My SL Experience
Today I wore my scarlet letter. My letter was "T", for timid, because I am pretty shy. Tons of people asked me what it stood for! And when I told them it was for a Scarlet Letter project, no one seemed to know of the book except Senor Barroso. I noticed that a lot of people were looking at the letter, I guess trying to figure out what it stood for. This drove me insane! I would walk by someone and I could tell they were looking at the letter on my chest. I have no idea how Hester did it! While I was reading the book, I didn't think wearing an "A" was a big deal- I didn't think it would be that big of a punishment. I was so wrong! Now I realize how hard it would be to live every day with people looking at the letter insead of me.
Who Suffered More From the Affair: Hester or Dimmesdale?
When I read the first few chapters of the Scarlet Letter, I was angry with Hester's lover (I didn't know who it was at the time) for just watching her while she stood on the scaffold for her punishment. It made me really mad that Hester was suffering so much- she was completely alienated by her entire community, and he was not. I learned later in the novel that I was completely wrong. It turns out, Dimmesdale was suffering just as much or more than Hester.
Both Hester and Dimmesdale suffered greatly from the affair. In my opinion, the affair affected Dimmesdale much more than it affected Hester. It caused Hester to be ostracized, but Dimmesdale's cowardice in not confessing lead to his death. Hester had a horrible punishment: she had to wear a scarlet letter for the rest of her life. After wearing my scarlet letter, i realize how miserable that must have been for Hester. But I still believe Dimmesdale's internal struggle with his own cowardice and guilt was far worse than a scarlet letter.
Both Hester and Dimmesdale suffered greatly from the affair. In my opinion, the affair affected Dimmesdale much more than it affected Hester. It caused Hester to be ostracized, but Dimmesdale's cowardice in not confessing lead to his death. Hester had a horrible punishment: she had to wear a scarlet letter for the rest of her life. After wearing my scarlet letter, i realize how miserable that must have been for Hester. But I still believe Dimmesdale's internal struggle with his own cowardice and guilt was far worse than a scarlet letter.
The Significance of the Names
It is obvious that Hawthorne didn't pick just any names for his characters. The names Pearl, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale all have meaning to them. A peal is formed from an irritation (or in this case Hester's sin). Pearl is Hester's treasure- they are forced to live together alone as rejects of society. Pearls name comes from the biblical device, the "pearl of great price". Pearl cost Hester everything. Hester is looked down upon by her entire comminunity. She has no friends, no husband, and is forced to wear a scarlet letter every day for the rest of her life. The next significant name is Chillingworth. Chillingworth is a malicious, vengeful man. The reader can understand that he is cold and scary just by his name. The last significant name is Dimmesdale. When I hear the name Dimmesdale, I think of a dim, weak, uncorageous man. Dimmesdale, in my opinion, is a weak, uncorageous man.
Scarlet Letter: A Romantic Novel
It is easy to tell that the Scarlet Letter is a Romantic novel. Romanticism is all about being individual and original, which is one of the major themes of the book. Hester is forced to be an individual-she has no friends, and everyone defines her by the letter on her chest. The other Puritans in her community look down upon her, even though she is not a bad person. She just made one mistake.
During the Romanticism, writers also started using dark and exotic concepts and themes. This is displayed in the book with Chillingworth's desire for revenge agains his ex-wife's lover and the sins committed by Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale.
During the Romanticism, writers also started using dark and exotic concepts and themes. This is displayed in the book with Chillingworth's desire for revenge agains his ex-wife's lover and the sins committed by Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale.
Literary Elements
There were many good literary elements used in the Scarlet Letter. The book contains symbols, irony and forshadowing.
There were a number of symbols in SL. The first of which being the roses by the prison at the beginning of the book. The roses by the prision are something beautiful next to something ugly. The beautiful roses represent Hester, and how she doesn't belong in the prision. The next symbol of the book is the forest, which represents freedom in the sunlight and evil in the darkness. When Hester takes her cap and scarlet letter off, the sunlight breaks through the forest. An example of the forest representing evil is when Mistress Hibbins, a "witch" declares that she is meeting the "Black Man" or devil in the forest at night. The letter A on Hester's chest represents her everlasting shame for her terrible mistake. Some of the symbols differ in meaning from the perspectives of different characters. When Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl stand on the scaffold, they see a meoter in the shape of an A. Dimmesdale believes this means he should wear the scarlet letter like Hester, but the townspeople believe it symbolizes Governer Winthrop's entry to heaven.
Irony is also a key literary element in the novel. It is ironic that Dimmesdale, a priest, is Hester's lover and Pearl's father. It is also ironic that Chillingworth comes to the country pretending to be a doctor. He pretends to be helping Dimmesdale, when in reality he is hurting him.
The Scarlet Letter also contained a lot of imagery. Each chacter is described so well that you can picture them in your mind.
The Scarlet Letter is very flowy, and almost put me to sleep when I tried to read it a few times. Hawthorne uses lots of flowery language, but I didn't find it too hard to "decode."
I usualy understood what he was trying to say, but sometimes I had to read it over a few times to grasp the concept.
In my opinion, Hawthorne is a great writer. He kept the reader interested by using suspense and forshadowing. His imagery allows the reader to really picture each character. He has some blatantly obvious symbols, but also some hidden ones that have deeper meanings.
