What Is The Hypocrisy In The Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne describes slavery as, “one of those evils which divine Providence does not leave to be remedied by human contrivances.” Hawthorne believed slavery and the subordination of women was wrong and sympathized with those affected. Literary historians believe his sympathy for radicals fighting against social order developed from his unfair treatment in “The Custom House.” However, Hawthorne also believed abolitionists and feminists were too radical and that it was best to continue being subordinate to peacefully keep the natural structure of society. Hawthorne most feared, “violent descriptions of the social order.” Although Hawthorne admits slavery is wrong, he also claims that God does not want people to interfere with the natural ways of society and believes that these interferences will cause too much violence. Hawthorne considers The Scarlet Letter as a “moral parable.” It depicted the hypocrisy of the Puritan society and was written as a moral lesson for history not to repeat itself. The Puritan paradox was that the Puritans claimed to be united by God, yet ostracized people who sinned. The American paradox 0-=during the time of Hawthorne was how America claimed to be free, yet slaves and women were subordinate to wealthy, white men. The Scarlet Letter is full of ideas of, “passion, self-expression, freedom, and individualism. Hence, the novel also serves to empower his female, and quite likely, the abolitionist audience to non radically fight against the hypocrisy of America using these ideas. (“The Scarlet

In the play hysteria and rumors flooded Salem, massachusetts leading a group of girls to accuse many innocent citizens of witchcraft and consorting with the devil. The church stepped in to restore order to the town. Similarly, in “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the setting is during the seventeenth century. In the novel a young woman, Hester Prynne must admit to the act of adultery she has committed and wear the scarlet letter “A” as a symbol for her sin. The novel is focused around the punishment for her sin and her secrecy. Both the play and the novel address the common theme of the effect of sin on man and the outcome of the main characters confessions. John Proctor in “The Crucible” suffered from the sin of adultery he committed. This sin creates an internal conflict Proctor struggles with throughout the play. He understands the outcome of exposing Abigail because it will also exposing himself of his wrong-doing. Hester Prynne in “ The Scarlet Letter” often has conflicted views with her daughter Pearl. In this conflicted relationship Hawthorne shows just how Hester 's sin (Pearl a representation of sin) will never go away. Just like how abigail is still tormenting Proctor after their affair. The principles explained by John Locke in his “Second Treatise of Government” are illustrated clearly by John Proctor and Hester Prynne, Characters who illustrate the coming

The majority of society bases their perception of an individual on wealth, appearance, name, family--an infinite number of things. What if one was told that his or her own brother, sister, best friend, or even their mom or dad was a murderer? How would he or she react? What would they do? In the classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he utilizes youth, fraud, and symbolism to immerse the reader into his story.  His more direct use of youth and symbolism reveal that a person, no matter who they may seem to be from the outside, can be the greatest sinner of all.

The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1800s, but the book is placed in the Puritan times of the 1600s. Hawthorne is an anti-transcendentalist, which means he thinks society is good and nature is evil and humans are naturally evil. Puritanism is a very strict religion in the 1600s. If you are a Puritan you are against all earthly pleasure and your life is hell on Earth. Hawthorne uses multiple symbols in The Scarlet Letter, symbolism is a literary device that uses symbols to represent ideas. In this novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolic significance of the Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth to contribute to the theme of guilt.

Puritan’s harsh beliefs represented the beginning of the Nineteenth Century in the newly colonized America. Their community ruled with an iron fist: unforgiving, pitiless, stern. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne expresses his disagreement with puritan priorities by revealing the hypocrisy widely practiced throughout their community. Hawthorne’s utilization of dim diction aids in the establishment of his scornful tone, while inclusion of symbols and intricate juxtaposition all serve to accentuate the Puritan’s duplicity. All these factors combine to develop a critical tone which rebukes puritan society. By negatively depicting the Puritans with his depressing diction, Hawthorne establishes a scornful tone that highlights the Puritan’s

Hawthorne uses many forms of rhetoric to portray his characters, but relies heavily on pathos in the instance of Hester Prynne. She’s a member of an inherently misogynistic society, and because she’s a woman, her every act is scrutinized. As punishment for her act of adultery, Hester is ordered to adorn her chest with a permanent scarlet letter. Although the audience is well aware of the atrocity of the sin she’s committed, Hawthorne’s writing sparks a feeling of empathy within the reader. Throughout the novel, the reader is exposed to several clear uses of pathos. The scene detailing Hester and Pearl’s time in the Governor's house is just one of Hawthorne’s many appeals to emotion. After entering the home, Pearl notices a polished suit of armor, and calls Hester over to see it.

