The Scarlet Letter Assignment.pdf - The Scarlet Letter Assignment Author:Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the novel. It was originally published in

The Scarlet Letter Assignment Author:Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the novel. It was originally published in 1850. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on the 4th of july of 1804 at Salem, Massachusetts and unfortunately died on may 19th 1864 at Plymouth, New hampshire. Nathaniel wrote many novels and short stories such as the house of seven gables, The blithedale romance, and young goodman brown. Nathaniel Hawthorne is widely acclaimed as one of the greatestwriters in American literature. Hawthorne had powerful ancestors that were citizens of puritan Salem, some a part of the infamous witch trials , and served as a source of inspiration for much of his works. He served as a source of inspiration for much of his works. He was educated at Bowdoin college in maine, he moved to concord, massachusetts. Hawthorne's most noted novels are the scarlet letter and the house of the seven gables, both of which are classics of American literature. Symbols:some symbols in the scarlet letter were the rose bush, the prison door , red and black,pearl, and the scarlet letter.Redsymbolizes the glow of Hester's passion. Blackrepresents the devil and sin.Pearlis a living symbol, the physical embodiment of Hester and Dimmesdale's sins. Pearl also symbolizes the physical consequence of sexual sin and the indicator of a transgression;she represents not only sin but also the vital spirit and passion that engendered that sin.The Rose bushis used as a symbol for freedom, romantic aspiration, and all the things that puritan society is not. “Pearl, seeing the rose-bushes, began to cry for a red rose, and would not be pacified”(96).The prison doorrepresents the struggles and follies of a new society, it symbolizes hester prynnes’s life opening to the new world of criticism, shame, and lifelong punishment.The scarlet letteris meant to be a symbol of shame, but instead it becomes a powerful symbol of identity to hester.The puritans mean for the scarlet letter to be a symbol of hester's shame. Personification:1.pearl personifies a brook by asking it “foolish and tiresome little brook...why art thou so sad?”(pg 154) In reality, Pearl is reflecting her own human emotions onto a non living thing. 2.”Indeed, the same dark question often rose into her mind, with reference to the whole race of woman hood”(chapter 13). This quote shows her perspective by talking about what is going on in her mind, and in her thoughts. 3.”At times, a fearful doubtstrove to possess her soul, whether it were not better to send pearls at once to heaven, and go herself to such futurity as eternal justice should provide” (chapter 13). This quote mentions the “fear of doubt” she has about her being, which provides us with detail that she is troubled by something.