Essay on "Character Analysis of Characters in the Scarlet Letter"

Essay 4 pages (1145 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Scarlet Letter

Hester is the protagonist as well as the victim in The Scarlet Letter. She is a strong woman but she is surrounded by a sense of gloom throughout the novel. Her life is one of suffering and most of the images related to her revolve around darkness. Sunlight seems to move away from Hester, signifying her place. As she and Pearl walk through the forest, Pearl notices how the shade surrounds her mother. She tells her the "sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something" (176). While Pearl is too young to understand the weight of what she says, there is truth to it. Pearl knows the lack of light is related to the letter on her mother's chest but she does not know the full truth. Hester even admits to Pearl that she has no sunshine or light to offer her. Hawthorne places Hester in a place of darkness to emphasize the weight of her sin and how that sin will affect the rest of her life in this society. The sin is shame and darkness; the letter is red and the mood and tone are dark. This is the best Hester can hope for and she does well with she has.

Pearl is represented with an array of symbols in The Scarlet Letter. She is a living testament to Hester's sin but she is also Hester's spring of strength. While it is true that she is a constant reminder and symbol of Hester's sin, her youth and innocence to the situation prevent any shame from readers falling on her. Hawthorne presents her as a source of hope and love as the novel progresses. We read, "No golden light had ever been so precious as the gloom of this dark forest . . . Here seen only by her eyes, Arthur Dimmesdale, false to God and man, might be, for one moment true" (188). She is also the "very brightest little jet of flame that ever danced upon the earth" (95). Pearl's name is linked the biblical reference of heaven being a pearl of great price. Pearl is a strong-willed and vivacious child, causing Hester to fear she might lose her. Pearl is the happy consequence of an unpleasant encounter. She was the reason that Hester kept going the way she did and she inspired Hester to do great things in the community. Pearl is more than a child conceived out of wedlock; she is a blessing to her mother and this is the kind of light Hester needs to help her make it through the dark times.

Dimmesdale, while a minister, illustrates how he can be just as selfish as the next guy can. When he is talking with Bellingham, Wilson, and Chillingworth about Hester keeping Pearl, it appears as if he is arguing for a good cause. He is speaking about something of which he has direct knowledge and he is able to keep a straight face when discussing this woman and his illegitimate child. Amazingly, he can carry on the conversation without so much as a stutter. He has no problem calling Hester a "poor, sinful woman" (Hawthorne 108) that should keep Pearl because she can "remind her, at every moment, of her fall -- but yet to teach her" (108). This man wants to keep mother and daughter together but his immorality is somehow… READ MORE

How to Reference "Character Analysis of Characters in the Scarlet Letter" Essay in a Bibliography

Related Essays:

Scarlet Letter Although Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay

For a start, it is worth noting that the heraldic language of the concluding line is -- even in Hester's day -- deliberately archaic. Even if a poet today or… read more

Essay 4 pages (1299 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Scarlet Letter and the Rapture Term Paper

Scarlet Letter & the Rapture of Canaan

The Scarlet Letter and the Rapture of Canaan

Introduction to the Rapture of Canaan

Ninah's repressed desire for intimacy and sensual experience in… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1859 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

Guilt and Shame in the Scarlet Letter Term Paper

Guilt and Shame in the Scarlet Letter From Three Critical Perspectives

Of all the various themes that can be extracted from Nathanial Hawthorne's classic novel the Scarlet Letter, the themes… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (2063 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Women / Feminism

---

Secret Scarlet Secrets as the Primary Destructive Thesis

Secret Scarlet

Secrets as the Primary Destructive Force in the Scarlet Letter

Many of Nathaniel Hawthorne's works are set in the time of the Puritan colonies that existed in Massachusetts… read more

Thesis 7 pages (2077 words) Sources: 1 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Moonlight Theory" the 'Humanization Term Paper

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Moonlight theory"

The 'Humanization' of Hawthorne's Characters in the Scarlet Letter: An Application of "Moonlight theory" in the Romance Novel

The most common yet controversial and interesting depictions… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1524 words) Sources: 0 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>