There were a number of symbols in SL. The first of which being the roses by the prison at the beginning of the book. The roses by the prision are something beautiful next to something ugly. The beautiful roses represent Hester, and how she doesn't belong in the prision. The next symbol of the book is the forest, which represents freedom in the sunlight and evil in the darkness. When Hester takes her cap and scarlet letter off, the sunlight breaks through the forest. An example of the forest representing evil is when Mistress Hibbins, a "witch" declares that she is meeting the "Black Man" or devil in the forest at night. The letter A on Hester's chest represents her everlasting shame for her terrible mistake. Some of the symbols differ in meaning from the perspectives of different characters. When Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl stand on the scaffold, they see a meoter in the shape of an A. Dimmesdale believes this means he should wear the scarlet letter like Hester, but the townspeople believe it symbolizes Governer Winthrop's entry to heaven.
Irony is also a key literary element in the novel. It is ironic that Dimmesdale, a priest, is Hester's lover and Pearl's father. It is also ironic that Chillingworth comes to the country pretending to be a doctor. He pretends to be helping Dimmesdale, when in reality he is hurting him.
The Scarlet Letter also contained a lot of imagery. Each chacter is described so well that you can picture them in your mind.
The Scarlet Letter is very flowy, and almost put me to sleep when I tried to read it a few times. Hawthorne uses lots of flowery language, but I didn't find it too hard to "decode."
I usualy understood what he was trying to say, but sometimes I had to read it over a few times to grasp the concept.
In my opinion, Hawthorne is a great writer. He kept the reader interested by using suspense and forshadowing. His imagery allows the reader to really picture each character. He has some blatantly obvious symbols, but also some hidden ones that have deeper meanings.
Dimmesdale & Chillingworth: Whose Sin Was Worse?
Dimmesdale felt extreme regret for his mistake and he punished himself for it. Although Dimmesdale lied to his congregation, he in a sort taught the congregation from his mistake. Dimmesdale turns to his faith for salvation, and delivers the most inspiring and meaningful sermons of his life. Even though Dimmesdale didn't have to stand on a scaffold for three hours or wear an embroidered scarlet letter like Hester, he didn't get off easy. He punished himself for his sin: whipped himself, fasted, and he had nightmares that lead him to the scaffold at night. I believe his intense guilt eventually leads to his death (right after he confessed to being Pearl's father). Chillingworth also lied about being a doctor, which is very dangerous.
On the other hand, I could understand if a reader found Dimmesdale's sin to be much worse. After all, Dimmesdale was a minister and was supposed to set a good example for the society. Chillingworth wasn't always malicious and evil- he was once a kind man. Jealousy of Hester's anonymous lover turned him into the cold, cruel monster. This proves that he loved Hester a lot. Chillingworth realized Dimmesdale was the father of Hester's daughter Pearl about halfway through the novel. One could argue that he could have killed him on the spot, but he didn't.
Although i don't find either character completely justified in their sin, I believe Chillingworth's sin to be much worse. Dimmesdale didn't hurt anyone. Well, Chillingworth didn't really either but lying about being a doctor certainly has potential to be harmful for his patients. Dimmesdale channeled something good out of his ugly affair- he taught others from his mistake.
On the other hand, I could understand if a reader found Dimmesdale's sin to be much worse. After all, Dimmesdale was a minister and was supposed to set a good example for the society. Chillingworth wasn't always malicious and evil- he was once a kind man. Jealousy of Hester's anonymous lover turned him into the cold, cruel monster. This proves that he loved Hester a lot. Chillingworth realized Dimmesdale was the father of Hester's daughter Pearl about halfway through the novel. One could argue that he could have killed him on the spot, but he didn't.
Although i don't find either character completely justified in their sin, I believe Chillingworth's sin to be much worse. Dimmesdale didn't hurt anyone. Well, Chillingworth didn't really either but lying about being a doctor certainly has potential to be harmful for his patients. Dimmesdale channeled something good out of his ugly affair- he taught others from his mistake.
The Ending: What I Expected
When we started reading The Scarlet Letter, I expected the ending to be happy. Honestly, I thought Hester, Pearl, and the anonymous father would be united as a family. I suppose I just wanted a happy ending for Hester. I did not like the way the novel ended. I didn't like that as soon as Dimmesdale owned up to his sin, he died. I would have liked to see the Puritan society and Dimmesdale's congregation's reaction to his shocking confession. I was curious as to whether his congregation would have accepted his sin and still view him as a "mouthpiece of Heaven's messages of wisdom and love", or, most likely, if their view of him as a Holy man completely shifted.
The novel was unclear about Dimmesdale's death. At first I was unsure of the cause- Was he so guilty he died because of it? Or did he punish himself so much for his sin that it lead to his death? Or did Chillingworth's plot for revenge prevail? I guess Hawthorne left this up to the reader. I believe it was his guilt that killed him, and seeing that Dimmesdale was so remorseful for his sin completely changed my view of him. At first I found him hypocritical, but throughout the novel I saw how truly sorry he is for his sin.
Although I didn't like the ending of the novel, I guess it was the most appropriate way for it to end. I wanted a happy ending, but that would not increase the quality of Hawthorne's work. It would be unrealistic if Dimmesdale and Hester succeeded in fleeing the country and had a "happily ever after."
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