Study Like a Boss
Anna Quindlen, Bill Bryson, Edgar Allan Poe, Ernest Hemingway, Harper Lee, John Steinbeck, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Tertullian, Thomas Paine, 1984, A Raisin in The Sun, Animal Farm, Beowulf, Fahrenheit 451, Frankenstein, George Orwell, Hamlet, Into The Wild, Lord of The Flies, Macbeth, A Modest Proposal, All Quiet on The Western Front, Allegory, Antigone, Between The World and Me.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” is a short story about a scientist who is obsessed with removing a birthmark from his wife’s face. He sees the birthmark as a symbol of imperfection and is determined to get rid of it, even if it means putting his wife’s life at risk. Throughout the story, Hawthorne uses symbolism … Read more
One of the major themes in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is guilt. Guilt is a powerful emotion that can have a huge impact on a person’s life. It can lead to feelings of shame, anxiety, and even depression. When someone is guilty, they may feel like they are not good enough or worthy of … Read more
A slave is a person who is legal “property” of another person and is forced to obey and work for them with no problems. Hester is a woman in the book The Scarlet Letter who is an adulterer, who obeys everyone with her punishment. Hester is described to be a slave of her own sin. … Read more
In The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the great sins of three Puritans secretly tied together by their sins, living in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Hester Prynne begins by committing adultery with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale shares this sin with her, but he continues to sin as the next seven years pass. Roger … Read more
Misogyny, Conformity, and Obsession: A Feminist Criticism of The Scarlet Letter “And do you not know that you are Eve? God’s sentence hangs still over all your sex and His punishment weighs down upon you, she who first violated the forbidden tree and broke the law of God… Woman, you are the gate to hell! … Read more
When analyzing the countless number of religions world wide one can’t help but notice the recurrent belief in confession. Confession is defined as admitting or acknowledging some form of fault. Along with confession comes the freedom from one’s guilt and anxiety. In “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Arthur Dimmesdale is a puritan minister who … Read more
Morally Ambiguous Characters What does it mean to be morally ambiguous? The characters created by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Francis Bret Harte are divided between being purely good or purely evil. The environments that the characters live in are judgmental and hypocritical. While being isolated from society, they also deal with struggling to disassociate themselves from … Read more
The author uses literary elements such as symbolism, allegory, and irony to help the reader understand the theme. However the story does lack depth of characterization, a compelling story, and a point of view that allows the reader to know more of what is going on. The author still gets his point across while using … Read more
“The Scarlet Letter and the Antislavery Feminists” Jean Fagan Yellin, in her essay “The Scarlet Letter and the Antislavery Feminists,” argues that The Scarlet Letter’s motifs and language reject the doctrines of the antislavery feminists and instead reinforce patriarchal norms and ideas. Yellin’s purpose is to reveal Hawthorne’s rejection of feminist ideals in order to … Read more
The Scarlet Letter is one of the first novels ever written to feature a strong female character as the lead role. Hester Prynne is punished for committing adultery against her ex husband Roger Dimmesdale. She is to be punished for seven, horrific, lonely years of her and her daughter, Pearl, lives. In The Scarlet Letter … Read more
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a book depicting the struggle of a woman who is spared death after committing adultery in a strict puritan society. The woman, Hester Prynne, was spared death only for the reason to make an example to the rest of the community. Throughout the book you can see the … Read more
YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN came forth at sunset, into the street of Salem village, but put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife. And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses romanticism to portray the human soul under extreme pressures. Romanticism emphasizes individuality, imagination to discover truth, and values intuition over reason. Then, Romanticism branches out into Dark Romanticism, which embodies horrific themes, presents that individuals are prone to sin and self-destruction, affected psychologically from sin and guilt. In “The Scarlet Letter”, Nathaniel … Read more
Many punishments in the Puritan society are public. The point of this is to humiliate the “criminals” and make them feel as if they need to repent. There is nothing that the magistrates enjoy more than public confessions of the guilty (in text citation). The Scarlet Letter was written in the 1850’s and was based … Read more
“O, a story about the Black Man, how he haunts the forest” (Hawthorne 175). A collaboration between three major symbols can be seen as Pearl, the daughter of the main character, asks her mother HesterPrynne to tell her a story about the Black Man in the forest. Pearl is a changing symbol who started as, … Read more
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet letter, we are presented to a Puritanical society that resides adulteress Hester Prynne, whom must wear a scarlet letter to mark her shame. Within the novel, Hawthorne uses detailed descriptions of nature and introduces comprehensive characters such as Arthur Dimmesdale and Pearl with the intention of portraying the central … Read more