During the 17th century, the Puritans crossed the sea to grace America with their presence. In an astounding example of foreshadowing, the Puritans set up a patriarchal, semi-authoritarian society based on strangely unforgiving laws interpreted from the Holy Bible. Generations later, Nathaniel Hawthorne is raised in a post-Salem witch trial society amongst Puritans. Hawthorne is devout; however, the unjustifiable actions of his ancestors disturbs him. Hawthorne grew to have deep criticisms of Puritan society, and this became evident in his works. Hawthorne's strongest criticisms of Puritan society show themselves in "Young Goodman Brown," "The Minister's Black Veil," and The Scarlet Letter.

The society of prejudgments and pity, the place of sin and virtue, the center of true love and hate- these all are the ambiguities of the N.Hawthorne’s novel. The Scarlet Letter, among all these things, also presents the polysemantic view on the Native Americans. Many scholars noticed that Hawthorn refers to Indians throughout his work, but mostly all of them viewed these references as the necessary subjects for the historical aspect of the novel. However, I would argue that these references have a more specific and rectilinear nature. Additionally, the area, in which Hawthorne settles the novel- his birth town Salem - was not a random pick. The society of Salem shaped Hawthorne’s views on Indians.

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. However, as you dig deeper, you will see Hawthorne’s true purpose for writing the novel. In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses irony to criticize the Puritan ideals.

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)

The Puritan belief and lifestyle plays a major role in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. The story takes place in Puritan New England, and opens with a scene presenting to the audience that a young woman named Hester Prynne has committed adultery. Wearing her punishment proudly, a scarlet letter “A” on her breast, Hester continues to live in New England where she raises her daughter and creates an embroidering business for herself. All the while, in the heart of the town, Hester’s lover and the child’s father, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale silently suffers and is ultimately overcome with guilt from his secret sin until the point of death. Throughout the story, references to witchcraft and a witch’s link to Satan is expressed. Several

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s use of symbolic commentary and conventional themes in The Scarlet Letter, The Ministers Black Veil, and The Birthmark, characterizes sin and judgment as deformations within us all. Within each of Hawthorne’s’ works sin reflects internal and exposed sins, as well in people’s flaws. However, there deformations expand further than the objects that they wear. All of the major symbols and themes in Hawthorns selected works embody Alienation. Hester Prynne, Aylmer, and Mr. Hooper are linked to the ambiguity of Puritan morals. Puritans throughout the 1800’s believed science and knowledge was sinful. Much of Hawthorne’s writing

The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, functions as an evaluation of Puritan ideas, customs, and culture during the 17th century. Through this evaluation, we can get a good idea of what core values and beliefs the Puritans possessed, as well as the actions they take in cases of adversity brought about by “sinners”. Some Puritan virtues created stark divisions between groups of people, some of which led to discrimination under certain circumstances. One of the most prominent of these is the treatment and standards of men and women, a concept that surfaced during some of the major points in The Scarlet Letter. The divisions that were created by Puritan standards of men and women played a great role in shaping the plot of The Scarlet Letter, determining the fate of many of the characters. In this essay, we will focus on the effects this ideology had on the treatment of Hester and Dimmesdale, and the effects it had on Dimmesdale after he confessed to committing adultery.

We are all sinners. Although one may try hard not to sin, all humans eventually succumb at some time or another to sin. While people may not able to avoid the fate which awaits them, the power of free will allows people to decide how they will respond to sin. While some may respond with guilt and regret, others may react with a sense of redemption and a renewed sense of responsibility.

Hester Prynne was an example of sin, guilt, and redemption. Hawthorne uses bible passages as examples. The consequences for our sins are determined by God and where we will go. Hester’s punishment is wearing the letter, ‘A’ on her breast. "God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child, whose place was on that same dishonoured bosom, to connect her parent for ever with the race and descent of mortals, and to be finally a blessed soul in heaven!"- (pg 55). Hester freed herself from sin by removing The Scarlet Letter and realizing she loves Dimmesdale, with this she asks for his forgiveness and confesses. “Let God punish! Thou shalt forgive!”(pg.118) Hester did a good deed when she kept Dimmesdale’s identity a secret. “I deem it not likely that he will betray the secret.He will doubtless seek