. Hester says, “giving up her individuality, she would become the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of woman's frailty and sinful passion” (91 Hawthorne).

(pg 40) Edna finds the role of a mother being lackluster and only impeding her from awakening her inner consciousness. She realizes it would only bring her imprisonment and the lack of independence. She denies the role of a mother to carry out duties and responsibilities for her family rather pursue her dreams she longed for. While at Grand Isle while sitting on the front porch, Adele is sewing winter clothes for her children, although winter is far ahead.

From the grave, her daughter Emily asks the Stage Manager, “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? - every, every minute?” Emily has a unique perspective because she is dead and wishes that everyone could appreciate life while they are living it. Emily’s insight emphasizes that time is short for the living. Even after great loss, it is important that Mrs. Webb move forward.

Anse primarily forced Addie to have children so they could help with the essential farm duties just like any other basic family in the south in this time period would do. Additionally, out of all her children she birthed, the only one she cared for was Jewel. The affair she engaged in with Whitfield was the only time she found love in her life, and Jewel reminded her of that time of serenity. Throughout the book, the reader views Addie as a peaceful and innocent character while her children and husband are viewed as apathetic. In reality, Addie was a selfish individual because of the acts she explained in her chapter.

She tells us about how her great-grand mother (whose name is Esperanza) have lived contemplating the view from the window like looking for some escape. “She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn’t be all the things she wanted to be. Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don’t want to inherit her place by the window”

As a young girl, she was innocent and unaware of all the discrimination in the south. Growing up, Anne has dealt with severe poverty and is often the one bringing income to her family’s home along with her mother. Her employers are a huge factor as to why she is so drawn to the movement. For instance, when Anne learned about Emmitt Till being killed, she ran to her mother for an explanation but her mother had replied “…just do your work like you don’t know nothing… that boy’s a lot better off in heaven than he is here” (262). Her mother brushing off the death of Emmitt Till took the best of her curiosities and she questioned why her mother was acting so afraid although it was obvious that.

Rose lived a very recluse life only allowed with the permission of her family and the priest in her small hut. She would also help some Inca natives who were hurt brutally by the Spaniards. The garden helped Rose provide herbal medicines because food was scarce for the family and it was well needed. Rose decided to use her garden to make medicines because it was from their own garden and it was beneficial to her family by saving money and it was helpful to those in need. While she was helping the poor, she was also helping her family by selling her lace creations and embroidery.

She lingered around to watch over them; saw all the tragedies in their lives and witnessed their choices of passing, if they even were granted the choice that is. Peach and Sun, two of her children, were able to pass because of their lighter skin and opportunities to leave the plantation. It seemed to be permanent passing how they left and never came back to get the rest of their siblings, however, in the end they did come back to see their sister, Always, after the war. Always was unable to pass, for her skin was too dark. However, she made it so her youngest son, Doak Jr., could pass by switching him with a “white-born” child that was the same age as him.

Weil felt strongly about food and gave up sugar at an early age of six, as it was not rationed to French soldiers in the war. She maintained this attitude throughout her life, starving herself for causes she believed in. This contributed to the fact that all her life, she suffered from sinusitis, severe headaches and poor physical health, and owing to malnutrition, she suffered from what she called “mystical experiences” making her, unlike Beauvoir a big believer in mysticism and the world beyond her definition of reality.3 Religion also had great influence on her, having converted to catholicism later in her

Yet, this would connect to why Dewey Dell in As I Lay Dying, the only daughter in the Burden’s family, was expected to stay home and take care of her ill mother as her father and brothers were out working. The ability of what an individual can or cannot do is not based on their performance, but based on their sexuality. Tran also adds in the second book