"Two Scarlet Letters"--compares and contrasts Hester and Dimmesdale's scarlet letters and connects them to attitudes of Puritan society
Date Submitted: 03/22/2002 00:19:49
The themes that often reveal themselves in The Scarlet Letter, such as Puritan society, sin, confession, human nature, and punishment, are studied by looking at two versions of a simple letter in the alphabet: A. The scarlet A on Hester's dress and a replica on Dimmesdale's chest implants a connection not only in the sense of characters, but also in the corruption of Puritan society.
Hester's punishment by itself shows the way Puritan society's mind
Is this Essay helpful? Join now to read this particular paper
and access over 480,000 just like this GET BETTER GRADES
and access over 480,000 just like this GET BETTER GRADES
though she suffered greatly, Dimmesdale suffered more because he was never able to disclose his letter and it was engraved into his heart, a scar that would never disappear. This difference shows in the responding actions of Puritan society because their reaction to Hester is conspicuous, whereas the townsfolk did not, and did not intend to, rub their beliefs in Dimmesdale's face. Two scarlet letters perform a simple, yet timeless task: criticize Puritan New England.
Need a custom written paper? Let our professional writers save your time.