Many of Hawthorne’s characters wrap themselves in a pride of intellect. The characters become victims of their pride and consequently suffer. Goodman Brown, from “Young Goodman Brown” and Hooper, from “The Minister’s Black Veil” are two characters that suffer from a pride of intellect. Their pride causes them similar problems and they end up living … Read more
The transcendental period of American writing was a very important time for American literature. It produced many of the most famous authors in Americas history. Websters dictionary defines transcendentalism as a philosophy that asserts the primacy of the spiritual and transcendental over the material. What that means is that spirituality was more important than material … Read more
In “The Birthmark,” Hawthorne described a young scientist who killed his own wife by pursuing “perfect future” (Hawthorne, 220) while trying to remove a birthmark on his wife? s face. His name was Aylmer. He was a good scientist according to any standard. He was smart, diligent, and “an eminent proficient” (Hawthorne, 203) in natural … Read more
In The Birthmark, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Georgianas futile attempt to be flawless by cooperating in her own murder doesnt make her any wiser, especially because such a sacrifice does not earn her closeness with her husband. The character of Georgiana epitomizes the virtues upheld by the conventions of her time; she is beautiful, docile and … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthornes book, The Scarlet Letter, uses physical appearance to mirror a characters physiological or spiritual state. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, whom the reader may remember as having taken a brief part in the scene of Hester Prynnes disgrace, is a complex character. The young minister, whose health had severely suffered, of late, by his too … Read more
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written in 1849. This novel won him much fame and a good reputation as a writer. In writing The Scarlet Letter, Hawethorne was creating a form of fiction he called the psychological romance. A psychological romance is a story that contains all of the conventional trappings of a … Read more
An eccentric aging physician, Dr. Heidegger, calls together his old friends and contemporaries to test his waters of the “fountain of youth. ” As the doctor himself sits by to enjoy the show, each of his four aged friends eagerly quaffs more and more of the magic potion, each draught further carrying them backwards into … Read more
Although “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written in the mid-1800s, its themes and ideas are still a part of society today. The 19th century was a time of change, just as this, the millennium, is a time of great change. Hawthorne’s ideas about science, beauty, and life still play a major part in our … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown illustrates vividly how society and culture can very much influence a persons sense of identity and belonging, or in the case of Young Goodman Brown the lack thereof. Being a Puritan man in a society that scorned the ways of witches and the devil, Young Goodman Brown grew up with … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a compelling story which explores the inner emotions of the human mind, spirit, and the heart. Set around the 1640s in a Boston Puritan society, it focuses on the moral issue revolving around the virtue of truth and the evil of secret sin. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, a man of … Read more
Imagery is used in stories to refer to the ways writers compose mental images in writing. Imagery meets all of the readers senses such as hearing, touch, taste, smell, and even movement. As the audience, most of our response to a literary work depends on the way in which we interpret and identify with the … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts and died in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Hawthorne’s father was a sea captain and descendant of John Hathorne, one of the judges who oversaw the Salem Witch Trials. Hawthorne’s father died … Read more
Two distinguished authors, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville, were the only two anti-transcendentalist novelists. They focussed their novels on limitations and the potential destructiveness of the human spirit rather than on its possibilities (The American Experience 301). Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Melville’s Moby Dick, are tales of sin, guilt, obsession and destruction. From out … Read more
In The House of the Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne exhibits the fate of a family due to a curse by analyzing the most “disagreeable” secrets of a man’s soul (Great Lives 1077). Hawthorne shows the decay of an aristocratic family due to the sins of the past. He uses allegory within his character’s personalities and … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804 into an old Puritan family. Hawthorne graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825. He thereafter returned to his Salem home, living in semi-seclusion and writing. His work received little public recognition, however, and Hawthorne attempted to destroy all copies of his first novel, Fanshawe, which he had … Read more
Many of Hawthorne’s characters wrap themselves in a pride of intellect. The characters become victims of their pride and consequently suffer. Goodman Brown, from “Young Goodman Brown” and Hooper, from “The Minister’s Black Veil” are two characters that suffer from a pride of intellect. Their pride causes them similar problems and they end up living … Read more
“… it is no delusion. There is an Unpardonable Sin! ” , a quote by Ethan Brand that is at the root of many stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthornes gloomy, dark style of writing is an emphasis on his theme of evil at societies heart. Writing about what he knew Hawthorne described the puritan … Read more
