The principle of purifying society is the touchstone of the Puritan community, and so sin is seen as a collective taint. The sin of one is the sin of all. The only way to keep the virus from spreading is to ensure that all sins are publicly punished. This sin was regarded very seriously by the Puritans, and was often punished by death. Hester starts by seeing her act as a sin that she is sorry for committing.
She changes and no longer feels sorry for the sin. Finally, Hester sees the act as not sinful, but she regrets committing it. The scarlet letter is meant to be a symbol of shame, but instead it becomes a powerful symbol of identity to Hester.
The most dominant theme in the novel is that of Sin. By committing the crime of adultery, Hester Prynne has broken a great moral law and a long-established social convention. Society, therefore, condemns her with the three hours standing on the scaffold and with the life-long wearing of the scarlet letter on her bosom. However, as time progresses, the meaning of the letter changed. To Reverend Dimmesdale the meteor is a sign from God who is revealing his sin to everyone and causes him to be ridden with guilt.
Besides the characters, the most obvious symbol is the scarlet letter itself, which has various meanings depending on its context. It is a sign of adultery, penance, and penitence.
By teaching The Scarlet Letter, I realized the underlying themes, not the supernatural elements that had enthralled me, are what make the story so powerful. The story also teaches other important life lessons—that morality is not determined by society and that seeking revenge harms you more than it does your enemy. TS The sunshine and shadow motif in The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, represents how darkness symbolizes shame, sin, and disgrace, and how sunshine symbolizes purity, innocence, and reveals sin.
Then I consented a deception. But a lie is never good, even though death threaten the other side! Hester learns from her sin, and grows strong, a direct result of her punishment. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread.
These had been her teachers--stern and wild ones--and they had made her strong She swore to Chillingworth that she would keep their marriage a secret. She even withheld this from Dimmesdale, whom she truly loved. Hester finally insisted on telling Dimmesdale and clearing her conscience. And the shame! Woman, woman, thou art accountable for this! I cannot forgive thee! I will not give her up! Hester's strength is evident in her dealings with both her husband and her lover.
Hester defies Chillingworth when he demands to know the name of her lover. In Chapter 4, when he interviews her in the jail, she firmly says, "Ask me not! That thou shalt never know! The minister calls on her to give him strength to overcome his indecisiveness twice in the forest and again as he faces his confession on Election Day.
What is the source of this strength? As she walks out on the scaffold at the beginning of the novel, Hester determines that she must "sustain and carry" her burden forward "by the ordinary resources of her nature, or sink with it. She could no longer borrow from the future to help her through the present.
Yet she continues to lack adult companionship throughout her life. She has nothing but her strength of spirit to sustain her. This inner calm is recognized in the changing attitude of the community when they acknowledge that the A is for "Able," "so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength.
A second quality of Hester is that she is, above all, honest: She openly acknowledges her sin. In Chapter 17, she explains to Dimmesdale that she has been honest in all things except in disclosing his part in her pregnancy.
I felt no love, nor feigned any. This life of public repentance, although bitter and difficult, helps her retain her sanity while Dimmesdale seems to be losing his. Finally, Hester becomes an angel of mercy who eventually lives out her life as a figure of compassion in the community.
Ben Davis June 20, What is Hester coming to realize is the true sin she has committed Why would Hawthorne consider this a worse sin than her son with Dimmesdale?
What is Hester coming to realize is the true sin? What sin does Hester commit in Chapter 15? How does Dimmesdale get the A on his chest? What does Hester confess to Dimmesdale? Why did Hester take off the scarlet letter? What did pearl do when Dimmesdale kissed her?
Why does pearl not recognize Dimmesdale? What at the end of Chapter 11 is the only truth for Dimmesdale? Why does Pearl pretend not to recognize Hester?
How does Pearl show Dimmesdale affection?
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