I began my Hawthorne reading task with The Birth-Mark. I picked this story because I am familiar with the Maypole of Merrymount and Young Goodman Brown, and I wanted to try something different. I was pleasantly surprised with The Birth-Mark, in my mind it far surpasses the latter two stories. I think one of the … Read more
Many people have had an effect on this country. The reason for this lies in our country’s youth. The United States formed at a time when technological advancements allowed many more people to leave a legacy in its dawning. These advancements led to a creation of literary history. I find it hard to say one … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, the descendent of a long line of Puritan ancestors, including John Hathorne, a presiding magistrate in the Salem witch trials. After his father was lost at sea when he was only four, his mother became overly protective and pushed him toward more isolated pursuits. … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthornes works established him as one of the most unique authors of the 19th century. With works such as The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne not only entertained his audience, he made them look at their own life and compare it to 17th century Puritan New England. He also brought readers to the realization of how … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered to be one of the most substantial writers of his time. His most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter truly originated Hawthorn’s version of romantic writing. It was this novel that also originated Hawthorne’s fame. Most of his works deal with or have some relation to Puritan times. The reason for the … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthorne made his mark as a major American writer in 1850, with the publication of The Scarlet Letter. His work appeals to different levels of readers because he creates complex and elaborate settings. Through conflicts within his characters, he analyzes the moral and psychological issues often consumed by their own passions. As he was … Read more
People live with lies every day. Everyone from the President of the United States to the poorest beggar in New York City has told a lie. White lies, gray lies, and plain old dirty fat lies are strewn forth every day like water from a fountain. The only true difference between them is the amount … Read more
In Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown, the characters and settings are used to show allegory. The characters and setting are used in metaphor to represent something else. The whole story of Young Goodman Brown, represents the journey of everyman. Its path that everyone follows, or so Hawthorne seems to believe. The main character, Young Goodman Brown … Read more
Hawthornes clear-sighted rendering of what was due to both matter and spirit emerges in The Birthmark, at the end of which Melville wrote, the moral here is wonderfully fine. The moral of Nathaniel Hawthorns story The Birthmark is not to meddle with God and his creation, and that every person needs to realize everything as … Read more
“Young Goodman Brown”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story that is thick with allegory. “Young Goodman Brown” is a moral story which is told through the perversion of a religious leader. In “Young Goodman Brown”, Goodman Brown is a Puritan minister who lets his excessive pride in himself interfere with his relations with the community … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter is one of the most analyzed and most discussed literary works in American literature and for good reason. Hawthornes ambiguity and his intense use of symbols have made this work incredibly complex and incredibly bothersome. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many symbols to give insight into characters and … Read more
In the book The Scarlet Letter we read about the sins the major adult characters commit, as well as the consequences of their vices. Hester Prynne commits adultery and is therefore doomed to wear the scarlet letter upon her breast for eternity. Being Hesters partner in sin Arthur Dimmesdale must cloak his guilt. Lastly, we … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is one of the most analyzed and most discussed literary works in American literature and for good reason. Hawthorne’s ambiguity and his intense use of symbols have made this work incredibly complex and incredibly bothersome. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many symbols to give insight into characters and … Read more
Reoccurring Themes and Symbols in Different Works by Nathaniel Hawthorne It is no secret that Nathaniel Hawthornes The Ministers Black Veil is a parable. Hawthorne intended it as such and even gave the story the subtitle a parable. The Ministers Black Veil, however, was not Hawthornes only parable. Hawthorne often used symbols and figurative language … Read more
Goodman Brown was not asleep in this short story. As I read, I believed that Goodman did indeed meet the devil in the forest. If he had indeed dreamt about the trip he was sent on and meeting the devil, I think his nervousness would have been described in more detail then it was. Concentrating … Read more
The central theme of Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown,is the conflict in Goodman Brown between joining the ranks of the devil and remaining good. It is a very difficult personal journey for Young Goodman Brown, as he travels through the woods to follow an inner desire to become a witch, all the while thinking on … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) wrote Young Goodman Brown in 1835 some 514 years after Dante Alighieri passing in 1321. It is a short story of only 10 pages of prose; yet, it captures the essence of the first three verses of La Divina Commedia. In fact I can say that his little story throw great light … Read more
